ASSIGNMENT Part #1 - DESTINATION WEDDING CRITICAL PATH

*Group Assignment

Purpose: Planning a destination wedding is a different animal altogether. In this assignment, students will get real-world experience in the planning and procurement of the elements of a destination wedding.

The Avatar: Students, together in their groups, will create an avatar of their destination wedding couple, and explain why they are choosing a destination wedding and what their objectives for the wedding are and the general design of the wedding.

The Destination Wedding: Students will plan an all-inclusive destination wedding at a location that best suits their couple with a budget of $40,000 total cost (between the couples expenses, wedding packages and guest flights and accommodations) by comparing 3 different destinations.

They will first create a Critical Path showing all of the elements required to get the happy couple and their 18 guests from their hometowns to the wedding destination so they can tie the knot in a memorable fashion.

With a destination wedding, more emphasis is placed on travel and accommodations and more exceptions are generally made when it comes to decor and design because what is available at each destination will vary and some items are difficult to get in other countries. Your couple will need to have a general idea of what they would like their priorities and must-haves are in relation to their wedding needs and, as it will be based on what the destination offers, take that into consideration when choosing a destination.

Guest Accommodations and Accessibility:

1. All but 2 of the guests attending the wedding are located in Toronto, the remaining 2 guests are located in London, England and will be flying to the destination from there, so you will need to plan for this as well.

2. One guest is in a wheelchair, they require accessible accommodations and activities

The Avatar, Objectives and Critical Path will be created as a group so that everyone understands who the clients are and what the plan is. Putting together event/travel elements before understanding the plan is like putting together a 1000-piece puzzle and not having a picture on the box to tell you what you are supposed to be building. Not only will it take much longer to build because you have no vision of what it should look like, but you wont even be able to know if you are on the right track. Build the overall plan together first, then you can break off and

coordinate separate elements. It is very obvious to clients and employers when you present something that lacks a clear understanding of the vision or event objective.

ASSIGNMENT Part #2 - TRAVEL PLAN & ON-SITE CELEBRATIONS

*Group Assignment

Students will also create a wedding trip proposal for the couple, inclusive of air travel and accommodations for all 20 travelers, as well as, choices of wedding packages offered by the destination (they usually offer a few different packages). Students will create and submit a pitch (PPT) to the couple for the travel, accommodations, wedding ceremony and reception, as well as a guest itinerary that includes a priced-out plan for an excursion for the entire group.

Procurement: Much information can be found online, however, you will also have to call (toll-free) travel agents, hotel/resorts customer service lines and airline customer service lines to acquire all the information needed in your procurement process. This is a great opportunity to get to know some different travel agents, airlines and resorts for future reference. You do not have to create an in-depth budget for this assignment but you will post the prices of the trip and packages in the PPT (including applicable taxes and any other additional costs) and give the total cost. Remember, the total cost for everyone and every expense involved must stay within the given budget.

To hand in:

1. Critical Path (not destination specific):

A. Does it include all the critical elements? (Save-the-dates, invitations, communication plan, guest list creation, website, dates for deposits, travel information, accommodations, accessibility, decision-making due dates, etc.)

B. Reasonable timelines for tasks and clear owners of tasks

C. Good note-taking that reflects whether or not a task has been completed

2. PPT:

A. Couples Avatar & Objectives (Remember to do this together as a group FIRST before breaking off into sections to work individually. This is the most crucial aspect that needs to be understood by everyone, without clearly defined objectives you cannot have a successful event, it will look thrown together as opposed to properly planned out and both clients and employers will notice immediately that your project lacks cohesive vision and teamwork.)

B. The 3 destinations you have compared

C. The destination you have chosen and why you chose it for your couple

D. The wedding packages that are offered at the chosen hotel/resort with prices

E. The travel packages offered to guests (there may be more than one offer - some hotels include room or spa upgrades, etc.) including pricing and air travel itineraries

F. The wedding package with decor that you recommend and why you chose it for your couple as well as prices

G. Guest itinerary for the stay that provides for any events they should attend (meet and greets, rehearsal dinners, next day brunches, etc.) and one excursion for the entire group (i.e.: snorkeling, swimming with sea turtles, visiting cenotes, going to see the Mayan ruins, etc.)

Subject Outcomes Mark

Critical Path - Did they create an avatar and objectives for the wedding? - Has the critical path been built out with all of the essential elements and due dates? - Have inclusions been made for travel, accommodations and meals? - Are the given timelines reasonable? - Were the tasks given ownership and deadlines? - Good note-taking that displays and explains the status of the tasks 20

Travel &

Wedding Plan - Does the travel plan have the couples objectives in mind and does the ceremony and reception plans reflect that? - Have they adhered to the budget? - Were they able to organize the group trip including the two foreign guests? - Did they take advantage of group pricing and discounts? - Did they research and organize the different wedding packages from the various resort options and choose the one that best meets their objectives? - Did they adequately price and plan a group excursion? - Was the pitch and travel plans clear and easy to understand - Was the PPT well-organized and of client-facing quality? - Are the pictures and elements used attractive, crisp and in high-resolution? - Does the PPT make me want to go on t