Twenty-one talented Event Management Certificate students are headed to the desert in February to learn about the event management industry in Phoenix, Arizona, as part of the program’s spring professional development field trip.

This year’s trip is supported in part through a $5,000 sponsorship from the Eastern Iowa Airport.

The airport’s marketing team, also known as FlyCID, has previously interacted with the certificate as a client in the Event Management Workshop class when students planned an on-campus event to spread the word about a new direct flight to Washington, D.C.

Pam Hinman, director of marketing and communications, says she sees a lot of opportunities for collaboration and “win-win” scenarios between the airport and UI programs, including the certificate.

University of Iowa alumnus and certificate supporter Kevin Grothe also donated to offset individual students’ field trip expenses.

Certificate coordinator Heather Spangler says these gifts make the trip accessible to more students and mean an enhanced trip for all.

“We hear from students that our professional development field trips are some of the most enriching and engaging experiences they have in their time at the University of Iowa,” she says. “It’s important to us that all students have access to these opportunities and these gifts make that possible.”