Wedding and Special Event Planning Statistics:
   Sources: Entrepreneur Magazine and Association of Bridal Consultants

• 2.4 million weddings take place each year at an estimated cost of between $42 billion and $70 billion.
• One third of wedding couples engage a wedding consultant.
• Annual spending for special events in the US is $800 billion.

Meeting Planning Statistics:
   Sources: Entrepreneur Magazine and Meetings Professional International

• Meetings industry is an $83 billion industry.
• Meetings industry is ranked as the 23rd largest contributor to US Gross National Product, producing 1.57 million Full-time Equivalent Jobs in US.
• Direct spending of conventions, expositions, meetings, and incentive travel industry generate:
  – 22 percent of operating revenue of air transportation industry.
  – $66 billion of hotel industry’s operating revenue--more than one third of all hotel revenue.
  

The Events Planning and Meeting Management (EP/MM) course is part of the 30-credit Events Planning/Meeting Management Certificate program offered by the Communication and Languages Department that helps students prepare for or enhance employment opportunities with trade or professional associations, non-profit organizations and corporations, or as independent consultants in the field of events planning and meeting management.

The following are the Certificate program courses:

• English I*
• Interpersonal Communication
• Intro to Business Administration*
• Marketing I
• Speech Comm I
• Business Law I*
• Events Planning/Meeting Management
• Intro to Public Relations
• Business Computer Systems*
• Events Planning/Meeting Management Co-op
  
  *Available online as well as in traditional classroom format