EVENT PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS

Architects, accountants and doctors all hold recognized professional designations which tell their clients that they hold certain qualifications, are experienced and they keep their knowledge up-to-date with continuous professional development. SAQA, S.A. Qualifications Authority has asked all industries to consider the introduction of professional designations.
South Africa has proved to the world that we can host successful events but to grow the industry we will need to benchmark with top International event qualifications and standards. We cannot afford another ‘Ellis Park’ destroying the reputational gains  made, which is why legislation like ‘Safety at Sports & Recreational Events’ and SANS10366 demand that all people working on events are experienced and qualified, on pain of hefty fines or imprisonment!. So the need for Internationally-recognised qualifications at all levels in the events industry, is serious and urgent.
The Event Industry Board of the Services SETA, comprising EXSA, SAACI, TPSA and S.A. Roadies, have been working for the last year on the development of professional designations for the events industry:
CEC – Certified Event Coordinator – requiring a minimum of 3 years relevant experience – NQF level 5
CEM – Certified Event Manager – requiring a minimum of 5 years relevant experience – NQF level 6
CEMP – Certified Event Management Professional – requiring 10 years relevant experience – NQF level 7
These professional event designations are being registered on the South African National Qualifications Framework.
The internationally recognized event qualifications to be used for these professional designations are those developed by the Canadian Tourism & Hospitality Resource Council, with input from event professionals in 20 countries being: Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, U.K., U.S.A., Zimbabwe. The qualifications can be found at:
Event Coordinator - http://emerit.ca/en/products/all_products/event_coordinator.aspx
Event Manager - http://emerit.ca/~/media/Files/Emerit/certification_factsheets/fs_e_event_manager_en.ashx
Event Management Professional - will be available shortly
The awarding of professional event designations is an RPL (recognition of prior learning) process that recognizes all previous qualifications and relevant experience, identifies skills gaps and offers virtual and actual workshops to bridge those gaps. It is envisaged that candidates will take an online self-assessment, to identify the existing level of competence and experience, they will participate in continuous professional development, where required, submit a portfolio of evidence and sit a 3-hour proctored online exam.
To participate in the professional designation process, candidates must be a member in good standing of a recognized sport, event or hospitality industry association, sign a code of conduct, obtain the relevant event qualification and obtain the required number of CPD (continuous professional development) points, every two years. The professional designations can be removed for misconduct but not the qualifications gained, as part of the process.
It is important that the entire industry, irrespective of SETA affiliation, supports the implementation of professional designations, including all of the various event genres:
Business and corporate events
Cause-related and fundraising events                                                                           
Exhibitions, expositions, festivals and fairs
Entertainment and leisure events
Government and civic events
Marketing events
Meeting and conventions
Social/life-cycle events: cultural, religious, communal, societal, life-cycle occasions
Sports events
So far the work on the event professional designations have been promoted extensively in ‘The Event’ newspaper and a road-show was conducted early August 2010, to allow the event industry in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg to meet Philip Mondor, Vice-President, Canadian Tourism & Hospitality Resource Council and raise their questions and concerns.
To gain the maximum input from the entire events industry on an on-going basis, it is necessary to create a Community of Expert Practice (CEP) where the views, concerns, advice and opinions of all event genres and stakeholders can be formulated on skills development, professional designations and qualifications and to drive strategic interventions for achieving the balance between the demands of the labour market and the supply of qualified event professionals.
The Chair & Vice-Chairman of the CEP will sit on the Events Professional Body, which will effectively act as the registrar of all candidate achievements, the assessment and quality assurance partner of the International event qualifications and be responsible for the development and implementation of all professional event designations. The Events Professional Body is currently under development.
There are numerous ways that YOU can participate in this historic professionalising of the South African events industry:

• Register your interest in obtaining a professional event designation
• Apply to join the Community of Expert Practice
• Apply to undergo training as:

a skills councilor for your professional industry association, where you will be paid for your services
an event skills assessor or moderator, where you will be paid for your services
an exam proctor, where you will be paid for your services (traditionally proctors should be above-reproach like church ministers, bank managers, retired teachers etc. but not from the events industry where the question of bias might arise)

Please register your interest by e-mailing: Manisha Madhoo [ManishaM@serviceseta.org.za] or on this web site