Get an Education in Event and Meeting Planning

If you're doing a lot of event and meeting planning in your career, or if you'd like to do more, there are a lot of learning options available with regard to boosting your knowledge and educational clout.

Choices range from a four-year college degree to certification programs in a variety of fields. It's all about determining how much time and money you want to invest in yourself and your career.

Four-Year College Degree

For those who are highly motivated, getting an undergraduate (or even graduate) degree in hospitality, food service management, international travel and tourism studies or hotel management - to name a few - might be the way to go. It's all about defining your focus and selecting the best college or university to provide you with the right education.

While there are plenty of schools throughout the U.S. (and internationally) that offer courses related to event planning, there are still others that offer complete four-year degrees in specific event planning subjects and even some that offer business degrees with a specific emphasis, so know what you want.

Here are a few ways you may choose to go:

• Paul Smith's College, The College of the Adirondacks, offers degrees in Hospitality and Resort Management as well as Culinary Arts Management.

• Chemeketa Community College in Oregon offers the opportunity to get attend a less-expensive two-year college first to take courses pre-designated transferrable to specific universities and colleges that offer a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a Hotel, Restaurant and Resort Management concentration or Bachelor's degrees in Hospitality Business Management or Nutrition and Food Management with a Dietetics Option.

• Kendall College in Chicago is the only school in the U.S. that offers a degree from the Les Roches School of Hospitality Management program from Switzerland.

• Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI, offers a Bachelor's degree in Business with a Special Event and Meeting Planning Minor.

In addition there are several on-line degree programs available including:

• University of Massachusetts via UMassOnline, which offers a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management, ranked fourth in the nation by the Princeton Review's Gourman Report.

• Ellis College, the online version of the NY Institute of Technology, offers a Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management as does the University of Phoenix.

However, perhaps you prefer not to attend a four-year college or would rather obtain (or already have) your degree in a different field. Then to further your education, completing a certificate program might be the better choice.

Certificate Programs

Naturally, there are the highly recognized certificate programs available to the event planning professional such as the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) from the Convention Industry Council (CIC) or the Certified Special Event Professional (CSEP) from the International Special Events Society (ISES).

However, there are also several other organizations and designations as well as colleges and universities that offer their own certifications typically through the extended learning program. Here are a few you may want to consider:

• Certificate in Meeting Management (CMM) from the Meeting Professionals International

• Certified Planner of Professional Meetings (CPPM), Certified Internet Meeting Professional (CIMP) or Certified Global Meeting Planner (CGMP) from the Connected International Meeting Professionals Association (CIMPA)

• Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) from the International Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (IACVB)

• The extended learning program at San Francisco State University offers a certificate program in Event and Meeting Planning that requires a mix of core and elective classes. In addition, nearby Sonoma State University and the University of Berkeley offer similar programs.

• The Leadership Institute at Belmont University in Nashville offers a Meeting and Event Planning certificate in just five sessions.

• The Wedding Planning Institute has partnered with the University of New Mexico to offer a Wedding Planner certificate via a 40-hour hands-on program.

No matter what educational course you choose for your event planning career, know that you have a lot of options. With a little research, study, and hard work you'll find the right designation for your career.