2012 PGA Tournament is a Classroom for College of Charleston Students
August 6, 2012
CHARLESTON, SC – August 6, 2012 – Collegeof Charleston hospitality and tourism management majors are turningKiawah Island’s Ocean Course into a classroom during the 2012 PGAChampionship. Nearly 30 students in associate professor Wayne Smith’sManaging Corporate Events course are working hand-in-hand with corporateevent planners to supervise dozens of hospitality suites.
“Thisis really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for thesestudents,” Smithsays. “There are very few universities who can provide students withaccess to major events such as the PGA Championship. We’ve been buildingthis relationship for nearly five years (since the Senior PGAChampionship in 2007) and these students are poised to reap the benefitsthrough experience and relationships.”
Smith,who is serving as the co-chairperson of the tournament’s hospitalitycommittee, and the students will be on-site from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. forthe 10 days surrounding the tournament (August 2 through12). During thattime, they will be working with corporate event planners for companieslike Mercedes-Benz, RBC, Proctor & Gamble and Pepsi. They will beserving the clients in a concierge-like position, which may includechecking in guests, driving clients around the course, and deliveringspecial request items.
Each day whilestudents are at the Ocean Course (about 45 minutes from campus), theyhave about 30 minutes of classroom discussion and guest speakers. Guestspeakers have included the executive director of the Charleston AreaVisitors and Convention Bureau and the director of the 2012 PGAChampionship.
This intenseclass/internship is providing students with valuable skills inrelationship marketing, service quality, high-end corporate eventplanning, and sports and sponsorship marketing.
“Themajority of these students are hospitality and tourism managementmajors who would like a career in corporate events, catering or salesmanagement,” Smith explains. “The contacts they are making and therelationships they are building with both the corporate event plannersand the clients could be invaluable in the future.”
WayneSmith, Ph.D. has published in dozens of professional journals on topicsrelated to events management and consumer psychology of tourism. Heteaches courses at the College of Charleston ranging from principles andpractices of hospitality and tourism to practicums in event managementand planning.
