By: Erin A. Cassidy
Dr. Sotiris Avgoustis, will receive the National
Tourism Foundation Award at the 2001 NTA National Conference.
The annual conference is attended by tour operators, tour
suppliers, destination marketing organizations and educators
and will be held in Houston, Texas on November 9-14.
Dr. Avgoustis is an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Tourism, Conventions and Event Management. He
teaches courses in tourism economics, global tourism, and
travel career development. Dr. Avgoustis will have bestowed
upon him the NTF Award for his continuing efforts and support
in the education and research of travel and tourism.
The NTF is designed to support curriculum development
in travel and tourism education programs. In conjunction with
this, the foundation developed the “Visitors Scholars”
program. The program allows educators to learn first-hand
about the National Tour Association, the National Tourism
Foundation and the overall packaged travel industry.
Dr. Avgoustis was one of two educators selected
by the selection committee to receive the award. The selection
process is based on the nominees skills and professional experiences.
Dr. Avgoustis states that, “As an educator in the field
of travel and tourism, it is my responsibility to keep up
with all trends and issues that affect this segment of the
industry.” He also adds, “The visiting scholars
program will provide me with an excellent opportunity to learn
new information that affects this segment of the industry
and share my knowledge and experiences with my students.”
Congratulations Dr. Avgoustis on receiving this
prestigious award!
Congratulations Sarah Stone
By: Jennifer Cantu
Congratulations Sarah Stone. A student in the
Tourism, Conventions, and Event Management Department was
recently awarded a national scholarship from the Travel Industry
Association Foundation. Sarah is a senior and works full-time
for Hyatt. Three students from all over the United States
were chosen for this honorable award. The award consists of
a $3,000 scholarship, expense paid trip to Atlanta for the
annual convention, essay to be published in the trade newsletter,
and recognition in front of thousands of people in the industry.
What a great way to meet people in the tourism industry and
be able to attend an actual trade convention.
The criteria were very stringent. Only three
applications were picked from the hundreds that applied. Sarah
had to write an essay on what aspects of the field she intends
to be involved with and be referred by the Chairman of the
Department. What a privilege it is to have a student in the
department win such an honor. Great job Sarah and good luck
at the convention!!!!!!
WATCH US GROW!!!!!
By Jennifer Cantu
Our department has grown by leaps and bounds
over the past couple of years. Now being offered are new certificate
programs through Purdue and Indiana University. Any student
already enrolled in the TCEM
degree programs is eligible or any other students currently
enrolled at IUPUI. They also provide educational support for
people employed in the field and can help prepare them for
advancement. Each new certificate offers a major area of focus.
The Purdue University certificates include Food
Production Services (19 cr.), Beverage Management Services
(18 cr.), and Lodging Management (19 Cr.). Each offers courses
that concentrate on the subject matter and uses practical
application outside the classroom.
The Indiana University certificates include
Event Management (20 Cr.) and Cultural Heritage Tourism (19
cr.). Actual applications of skills needed to pursue careers
in the field are utilized to enhance the learning experience
through labs and “on-hand” events.
Indianapolis as a Cultural Tourism Destination
By Jennifer Turner
The city of Indianapolis and Mayor Bali Peterson
have been working on developing Indianapolis as an arts &
cultural tourism destination. They believe that Indianapolis
and central Indiana have a lot to offer in the area of the
arts that they have developed a cultural initiative plan to
bring this idea to life. The plan focuses on four significant
approaches to bring visitors into the state.
- Stimulate increased local cultural participation by Indianapolis
residents.
- Maximize the cultural experience for existing visitors
and event visitors.
- Strengthen Indianapolis andcentral Indiana as a unique
cultural destination to attract new visitors.
- Build a sustainable infrastructure to support cultural
development.
The city and the Mayor believe that putting
these plans into action that Indianapolis will not only be
know as the amateur sports capitol of the world but also as
an arts and cultural destination. With this new tourism idea
the city will be able to bring in more visitors and intertwine
the two ideas together, which will allow the city to offer
more activities and events when people visit the city.
World Police & Fire
Games-Indianapolis
How the City Measured Up
By Jennifer Turner
For the first time ever Indianapolis hosted
the World Police & Fire Games. Law enforcement officers
and firefighters from around the globe converged in Indianapolis
on June 8 and stayed through June 16. They participated in
a variety of sporting activities, culture events and fun.
The World Police & Fire Games brought in more than 20,000
visitors with a large number of international guests.
The students in the TCEM department at IUPUI
conducted an in-depth survey to find out how the city of Indianapolis
stands as a tourism destination and found many positive responses.
They surveyed approximately 400 visitors, representing visitors
from 29 countries. The majority of them lived in Canada and
the United Kingdom. An astonishing discovery was that 95.5%
of them were first time visitors to the city.
Our guests to the city were pleased with the
tourism attractions that Indianapolis had to offer. They enjoyed
areas such as the arts and cultural attractions, the friendliness
and ease of the city, the availability of restaurants, choices
for entertainment, and the cleanliness of downtown Indianapolis.
They even went on to say that one feels safe and secure in
downtown Indianapolis. On the downside of our fine city, visitors
were not happy with the price of the accommodations. However,
the favorable image of the city far outweighed any concerns,
and 80% of those surveyed stated that they would visit again
and recommend Indianapolis as a destination to others. With
all these aspects the city of Indianapolis clearly exceeded
the expectations of our visitors.
Courses Simulate Challenges
By Linda Brothers
Many of the courses for TCEM majors require
projects to simulate industry challenges. Two courses offered
during summer session II are good examples of these hands
on classroom experiences.
The TCEM 377 Exhibit Marketing project was to
stage a mock tradeshow.
The project was to plan a consolidation show,
open to both the general public and those providing goods
and services or working within the telecom industry.
Students were required to role play the various
constituents of a trade show. Convention center and visitor
bureau personnel of the chosen city were to answer questions
about lodging, transportation, and entertainment. The Exposition
Manager needed to determine the show date, location, length
and size of the show, the target audience, and pool of exhibitors.
The Exhibitor had to contract with the exposition manager
to design all of the details and deadlines necessary to make
the show a success for their company taking into consideration
the objectives they have set, their budget and their plans
to promote the show and train their show team. Venue Managers
& StafflGeneral Service Contractors needed to coordinate
the show moving in and out with enough time to clean and to
serve as the one show stop for the exposition manager. The
general service contractor designed an exhibitor kit including
lists and forms for all services and materials available and
their related costs.
The TCEM 191 Sanitation and Health in Food Service,
Lodging and Tourism project was to complete a health department
inspection. This project reinforced the principles of food
safety and sanitation discussed through the semester.
Students were required to go to any food service
establishment and conduct a health department inspection.
The form used by the students evaluated both
the non-critical and critical categories requiring the students
to identify each violation found and total the number of non-critical
and critical violations respectively and indicate these totals
in the “Summary of Violations”.
What’s New With You?
In an effort to keep track of our alumni, we
would appreciate it if you would take a moment to answer the
following questions and mail this back to us.
Name: _____________________________
What year did you graduate? ___________
Where do you live? ___________________
What is your occupation? ______________
Marital Status:
__ single __ married __ relationship __ divorced
Do you have children? __Yes __No
If yes, how many? ____________
What are your hobbies/interests? _______________
__________________________________________
Other information you wish to share (awards, honors, etc.):
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
If you are interested in receiving our monthly
newsletter by email, list your email address?
__________________________________________
Please return form to:
Dr. Linda Brothers
TCEM Department, IUPUI, PE 258
901 W. New York Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5193
Or email information to:
pmay©iupui.edu |
