Center Stage is a dynamic hub where students, faculty, and industry professionals can share insights, experiences, and creative ideas. This versatile venue will allow students to produce live events, simulate trade shows and engage in various activities. It provides a platform to showcase the exceptional talent fostered within Rosen College’s globally recognized programs, including the entertainment management and event management degree programs.

“Center Stage is more than a venue — it’s a launchpad for student innovation,” Dean Cynthia Mejia says. “It is an exciting addition to our learning environment, giving students yet another opportunity to apply their knowledge in real-world yet experiential settings.”

Rosen College is proud to collaborate with leading industry sponsors for Center Stage:

• BeMatrix: Headquartered in Belgium, BeMatrix operates worldwide and is a global expert in modular systems for event displays.
• ETP (Entertainment Technology Partners): Headquartered in Orlando, ETP is a global multi-brand entertainment technology company.
• LMG: Also based in Orlando, LMG is a full-service audiovisual provider known for creating stunning live experiences through cutting-edge technologies.
• Freeman: A global leader in event production and logistics, Freeman specializes in designing and executing trade shows, conferences and experiential marketing events.
• Cort: A nationwide leader in furniture rental, offering high-quality furniture solutions for event spaces, office environments and temporary housing.

Center Stage will debut during the Spring 2025 semester with a variety of student-led events, showcasing the exceptional skills developed through Rosen College’s hands-on programs. Open for booking by students and faculty across all degrees, Center Stage exemplifies Rosen College’s mission to provide innovative, experience-driven education that equips students to lead the industry.

In addition to fostering creativity and collaboration, BeMatrix will equip students with access to advanced CAD (computer-aided design) technology, enabling them to design trade show layouts, stage setups and other event plans — valuable technical skills in high demand across the workforce. This new venue will complement other academic spaces like the Darden Auditorium, Walt Disney World Dining Room, Universal Orlando Foundation Library, and Anheuser-Busch Beer & Wine Lab, providing students with more opportunities to engage in production simulations, class projects, workshops and student-led events. Sponsored by leading industry partners, these spaces mirror real-world environments, offering students invaluable exposure to sector-specific practices.

The hospitality and tourism management online graduate program’s academic quality and affordability helped lift it to the top spot on BestColleges.Com’s top 10 list.

OnlineMasters.com, an industry-leading education research organization, also identified Rosen’s program as one of the best in the country for curriculum quality, program flexibility, affordability and graduate outcome. The ranking was derived from data comprised from interviews and surveys from current students and alumni.

“The rankings are reflections of the strategic direction the college is taking in not only meeting the students’ needs but also the high expectations from the industry. We are breaking the iron triangle of quality, access and cost in higher education by offering blended learning opportunities and best value for the students demonstrated by our master’s program,” Rosen College Dean Youcheng Wang said. “We are also redefining hospitality education by extending beyond the traditional domain of the hospitality industry and creating great opportunities for students in other related areas such as our entertainment management program. My thanks to our faculty and staff for their dedication and commitment to making Rosen College of Hospitality Management the best of its kind in the world.”

“The rankings are reflections of the strategic direction the college is taking in not only meeting the students’ needs but also the high expectations from the industry.”

“This recognition of excellence reflects the considerable investment of time of many faculty who over the past four years have continuously developed and delivered high-quality, innovative online material for our expanding number of graduate students,” said Alan Fyall, graduate programs director and interim chair for the Tourism, Events/Entertainment and Attractions department. “With the addition of many new elective courses that reflect the changing hospitality and tourism landscape, innovative dual degree programs with international partners, and the launch of new online graduate certificate programs, the future of the program is promising at a time when many conventional programs are losing ground nationwide.”

Rosen College’s Gregory Elias entertainment management undergraduate program, just two years old, is also ranked among the top programs in the country by CollegeChoice.com and Best College Reviews. CollegeChoice.com ranked the entertainment management degree program No. 4 while Best College Reviews ranked the degree program No. 6, citing internships and hands-on experience as assets for the students. The location in Central Florida, in the heart of hospitality and entertainment, also was a plus.

Overall, Rosen College of Hospitality Management continually ranks among the top five hospitality and tourism management colleges and universities in the world out of 1,000 schools that are assessed by CEOWorld magazine. The college is one of the 13 colleges that comprise the ��AV, located in Orlando, Florida.

About the UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management

The UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, located in Orlando, offers students an unrivaled opportunity to learn and work in the heart of hospitality. Ranked No. 2 among hospitality management programs worldwide, Rosen College has been an educational leader for over 30 years. Uniquely positioned in America’s top tourism destination, we educate the next generation of industry leaders through internationally-recognized faculty, innovative academic programs, cutting-edge research and strong industry and community partnerships. To learn more, visit hospitality.ucf.edu.

The B.S. in Entertainment Management, offered in partnership with the College of Arts and Humanities, will provide a career path for students seeking employment as business practitioners versus performers in the nearly $1.5 trillion international entertainment industry. According to a 2015 report from AnythingResearch, the entertainment industry is anticipated to grow by an annual average of 4.4 percent through 2019, so graduates will enter a job market with immediate demand for entertainment management education. Graduates may pursue careers in a variety of entertainment industry sectors, including live performances and events, historical/cultural/educational exhibits, digital media, film enterprises, tourism attractions, experiential hospitality-related products, special events, sporting events and recreational or leisure activities.

Entertainment Management students will be immersed in the business side of entertainment in the key areas of design, engineering, operations, finance and marketing to equip them to identify, create and manage successful entertainment products. The program will also develop important management skills, including leadership, communication, critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork, to prepare graduates for management roles in private and non-profit organizations. Rosen College’s location and industry relationships will ensure students benefit from exposure to national and global entertainment leaders in the classroom and superior internship and job placement opportunities.

Students pursuing the B.S. in Entertainment Management will take classes at Rosen College and the College of Arts and Humanities to complete the 120-credit-hour program, which complements a variety of other disciplines. Undergraduates pursuing degrees in music, theater, hospitality, event management and business can double major in entertainment management and graduate with a competitive edge.

UCF will begin accepting applications for the B.S. in Entertainment Management in early April 2016. For more information, visit