If you want your classroom experience to consist of textbooks and armchair theories, Todd Uglow's Capstone Festival and Events class is not for you!
Uglow's students work hard… grinding out plans and budgets, organizing schedules and then putting their skills to the test during the semester finale — 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏino, which also happens to be one of the valley’s biggest hospitality events of the year.
"It’s great because the students experience real stakeholders, real budgets and real outcomes," said Uglow, whose hands-on style comes from his background in sports entertainment and marketing. Uglow came to 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Lee Business School in 2006; and though he began teaching capstone event classes for the Harrah Hotel College in 2008, his first experience with 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏino was last year.
"I feel a great responsibility to expose students to all elements of event planning and execution," said Professor Uglow, who assigns his students major tasks like food and beverage service, marketing, auction support and health and safety. "They're not just showing up to work the day of the event; they’ve been involved in the entire process."
Working alongside Southern Wine & Spirits, 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏino student managers — as they are called — put in countless hours during the three-day, multi-venue 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏino wine tasting extravaganza, which raises tens of thousands of dollars each year in hotel school scholarships.
Lovely Mempin, a senior who worked on the marketing team, said the experience presented challenges and tested the students' skill: "We're applying our knowledge of time management, communications, and organization here. At the same time, we’re learning to be flexible and look at problem solving."
Asked if he’ll do it again, Professor Uglow said yes. "It's a lot of work but gratifying to see how much the students get out of it."
