A class of IFTM Year 2 students from the Tourism Event Management Programme has organised the ‘E2pia Campystery’, a camping themed dinner buffet at Educational Restaurant on 12-13 November, 2022. The event was part of the primary course component required in ‘Supervised Work Experience’, one of the core courses of the programme. The course aims to allow students to gain practical experience in the field of event management under the supervision of a faculty member. Besides, it seeks to develop and expand the planning, communication, management, and creative skills of students, thus, stimulating students’ abilities to make effective decisions.
The ‘E2pia Campystery’ was a great success, offering lots of entertainment and remarkable experiences to guests. By holding such a public catering event, students do not only have the opportunity to put what they have learnt into practice, but also learn the importance of planning and communication during the preparation process.
The event was organised around the camping theme with interactive detectives games. The Year 2 students devoted themselves to providing a novel experience to the guests. In line with the concept of ‘E2pia Campystery’, the entire interior of Educational Restaurant was replaced by canopies, tents, lawns and camping furniture, so as to build the one and only indoor camping site, creating an immersive ambience for everyone to enjoy. Meanwhile, the detective game highlighted the dinner by inviting guests to play roles as detectives and conduct a crime scene investigation. The ‘detectives’ had to search and examine evidence at the site, interrogate witnesses, and deduce the details of the crime. By the time the guests were enjoying themselves being detectives, the class got the menu prepared according to the theme, with the consideration of common dietary requirement, availability of ingredients and operational concerns in a catering setting.
The guests enjoyed an awesome evening with the special planned event. Many of them expressed their appreciation towards the camping themed venue setup work. ‘The detective game, especially the part about interacting with the witnesses, was the best!’ comments left for the post event evaluation survey. Meanwhile, the feedback from guests upon the food arrangement was all positive.
The student-organised, hands-on project was part of IFTM’s established, innovative approach to teaching, whereby theory and practice are integrated. The curriculum at the Institute emphasises project-based learning. Tourism Event Management Programme sees running events as keys to engage students and encourage their involvement within campus. They are invited to experience real situations and confront real challenges by undertaking assigned projects, thereby developing pan-curricular skills while collaborating in groups. Most importantly, it is beneficial for students’ development with the creation of a greater sense of community among students, allowing them to interact and communicate in a fun social setting.
The class had to take charge of the whole event from planning, budgeting, sponsorship negotiation, marketing, tickets sales, event execution, guest service and food production with the guidance of the course lecturer and the restaurant team. Also, the ‘E2pia Campystery’ is an event for charity. All net profit will be donated to ‘Children’s Dream Alliance’, a local non-profit organisation that contributes to the growth of kids and teenagers in Macao in exploring their own paths and building close relationships with their family and community. Yet, students from Tourism Event Management Programme would like to express their gratitude to the support offered by IFTM, the Student Union and all sponsors in their very first event held in their study journey.
