International Event Management Standard Endorsed by Renowned University

November 18 2008

(Ottawa, ON – November 18, 2008) The Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) announced today that Queen Margaret University of Scotland has become among the first higher education organizations in the world to officially accept and endorse the International Events Management Standard (IEMS). The university joins stakeholders from 16 countries in ratifying or currently validating the standard.

IEMS builds on the Event Management Body of Knowledge—a description of the knowledge and skills essential to create, develop, and deliver an event—as well as other recognized and established occupational standards and curricula from six countries; CTHRC’s emerit occupational standards provided one of the integral frameworks from which IEMS was developed. The result is a current, comprehensive competency-based occupational standard. Its development illustrates the increasing recognition that events professionals must demonstrate competence in order to be recognized as a serious discipline.

“After a careful and comprehensive review of the IEMS, the events faculty at Queen Margaret University has formally accepted these standards as official standards for our curriculum development and assessment criteria,” announced Dr. Joe Goldblatt, CSEP, Executive Director of the International Centre for the Study of Planned Events at the university. “Our review included the Quality Assurance Agency and the British Standards, and in both cases we are confident that the IEMS standards meet and in some cases further amplify these requirements. We are pleased to officially endorse IEMS.”

This groundbreaking work is the first example of the CTHRC to set an occupational standard that is international in scope. Individuals that are recognized as meeting an international standard are qualified to work worldwide, as they will have mastered transferable, industry-set requirements. As a result, IEMS enables greater learner and labour mobility, which will increase as IEMS informs an industry-led global certification program. The standards will also assist with research, curriculum development, and policy.

“The Queen Margaret University International Centre for the Study of Planned Events also officially endorses IEMS and will seek, through research and development projects, additional opportunities to advance and expand the excellent work already begun,” added Dr. Goldblatt. “We are pleased that our students and associates will be able, through the future adoption of these standards by both governments and non-governmental organizations, to seamlessly and professionally practise the art and science of planned events throughout the world.”

CTHRC supports Queen Margaret University’s encouragement of other higher education institutions to follow this example. IEMS has now entered Phase Two of large-scale international validation. To achieve an international model that is flexible, adaptable, current, and truly globally applicable, the CTHRC continues to engage stakeholders and subject matter experts to further develop certain aspects of the standard.

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