Event Management School
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram LinkedIn
Search

Sign up for email updates from International Festivals & Events Association

Get Updates

The Premier Association Supporting and Enabling Festival & Event Professionals Worldwide

Association Endorsed Partners
Home > Education > Event Management School

Event Management School

January 16-21, 2022

Oglebay Resort & Conference Center
Wheeling, West Virginia

465 Lodge Drive | Wheeling, WV 26003
P: 304-243-4126 | F: 304-243-4106 | E: ntc@oglebay-resort.com

Oglebay Resort & Conference Center in January. 

Due to concerns over the current status of the Coronavirus/Omicron Variant and in consideration of the health and safety of participants and the desire for everyone to err on the side of caution, we have made the decision to cancel the 2022 IFEA/NRPA Event Management School this January 16-21, 2022. For those who registered for the School, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and ask for your understanding. We will be in contact shortly to coordinate a full refund and/or notification of rescheduled dates.

2022 Event Management School Cover - Balloons at Night

Quality festivals and events are among the most successful tools available to communities, states, regions, and even countries to increase tourism, create powerful and memorable branding and imaging opportunities, bond people together, encourage positive media coverage, enhance economic impact, and add to the quality of lives for those who live there. On the other hand, a poorly planned, managed and executed event can have a reciprocally opposite effect.
Over time, events themselves have changed; from often informal affairs to spectacular productions, requiring new sets of skills, experience, creativity, financing, planning and leadership. As a result, event management has evolved into a business and an industry, with new demands, challenges and expectations every day; from attendees / participants; sponsors; host communities and a plethora of other partners that the success of any event depends on.

Presented by two of the most respected professional associations in our industry – the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) – the Event Management School at Oglebay National Training Center in West Virginia was designed around the concept of bringing new and mid-career industry professionals together with some of the most highly respected and experienced professionals in the field, for a comprehensive educational and networking opportunity that will cover the critical basics of successful event management and then put students in an applied-knowledge project environment to test and further what they have learned.

Students in class. 
Teachers with the Oglebay Cup. 
Celebrating after graduation! 

Year One Session Topics

  • Strong Foundations: Understanding Event Management and the Importance/Impact of Quality Events
  • Step One: Business Plans
  • Arriving at the Bottom-Line: Event Budgeting and Budget Management
  • Putting the ‘Community’ in ‘Community Events’: Building a Successful Volunteer Program
  • Event Administration & Legal Considerations
  • Operations: From Vision to Reality
  • Merchandise Programs
  • The Basics of Sponsorship Sales and Service
  • Marketing & Mediums: Traditional, Social and Creative
  • Food & Beverage Programs
  • Introduction to Event Risk Management
  • Social Media Marketing: Understanding the Landscape, Benefits and Challenge
  • The New World of Event Ticketing, Financial Transactions and Audience Expectations
  • The Common World of Events and Cities: Building Community through Proactive Events Management
  • Is Everyone Invited? How to Include Fans with Disabilities
  • How’d You Do? Surveys, Evaluations and Economic Impact Studies
  • Year-Two Team Event Presentations

Year Two Session Topics

  • The Application of Project Management to Events
  • Human Centered Design to Enhance the Event Experience
  • Advanced Risk Management / Contingency Planning and Event Security / Emergency Management
  • Inside Perspective: What Cities Want from Events and the New Age of Partnership in Municipal Event Management
  • Is Everyone Invited? Advanced Considerations for Including Fans with Disabilities
  • Applied Sponsorship Research
  • Applied Budget Development
  • Applied Sponsorship Proposals and Follow-Up Reports
  • City Event Concept Project & Presentations

Schedule at a Glance

Both Year One and Year Two follow the same schedule.

Sunday, January 16, 2022

Arrivals during day.
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Registration
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Orientation
6:00 p.m. - Welcome Reception & Dinner

Monday, January 17, 2022

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Educational Sessions
11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. - Lunch
1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Educational Sessions
6:00 p.m. - Free Evening: Oglebay Shops, Zoo and Festival of Lights Tour Open

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Educational Sessions
11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. - Lunch
1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Educational Sessions
6:00 p.m. - Dinner and Evening Roundtable Sessions

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Educational Sessions
11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. - Lunch
1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Educational Sessions
6:00 p.m. - Free Evening and / or Group Planning Sessions

Thursday, January 20, 2022

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Educational Sessions
11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. - Lunch
1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Educational Sessions
6:00 p.m. - Graduation Reception and Banquet

Friday, January 21, 2022

Departures

Registration Links

Registration Package Includes

  • School Tuition for all days
  • 5 nights lodging (Price Varies per Room Selection)
  • 4 buffet breakfasts
  • 4 buffet lunches
  • Continuous coffee / beverage breaks
  • 5 beverage tickets
  • Sunday and Tuesday Buffet Dinners
  • Thursday Graduation Banquet with plated dinner
  • Continental Breakfast on Friday Morning
  • All taxes and applicable fees.

More Details

Health & Safety Notice: We will be working closely with our partners at NRPA and the Oglebay National Training Center & Resort to follow or exceed every West Virginia CDC health and safety guideline that may be in place at the time of the Event Management School in January. This will include masking; safe distancing; increased sanitation; and more. We will be asking that all those planning to attend provide proof of vaccination against Covid-19 OR proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours prior to your arrival.*

  • Complete Health & Safety Plan can be found HERE.
*Upon registration for the Event Management School, more details will be provided in a confirmation email as to how to provide proof of vaccination/negative PCR test.

Contact Information

  • For registration confirmation and other details, contact Oglebay Resort and Conference Center at ntc@oglebay-resort.com

Future School Dates:

  • January 15-20, 2023

Participant Insight

"This was the best School I have ever attended! This was my second at School at Olgebay but I am a learner, so this one was more for me. The presenters were OUTSTANDING! The wealth information that was shared and their willingness to share it with us, was such a blessing. I love the atmosphere of the Schools at Oglebay, where everyone is so fun to be around in the midst of this crazy world and times we are living in. Thank you so much for all you do and did, to make this AN EXPERIENCE I will always remember."
Event Management School Attendee

Industry Insight

“The Event Management School at Oglebay has created a vital tool in developing festival and event industry professionals. As any event producer can attest, training new staff often amounts to a “sink or swim” option. To have a venue where personnel can learn, interact and network with industry leaders, instructors, and peers from other events and markets increases professionalism and output multiple-fold.”
Ted Baroody, President
Norfolk Festevents

Industry Insight

“No other investment is more important for the board of a festival or special event than to assure that their staff is growing in their professional development. The Event Management School at Oglebay provides our industry with one place for new and mid-management level professionals to receive intensive, comprehensive training in the core competencies of event management, conducted by many top professionals in the field. It is the equivalent of a full-brain download for those who want to have a well-rounded, working understanding of our profession.”
Bruce L. Erley, CFEE, APR, President & CEO
Creative Strategies Group

Participant Insight

"As a Year 1 student, I was not sure what to expect but I felt compelled to share that the program absolutely exceeded my expectation. The caliber of the presenters was top-notch and the program topics offered direct application to my daily responsibilities as an event organizer. Thanks for developing this school. It has been the most intense event-specific training I have ever attended. I’m sincerely looking forward to Year 2."
Rachael Goodwin
Town of Leesburg, VA
Event Management School Graduate

Participant Insight

“It was informative, engaging and motivating. Every day provided an incredible opportunity to learn from the speakers and other students. I am most appreciative to have been able to meet so many leaders in the event management field and I am inspired by their enthusiasm, commitment and dedication to the profession. Oglebay was a great host site. Everyone there worked very hard to make sure we were all well taken care of and enjoying our stay. So glad that I was able to attend and I am looking forward to returning as a Year 2 student!"
Debe Shafer, Texas A&M University
Event Management School Graduate

Industry Insight

“If you were applying to my organization for a job - and I knew that you had completed the IFEA / NRPA Event Management School program – your resume would rise to the top of the pile.”

Jeff Curtis, CEO
Portland Rose Festival Foundation

Advertisers

Back to
Top
Directions Contact Site Map Privacy, Terms & Cookies