Final

As the semester comes to an end, so does this blog.

I want to take this time to thank our teacher Angela for providing such incredible guidance and experiences through the Volunteer, Marketing and Administration courses this semester. Although I know that teaching our class must be frustrating at times due to the lack of attention, I know that I and many others have learned a lot and appreciate the patience and dedication that Angela put into our education. Thank you for your time and passion!

As I think of my future as an event planner, I can't imagine it without an event blog! Who knew that Angela would be right in knowing that blogging would become something that we enjoy. I believe that maintaining an event blog will not only act as a marketing, but also keep me more in tuned with what's hot for events. It will encourage me to keep learning and to provide my readers with only the best, which in turn will benefit me and make me a better event planner! And for this too, I thank you Angela!

enjoy life & be happy!

Event Admin.

Earlier this semester, the year 2 class of Rec & Leisure planned and implemented a flash mob as a kick-off event for the Waterloo Region Food Bank Fall Food Drive. Overall the event was a success. However, it was only a couple weeks ago that the final video was completed. By the time the class saw the video, I had almost forgot that one was being made!

As the project coordinator, I should have followed up with the classmates responsible for contacting the broadcast students. A week after the event should have been when the first follow-up was done. However, once the event was over and we had talked about it as a class, everyone including myself felt it was over. Yet because the flash mob was over, it doesn't mean that the work for it was.

Through the events that we have done previously as a class, we have not had to worry about any follow-ups other than reflection. Because we had not previously dealt with videography, it was something that we didn't fully comprehend or understand. The importance of having the video sooner for marketing purposes would have benefitted the Waterloo Region Food Bank in their efforts to raise money and food for the Fall Food Drive.

When planning events, the administration aspect starts from the beginning of planning stages, to following up afterwards until everything is complete. Perhaps to better address the final follow up administration processes for the flash mob, contact information and responsibilities should have been passed on to the project coordinator. This would be beneficial because the follow up would be direct rather than having a middle man.

Administration processes can be hard to understand until actually experiencing it, and learning from mistakes and trying new things. The flash mob proved to be a learning experience in event, marketing, and administration aspects!

enjoy life and be happy

Poor Computing Systems (Admin)

Currently, I am completing my first placement at a municipal setting. I wouldn't say that my expectations for the placement were high, but they also weren't met. There are a few things within my placement that correlate with the computer systems which inhibit my ability, and I'm sure others' abilities, to work effectively and efficiently.

First of which is the computer in general that I am working on. It is very slow! The time that it takes to load pages, open documents, and function, wastes a lot of time. This causes projects to take longer than necessary, and results in less work getting done.

Secondly is the internet settings. When researching or searching for ideas, it is very difficult as the majority of internet websites are blocked. Blocking social media such as facebook is sensible as many people waste time on these sites, but many sites that are not social media are blocked as well. This makes research very difficult. As well, when doing projects such as creating summer camp themes and crafts, it is very hard to use the internet while at placement as a resource. In turn, a lot of internet research from home is necessary to complete placement tasks.

Third, and last for this blog, is the Microsoft Office. My placement uses Microsoft Office 2003. Currently, Microsoft has more recent 2007 and 2010 editions. From being a student at Conestoga College which provides industry standard training, it is difficult to compute on an edition of Microsoft that is out of date. Many features are harder to find because of the layout, and many things are much more difficult to do. Combined with the first issue, slow computers, creating quality work takes much more time.

All of these issues combined create a very frustrating work environment. It is difficult to do projects in timely manners that are of high quality. These frustrations also make the actual projects more tedious and less desirable to do. In turn, placement is not very fun.

Simply having better computer systems would create a better work environment for everyone, and allow more work to be done!

enjoy life & be happy

'Tis the Season for Giving

It's that time of year again and holiday shopping is on the mind. Some people have already finished their shopping, or at least begun. I on the other hand just started thinking about what on earth I can get for everyone on my list.

First, I will begin at my church's Christmas Bazaar; hopefully I win a lot of gifts! And then I will continue on to Winners, Homesense, and Marshalls; they're all run by the same company. And a great way that they're able to entice people to shop there for Christmas is by giving employees 20% off coupons for family and friends. Luckily, I have a friend who works at Winners who gave me the coupon. I will most definitely be checking it out. For one, it may be a one stop shop as they have so many departments for everyone, and second, I just love shopping and finding cool new things there!

However, when I listen to the radio, I always hear the commercial for the Shopping Channel. One stop shop from home. Sounds great, and so easy! But I question how reliable the products are since I wouldn't be able to see and feel things in person. But golly gosh their commercial entices me to check it out!

I do know for sure that I will give my parents the gift of giving; sending animals, seeds, school supplies etc. to countries in the world that need them. My parents will get a card to let them know what they have sent over. What I love is that these are not just materialistic items being sent over, they provide the opportunity to to make money, be independent, and make a living. That's a real gift!

