“Event management is a collaboration of art and science. It is the creative pursuit of producing the outcome desired by the stakeholders”, explained Cynthia Reantaso-Bernabe.
Bernabe was invited by PCAARRD to lecture in a training titled “Making a difference through celebrations: A knowledge session on event management” held recently at the Sol Y Viento Mountain Hot Springs Resort in Pansol, Calamba City.
The training provided an overview of event management concepts, principles, trends, and best practices to 43 PCAARRD staff members and representatives from the Council’s implementing agencies nationwide.
Bernabe covered the whole cycle of event management, from research to evaluation. She also touched on etiquette and ethics of an event manager.
An advocate of drinking glasses of cold water for cooling down when situations get awry, she goes by her personal philosophy of making a difference in one’s life and in the lives of others “by upholding moral and ethical conduct while striving for excellence”.
To apply the learnings she imparted to the participants, she prepared industry cases for them to work on. She also mentioned a PCAARRD modality, the Farm-Industry Encounter through the Science and Technology Agenda (FIESTA), as an example of a “hybrid” corporate event.
Cynthia, as called by friends and family, is the first international graduate of the Event Leadership Executive Program of Temple University’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
A pioneer in event education in the country, she developed the De La Salle University-College of St. Benilde School of Professional and Continuing Education’s post-baccalaureate program on professional event management where she also serves as its program director.
With more than 20 years of handling high-profile social and corporate events here and abroad, Cynthia also does consultancy work to other government institutions and the private sector.