Eleven years ago, George, Angela, and Penny Stergiopoulos created a scholarship to honor their parents, Elias and Fofo, as owners of The Greek Islands Restaurant. The children decided that in recognition of their parents’ belief in “filoxenia” - hospitality, that the scholarship would benefit a TCEM major.

Each year, the children opened the restaurant on a Sunday and promoted ticket sales for an authentic Greek dinner. Through the generosity of the family, the restaurant absorbed most of the costs for these meals, and TCEM students served as helpers. The result was an endowed scholarship that grew to a level that now supports two scholarships.

This year marks the 11th event, and the children are excited to be able to host the event at the newest restaurant owned by the family, Café@Ray, located of 946 S. Meridian Street. On Sunday, April 3, the meal will be served from 12N to 4 pm. Contact Dr. Linda Brothers to purchase your $30.00 ticket for this year’s fundraiser.

Levy Restaurants Offer Unique Internships
By: Christi Franklin

On Saturday, May 7, the Kentucky Derby, also known as the “greatest two minutes in sports”, will be holding its 131st annual running at Churchill Downs. Levy Restaurants is proud to be a part of this wonderful event and is also proud to be the sole provider of food and beverages. Over the years, Levy Restaurants has had very positive experiences with student internship programs and contacted the TCEM Department at IUPUI to participate at this year’s event.

Using the internship requirement, TCEM 387, this could be a wonderful opportunity for students to experience food and beverage operations. After working out the specifics with TCEM Internship Coordinator, Mr. Jim Bennett, Levy Restaurants decided to transport the students to Churchill Downs, reserve a block of hotel rooms, and provide a daily meal. A daily stipend of $10.00 will be provided for incidental expenses. Bennett will be involved with the students throughout the internship.

The students will leave Indianapolis on April 29 and return on May 10. This is an unpaid internship; therefore the students who are involved will receive credit for the full 300 hour unpaid internship requirement. However, the time must be fully completed. Should a student not stay for the full eleven days, an incomplete grade will be assigned.

Students will be placed in a variety of positions over the eleven days. They will be responsible for tasks such as banquet set-up, supervision of other staff members, management of the premium dining areas, guest contacts, completion of other event preparations, operation of concessions, inventory, and cost control procedures.

During the internship, the students will come in contact with approximately 400,000 guests from around the world who have come to see this international event. Levy Restaurants caters to a variety of guests including those on “Millionaire Row”.

To be eligible for this internship, prospective interns met with Paula Meyer, Human Resource Director for Levy Restaurants. She spoke to interested students stressing numerous times that this internship would not be easy. It consists of hard work and long hours requiring a high energy level. However, she did mention that with the commitment students put into it, they would receive very high recognition and walk away with a very positive outlook. It will look great for these students to add the Kentucky Derby experience to their resumes.

This is the first year that the TCEM Department has been involved with Levy Restaurants. The department hopes to have a successful partnership. If everything goes as planned, long-range goals are to establish a permanent internship agreement.

Cultural Tourism Grant For $150,000 Received
By Joel Zeller

A grant has been issued to the Department of Tourism, Conventions, and Event Management in the sum of $150,000. This grant was awarded courtesy of the Efroymson Fund that was established in 1988 as a gift of $90 million by the Efroymson Family. The Efroymson Fund is a donor-advised fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation.

Dr. Sotiris Avgoustis, Chairman and Associate Professor, has been working avidly to try and secure a grant for some time. This is the largest grant that has ever been received by TCEM, and it is an excellent opportunity for the department to achieve some of their goals. Jump starting cultural tourism in Indianapolis and increasing the cultural presence within the city are the main purposes of this grant.

Dr. Avgoustis is very optimistic about the opportunities that have opened up as a result of the generosity from the Efroymson Family. Advancing cultural tourism has been something that the City of Indianapolis has been working toward, and this grant for TCEM will aid this effort tremendously. ICA, the Arts Council, and Downtown Inc. are just a few of the organizations that will benefit from this grant. Dr. Avgoustis also said that an annual conference will enable those individuals and businesses who support culture to meet and learn about Indianapolis and present possible opportunities that could help build alliances among these businesses. Anyone who has interest in the furtherance of culture in Indianapolis will be welcome to attend this conference.

The purpose of this conference will be to train those who are currently in the field of culture and to also spark interest to further advance the culture in the city of Indianapolis. According to Dr. Avgoustis, this conference may be feasible by as soon as next year. Another benefit of this grant is that a $25,000 award will be given to a group or organization that has done an outstanding job to further culture. This award will be given out at the culture conference. Another benefit of this grant is that some funds will be distributed to a TCEM faculty member in the form of an annual research stipend.

The $150,000 grant not only benefits the City of Indianapolis and the faculty of the TCEM Department, but it will directly affect the students of this Department. One student from TCEM will receive a $1,000 scholarship each year courtesy of this grant. The recipient will help with conference planning and management.

There will certainly be other opportunities for TCEM students as a result of this grant. Research projects completed by students enrolled in TCEM 461 could be supported by the grant.

The Special Event 2005 Tradeshow and Conference
by Jennifer Webb-Kelly

If you are an event professional, this is the premier annual event you should attend. This year, The Special Event (TSE) was held in Miami Beach, Florida from January 5-8, 2005 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The International Special Event Society (ISES) was also involved with this event. The tradeshow itself was sold out and included 330 exhibitors.