And just today I was told that with the World Wildlife Fund, a gift option that they have created is symbolically adopting an animal. By doing this, the proceeds support the WWF conservation efforts, and in return, the person recieving the gift gets a plush animal, adoption certificate, and details of the gift's support. I think this will be an easy gift that I can feel really good about giving to my niece and nephews; not to mention that it will help teach them to gift to others!

The favourite gifts I give are the ones that help others who need it most. For my family, we are quite privileged, so these are the best gifts for us.

Happy shopping!

live life and be happy

Micky D's

McDonald's restaurants over the years have gone through many renovations; currently they have a high-class restaurant feel. However, I remember when I was a little girl, and the McDonald's in my hometown was the best! I say the best because it was unique, different than others. People would actually drive out of their town to come to "my" McDonalds.

Do you remember when McDonald's had pizza Happy Meals? Yes, individual pizzas! And they had McDonalds cookies (similar to arrowroot but in McDonald shapes) that came with your Happy Meal.

So those were highlights of McDonalds, but the best part, the Play Place. Yah, there are still Play Places at McDonalds, but not like mine used to be. There was a Party Caboose where we would have birthday parties (with Happy Meal of choice; pizza). That was located on one side of the Play Place. And when we finished eating, we would go play. The house was built in the wall. Kids would pee in there all the time. But that was the best! I remember a small location you could climb up to in the wall and fit 4-5 kids! And then you would come out at the top of the wall, and you could slide down. And there was a Ball Pit! What a time to be a kid!

Now all McDonalds look and feel the same. I suppose there are legal reasons as to why the Play Places have changed, but the fun and child-centered environment has come to be unimportant. They now seem to focus on McCafe. I suppose a technique to attract the Tim Horton's goers.

But when does change become too much?

What ever happened to



emjoy life and be happy

Scams

I recently attended the Wedding Dreams Show hosted by Grand River Shows. I was so excited to go for a couple reasons; to see how the whole event came together, and to learn more about weddings! Now I'm not engaged, but I think that wedding planning is a career opportunity for me, so I went. Despite all of the awkward "when is the date" questions, the show overall was great!

One exciting booth that I looked at was the Dinner 4 Two booth. I entered to win a trip that they were giving away, and also recieved a small reusable bag with a matching pot holder. Everything was so cute and well put together, and seemed to be well marketed due to their logo and design.

A friend who had also gone to the show had asked me a few days later if I had recieved a call from Dinner 4 Two. I hadn't at the time, and she told me about the phone call, and then about her internet research and reviews that all concluded to their whole presentation being a scam.

When I got the call, it was very exciting. They told me that my boyfriend and I would be given free items including matching aprons and the choice of a few trips and wedding bands; all for FREE! All we had to do was attend a short culinary demonstration. There was no obligation to buy, and we would still get the free gifts.

Because I was already told this was a scam from a trustworthy friend, I didn't let the excitement get the best of me. I asked if they would be able to email me the details so that I could have it in writing. However, emailing was not an option for them. They said I could check their website but that all of the information wouldn't be on there so I had to write it down myself. Really the whole thing felt like a scam, but I understand how they would easily take advantage of vulnerable young couples.

In the reviews I read, their presentation techniques included scare tactics; telling the couples that all other cookware was dangerous to their health, but theirs was not. Also, they didn't mention the extra costs that people would be charged. And all of their "free" gifts and trips, had high sky additional fees, which really just paid for the trips; not so free anymore.

Moral of the story, always be on your guard. People will try to sell you products and services and entice you with gifts that have hidden costs. The whole thing sounds so exciting, and they seem like professionals, so it is easy to fall into their traps. However, reviews have shown that the cookware that people spent lots of money on were not special, and wore down just as, if not faster than any other cookware.

Beware of what you hear; do your own reserach; and consult others advice before committing to such expenses!

enjoy life and be happy!

MicroVolunteering

With such busy lives these days, its hard to find time to go out and volunteer, but somehow there is enough time to sit in front of the computer and use social media.

Koodo, yes the phone company, has this new way of volunteering; microvolunteering!

It's pretty cool. You just go to the KoodoNation website to get started! It works in two ways, either you post a volunteer opportunity, or you choose to volunteer.

The purpose is to create a larger community that provides ways for younger or computer savy individuals to get involved from home. You join a team, sign up, and look for a volunteer opportunity that you want to do. They are all tasks that use the computer and that don't need a big time commitment. The goals and outcomes of that tasks are identified so that you know exactly what you need to do!

The goal of microvolunteering is to get people to spend as much time volunteering as they do on facebook.

I think that this is going to be the next big thing and change the world!

enjoy life and be happy