Global Event Tourism

​​​​​Project Summary:

• In this virtual exchange ​​project, students from Chicago and Dubai compared cultural and physical differences between the two global event cities. First, students from DePaul University and The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management conducted video introductions and participated in online discussions to better understand the culture of each city, as well as get to know each other before beginning the Global Learning Experience project. The majority of students had never been to Dubai or Chicago,​ respectively. Next, students were divided into 9 groups and worked together to create a tourism event for a specific city, resulting in a final recorded PowerPoint presentation. In their presentations, students discussed the type of event they would host, and how it would fit into the local culture; they noted anticipated attendee demographics and the reasoning for selecting specific event dates. They also discussed types of event marketing that would be utilized, the cultural impact of hosting the event on the residents, and finally, they presented a risk analysis to determine the anticipated economic impact the event would have on the host city, as well as the long-term benefits. Finally, these projects allowed students to understand how to work remotely with an intercultural group, and to understand the cultural, economic and transformative impact that events have on global cities.

Project Length:

• Four weeks

Technology Tools Used:

• D2L
• Zoom
• Panopto
• VoiceThread

Communication Type/ Interaction Mode:

• Synchronous
• Asynchronous

Learning Outcomes:

• Students utilized technology such as voice thread and zoom to create a video introduction and conduct synchronous group meetings.
• Students compared and contrasted the cultural differences between the United States and the United Arab Emirates. Determine the cultural interdependencies between the two countries
• Students created and developed an event in a specific location as a means of increasing tourism to that location.
• Students identified and explained the economic impact an event has on a specific location, both from an economic and cultural point of view.

Reflection Component:

• Final reflection paper, in addition to an in class discussion.

Empathy Building Component:

• Video introductions, followed by weekly discussion posts.

---

​​​