A class at Northern Arizona University is turning lessons into action by blending education with real-world experience. The Special Events Planning class teaches students the fundamentals of planning, coordination and logistics by developing projects that extend beyond the classroom and into the community. Now, they are seeking groups and organizations with events in need of planning support.
“We are inviting faculty and students, as well as community organizations who need help planning an event,” said Joshua Merced, assistant teaching professor at the Department of Geography, Planning and Recreation. “We oversee events from start to finish and also help with events that are already in the planning stages, where the community partner just passes over the reins of the event to the students to help finalize it.”
At the beginning of the semester, students are divided into groups and look over the curated list of events they can plan. Merced said the class has planned all types of events, from large ones like the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Sedona to small fundraisers for local organizations and golf tournaments, giving students hands-on experiences and career readiness they can add to their portfolio.
“The course emphasizes not only how an event is planned, but also how to navigate the challenges and responsibilities that come with bringing people together for a shared purpose,” Merced said. “Through hands-on experience students gain insight into teamwork, communications and problem-solving skills that are essential for their professional and personal lives.”
The students must meet several different milestones during the course, holding consultations with the instructor, sharing a progress report, writing reflections on their experiences and creating a rubric to ensure they are turning theory into action. At the end of the semester, they turn in a detailed portfolio of the event they helped plan, showing timelines, budget templates, contacts and other information that will help the next class plan a similar event. The portfolio also demonstrates the skills they learned while planning and executing the event.
“One of the skills they work on is budgeting,” Merced said. “Sometimes you have to work with a limited budget for very extravagant events. They also learn skills in essential problem-solving, promotions and digital marketing. They learn how to delegate and trust each other to execute an event, working as a team and making sure all the moving parts are cohesive.”
Merced said the class is about more than just planning an event. Students also learn basic business skills like writing professional emails, working with vendors, booking venues and holding planning meetings.
“This class provides students with experience they can’t get anywhere else,” he said. “We can often see the idea of program planning from the attendees’ perspective, and not from the people who do these events. It is a good experience to have under your belt. It takes things out of the textbook and the classroom and allows students to take agency and control of their learning. It gives them a lot of transferable skill sets that cross any discipline or training. It also strengthens the bonds between NAU and our community partners and might even provide students with job opportunities in the future.”
The class is open to anyone and can be taken as a general education credit. It is part of a series of classes, but there are no requirements to enroll.
Proposals for event planning support can be sent via email to Josh Merced. The event must be hosted between April 11-May 9, 2026.
Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu