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!
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
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
