HIGH POINT, N.C., Sept. 17, 2014 – High Point University recently welcomed Vern Biaett as assistant professor of event management.
Biaett will teach classes in the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication’s event management minor as well as advise students who are planning careers in the field. He is an event expert in creative program planning, marketing and operations. His research focuses on the actual on-site behavior of participants at community festivals and the estimation of attendance at festivals and events.
In this new role, he looks forward to teaching students to think creatively, outside-the-box as they prepare for their careers.
“I am excited to be teaching courses at HPU that will lead to a minor in event management, but as a dreamer and magic bean buyer, I hope to grow the program into a major and possibly add graduate classes,” he says.
Biaett comes to HPU from Arizona State University, where he taught and co-created the university’s Special Event Certificate Program. He worked in the leisure field from 1969 to 2007, the last 20 years as a special events manager for the cities of Phoenix and Glendale, Arizona. In that role, he produced large community festivals and signature events and was involved with Super Bowls, professional sports’ All-Star games, a Grand Prix and the Arizona Centennial.
His awards and honors include the Emeritus Professional award from the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association (APRA) and the Big Kahuna AzTEC award from the Arizona Festival People. He was the first person to have an annual award named after him by APRA – the Vern Biaett Outstanding Student Award. In June, the Travel and Tourism Research Association recognized him along with two co-authors for the outstanding academic paper of the year.
Biaett received a Ph.D. in community resources and development from Arizona State University, a Master of Science in recreation from ASU, and a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Utah. He is also a Certified Festival and Event Executive through Purdue University/International Festivals and Events Association.