With the death of former President George H. W. Bush last week, we are reminded that a presidential funeral is a national event that demands intensive and detailed planning. Plans for state funerals are often determined years in advance, and former presidents must complete planning for their own state funeral within one year of leaving office. The elements and character of the state funeral often reflect the deceased’s life and achievements.

What is the most important skill a candidate needs to succeed in a career in sports, entertainment, or event management? According to Sarah Jane Wyman ’11, senior meetings and special events manager at Marriott International, the answer is passion.

“You need to have eagerness and drive for your position,” she said. “I can teach you the skills but I can’t teach you to have a good personality.”

“The SEEM field is really only limited by your imagination and creativity.”

“This is the fun industry.”

“You can study what you’re really passionate about.”

You might not be familiar with a degree program that allows students to explore the intertwining worlds of sports, entertainment, and events. At Johnson & Wales University, we are more than familiar with the idea—and we call it “SEEM.”

These days, event security is a hot-button issue for everyone. No matter where you turn, you are touched by security concerns at home, school, work, or on the road. Event managers are no exception to the security concerns, and due to the tragedy in Las Vegas several weeks ago, ensuring that the proper security measures are in place can ease the minds of anxious event attendees, speakers, and even reduce event insurance costs.

Here are five tips to keep in mind when planning safety protocols for any event.

1. Conduct a risk assessment.

Do you ever wonder where popular wedding practices come from? If you’re planning a wedding or helping someone plan their big day, you might be interested to learn that most modern traditions are derived from ancient customs and superstitions—some of which are rather creepy and unromantic.

These days, couples are choosing to alter or skip some customs altogether. Here are five contemporary traditions, where they came from, and how they’ve changed over the years:

1. Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.

You probably never thought of it, but the ancient Olympics and Disney’s Electric Light Parade didn’t just happen. These events required skilled event planners to come off without a hitch.

Despite the fact that the event profession as we know it today is a relatively new field of study, for as long as we can remember—and even before that—people have been coming together to gather and feast. Back to the ancient Olympics in Greece: Even back then, someone had to organize the pagan festival and sacrificing of 34 oxen and the following athletic competitions among city-states, right?

Many of our present-day wedding traditions come from religions and cultures across the globe. If you’re working in the event management industry or simply planning your own wedding, you might be interested to learn more about some of the most prevalent contemporary wedding customs. Read on.

The wedding of your dreams doesn’t have to cost a fortune. In fact, vendors and suppliers regularly offer discounts—and not just to professional wedding planners. After all, negotiation is the basis of a good marriage, so why not start practicing even before you say “I do”?

Just like a wedding dress, these 10 tips on how to save money on your wedding are not one size fits all, but you’re sure to discover at least one way to walk away under budget when you walk down the aisle.

Each year, students in Johnson & Wales University’s Sports, Entertainment, Event — Management program organize the SEEM Leadership Conference, an event that brings together innovators and emerging leaders from across the industry to share advice and stories of their career successes and best practices.