As part of your administrative professional role, you are often asked to plan meetings and events—from board meetings and management retreats to client-facing summits and even executive training programs. From live, in-person meetings to digital events and everything in between, there are myriad ways to bring people together to achieve organizational metrics and goals and deliver results. And while you find planning these types of programs to be an exciting part of the job, you wish there were a method or process to follow to make the organization of meetings and events more efficient.

Join us for this 8-week specialty in Meeting and Event Planning, developed in partnership with industry leader Meeting Professionals International (MPI). Begin with a focus on defining meeting goals and objectives and stakeholder needs before learning how to develop a budget, create a blueprint, manage RFPs and develop contracts. Then, discover how to manage speakers and content, plan menus, design room sets, arrange transport, and oversee logistics. Finally, discover how to evaluate the success of your meeting or event, communicate success and improve your meetings over time.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Identify stakeholders and define SMART goals and objectives for your meetings.
• Source venues, vendors, speakers and content for your events.
• Design experiences that deliver value for your organization.
• Oversee onsite logistics during the execution of your meeting.
• Measure results and demonstrate business value and improve your meeting over time.

To successfully pass this certificate, you will need to participate in weekly calls, watch recorded learnings, read and answer questions about articles and research and submit and pass a final project that showcases your ability to apply the knowledge and best practices discussed in class to a real-life scenario.

*We strongly recommend taking only one CAPstone course at a time to ensure you have the time and capacity to fully immerse yourself in the learning experience. This focused approach allows you to engage deeply with the material, apply your knowledge effectively, and achieve the best outcomes for your professional development.

REQUIRED ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: 60-minute Live Weekly Virtual Call Days and Times: Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. Central Time via Zoom. The first live call will be held Thursday, February 13, 2025.

This course runs from February 13, 2025 through April 3, 2025.

Course fees are all-inclusive and non-refundable.

Member pricing is $850 and is non-fundable.

Non-Member pricing is $1050 and is non-refundable.