On Tuesday, April 2, students from Toronto School of Management’s hospitality and tourism programs had the opportunity to visit with the City of Toronto Festivals and Events Department and learn all about their complex operations, management and planning across their many departments and events.
The City of Toronto team offered a fascinating and comprehensive seminar to our students in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) and Customer Service (CS) modules. Students learned about what and how the division develops, produces and executes public events using two major Toronto Arts and Cultural Events examples—Doors Open Toronto and Nuit Blanche.
Students heard from Jeanne Holmes, Programming Manager, City Cultural Events, and Pratishtha Kohli, Supervisor, Special Events, Economics and Cultural Development, who discussed the organizational structure of City of Toronto’s different arts and culture events divisions, how they interoperate, procure, curate—nationally and internationally—budget, and coordinate with other public services departments, such as police and paramedics, as they plan for public events.
Using Toronto’s three-day contemporary art festival, Nuit Blanche, as an example, they discussed how they plan the multi-layered programming required for such a massive event, as well as the management and operations that surround it. The seminar offered detailed information about how such multi-layered and complex operations are constructed around the City’s vision—offering free and inspiring arts and cultural events to the public.
Students were actively engaged during the seminar, asking intelligent questions and taking the opportunity to inquire about networking opportunities, such as volunteering and community engagement.
The atmosphere was full of energy, and the discussion was incredibly enlightening, providing students with exclusive insights into the practical workings of the industry.
Thank you to Faculty member Dr. Rasmi Kokash for organizing this event and accompanying the students, to the Associate Dean Nisha Naugh who was also in attendance, and to the Toronto City Hall Festivals and Events Department Programming Manager Jeanne Holmes.
To learn more about the Hospitality and Tourism programs at Toronto School of Management, please visit our website or contact us at [email protected].