There were eight educational program tracks for event professionals to choose from including décor, themes, venues, weddings, and catering. Over half of the 6,000 registrants attended the conference programs. Also, this was a time for event professional to take the final steps in preparing for the Certified Special Events Planner (CSEP) exam to be given during the conference.

Dr. Linda Brothers, Associate Professor for the TCEM Department, attended the event this year. She felt that the combination of a tradeshow and a conference played a big role in deciding on whether or not to attend. "Discussing the décor or themes, and then actually seeing the product was a huge success because most people in this industry are visual people," stated Dr. Brothers.

TSE had an opening night gala that was set in the famed Jackie Gleason Theater. A local entertainment cast re-enacted some scenes from the infamous Gleason era. Then, famed Astronaut Colonel Mike Mullane was the guest speaker for that night. Mullane spoke about his past experiences as an astronaut and promoted his new novel.

Another educational activity during those three days was “Take to the Seas.” This was a Leadership Luncheon Roundtable aboard a yacht sailing throughout the famous Biscayne Bay. There were three roundtable discussions that were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the guests to speak with 15 top industry leaders.

A luncheon at the famed Deauville Beach Resort was another exciting event. This resort was considered a Miami hangout spot for the famed “Rat Pack.” The luncheon showcased the up-to-date trends in the wedding industry. One of the organizers of this event was Sasha V. Souza, named one of Modern Bride’s Top 25 Trendsetters of 2004.

TSE also explained new trends within the event business. Use of floor seating is one example. This has stemmed from interest in “hot and spicy” themes from the Middle East. Pillows are placed on the floor and sat on throughout a dinner event. Most event planners using this style will set up half chair seating and half floor seating to accommodate everyone’s tastes.

The final night was the gala awards and celebration. The theme was from the Roarin’ Twenties and was a progressive dinner event. The evening ended with a concert by Latin Grammy artist, Nesto Torres.

Keith Shereda Foundation – Benefiting Spinal Cord Injury Research
By: Christi Franklin

On Saturday, March 5, 2005, The Keith Shereda Foundation is holding Party Hardy, an annual party and silent auction to benefit spinal cord injury research. The event will be held at the Knights of Columbus located at 71st and Keystone Avenue on the north side of Indianapolis. This foundation is a non-profit organization formed to help raise money for spinal cord injury research and to sponsor human clinical trials in hope of finding a cure. The first party and auction were held a year ago and raised over $24,000.

Keith Shereda is a 26-year-old college student who was injured in a diving accident in the summer of 1999. Keith is now paralyzed from the shoulders down. All of the money raised will be donated to several different spinal cord research projects. The foundation is simply asking local businesses around the city of Indianapolis to donate things such as gift certificates, services, and/or merchandise to be used in the silent auction. A single Party Hardy Ticket costs $25.00 or you may reserve a table of 10 for $300.00. To purchase tickets, contact Susie Shereda at (317) 823-2683.

Reggie Miller Retires
By Joel Zeller

This is the end of an era for Pacers basketball. Reggie Miller, the long standing, upstanding, and outstanding three point threat who has been the cornerstone of the Pacers franchise has decided to hang it up after this season. The thirty- nine-year-old has had a career that almost assuredly will secure him a place in the NBA Hall of Fame. He holds the record for most three pointers made at 2,464 total points that is thought to be unbreakable.

He has been with the Pacers since 1987 and is one of only a handful of players in any sport who has played his entire career for one franchise. Miller said that he felt like the organization was ready to take the next step without him. “I just believe it is time.” said Miller, according to Conrad Brunner of the Pacers web site.

All Pacers fans know that it has been a joy to watch Reggie play and are sad to see him retire. However, there is no doubt that Reggie will be a part of the game in some form or fashion for many years in the future. Can’t you just see him sitting next to Charles Barkley speculating on the future of potential rookies and reminiscing about the yesteryears of the NBA? Or perhaps he’ll be the next coach to build a basketball dynasty at the collegiate or professional level. Whatever the future holds, all fans wish him good luck.

ISEF (International Special Events Education Foundation)
by Jennifer Webb-Kelly

Many special event professionals are familiar with ISES (International Special Event Society), but not with ISEF. This foundation develops funding opportunities and education for event professionals. The mission statement of ISEF “is to establish and provide funding for education, research, and resource development of educational products and programs for the global special events industry.” The funding will help with growth and development of the special events industry through grants to support continued education of professionals and to sponsor programs related to the special events industry.

Applicants must meet criteria in order to earn an ISEF grant. First, the proposed programs must help advance the special events industry. They must be available to all ISES members and help benefit ISES. The most important factor in determining awards is that the program has an educational perspective.

ISEF also has scholarship programs that provide educational assistance to individuals pursuing certificates and degrees in the special event industry. The application criteria include community involvement, career goals, grade point average, and recommendations from professors, advisors, and other ISES members. There are currently four scholarships available nationwide.

PETM Enrollment Sets Another Record

According to Dean Kellum, the enrollment for spring 2005 reached a new high of 11,438 credit hours. This moved the school ahead of the Herron School of Art, the School of Public Affairs, and the School of Nursing.

Kellum noted that the enrollment between the two departments, Physical Education and Tourism, Conventions, and Event Management has shifted with 60% of the school’s student headcount generated from the former, a slight decrease from the previous year for this department. While both departments are growing, TCEM has experienced unprecedented growth during the past two years.

Budget priorities for human resources for 2005-06 include salary increases for staff and faculty and possible creation of a new faculty position. Space needs are the top priority for physical resources. Kellum announced that renovation of the exercise science laboratory and of the associate faculty office area will be underway in May.