My three takeaways from Event Management class

Time really flies and finally our Event Management class comes to the end. I would like to share three most unforgettable experiences during the past four months.

1.       Visiting Social Table

Field trip is always exciting and interesting for me as we have the opportunity to communicate with the management team face to face. As a startup company, I think they are doing an excellent job by combining the latest technology and event design. We learned that there are eight stages: announcing, attracting, anticipating, entering, experiencing, engaging, exiting, and extending. When event planners plan events in the future, the software could easily help them to figure out the main process and attendees’ activities, which is really helpful for event planners.

2.       Risk management in the events

As a student majoring in hospitality, I realized how risk management was crucial for an event by taking this class. Through different cases, my classmates and I learned the main risks for the outdoor event like Barbeque. As an event planner, it is important to identify, analyze and respond to the risks.

3.       Informational interview

It was my second time to conduct an informational interview. Besides learning the professional experience from my interviewee, I think another critical takeaway was the kindness. Many professionals are willing to help students like us and I expect one day, if I had the same ability to help others, I would do whatever I could, just like my interviewee.

Jenée's Takeaways

I appreciated learning about all the different organizations that contribute to the event and meeting management field. As I browsed their websites and attended one organizational meeting, it really widened my view of the field. It is amazing to meet so many individuals who have the same passion and the desire to help you. It is reassuring to know we are in a field with amazing individuals.

I loved the behind scenes tour of Gaylord National. The inner workings of the event and meeting management within the hotel industry has always been interesting to me. I was so surprised to see how large they are and hear how many event managers they are. I was equally impressed to see how long everyone had stayed on board within Gaylord National.

I am always seeking effective ways to be better in project management. I tend to go about these things the hard way. When we learned about new ways to be organized (Asana and MS Project) I was really excited. I use to utilize my calendar (ineffectively) and Microsoft Word to organize my event and meeting management projects. Now I will utilize MS Project through the rest of my program and in my business. Also, the project management exercise was too fun. It was a challenge and I was determined not to let it defeat me!

I had an amazing time in event management! I loved my classmates and everyone's perspective. There is nothing like it and I am excited to see where our journey leads us! Cheers!!

The Impressive Gaylord National

Top Three Learings

Time flies and this semester will finish soon. I have learnt a lot from this course, Event Management, and the followings are my top three learnings.

Top 1: Networking-Informational Interviewing Project

The first one I appreciate is definitely informational interviewing project, which I spent on the most time. At the beginning, I had no idea about my ideal career and knew nothing about the industry. Then with the help of my classmates and my own effort, I found the interviewee successfully. I enjoyed the whole process, no matter I felt puzzled at the start or I felt proud at the end. Doing this project has been not only for the scores, but also for my career planning.

Top 2: Field Trip-Social Table

We attended two field trips this semester, and I preferred the experience with Social Table. I was touched by how energetic and creative the members were. In addition, I have learnt how to use social table to design an event. This was really an amazing trip!

Top 3: Teamwork-Case Study

I liked case study not only because its content was interesting, but also because the way we discussed it was helpful. When we discussed the questions of each case, we were divided into several groups and the group members were different almost every time. I could learn more through sharing the opinions than just hearing Professor. Besides, it increased the opportunities to communicate with all my classmates. The way to divide into group was quite interesting!

Top Three Takeaways

The end point is where I begin again. This blog is the end of my trip in Event Management Course, but what written in this blog would keep me company in my following study and career. I am going to share the top three things I take away from this course.

1.Evaluation and Improvement

The strategic plan is the very beginning of an event, and the key point to make an event success is to monitor and evaluate it carefully. I remembered when we discussed about the Gunn Chart of BBQ Barbecue Case, all the group members agreed that an evaluation and overview should be added both during the process and in the end of the project. Evaluation is not just numbers, it requires a overall review of every aspect of the event. It allows us to learn from the past, and create the best in the future.

2. The Gaylord Field Trip

The most impressive field trip in this course was the one to Gaylord National Harbor Hotel. The managers from Gaylord gave us a big warm welcome, and they were so nice to show us around and answer all our questions. The biggest takeaway from their stories is that not to be afraid of starting from the bottom. Starting with operation maybe hard, but it would be unexpectedly valuable. It may be the best opportunity to highly expose to people, and learn about the most important skill in my following career-deal with all kind of people.

3. Informational Interview

For the first time, I have a chance to interview a professional from the industry. When I learn about this project in our first class, I’m afraid and nervous. I didn’t know where to start, and I do not know whether or not I could invite an interviewee successfully. I sent out my first invitation email to Mr. Hennessey with worry. To my surprised, I got his response only in a few minutes, he said yes, he is more than happy to help. During the whole process, for every time, he did everything he could to help, shared all information I need, and always gave me quick feedback at his earliest convenience. As he mentioned in the interview, for people who work in event industry, the most important thing is to be nice and friendly, he treated people with warm heart. I was impressed by Mr. Hennessey’s smart idea of marketing, his great methods to provide food and beverage services when there is a limitation in the venue, and his passion in treasuring and protecting the Anderson House. I’m so lucky to have a chance to interview him, I would not learn that much otherwise. From my perspective of view, informational interview is a deeply networking. It helps to built up a deeper relationship, and provides opportunities to deeply learn about a person, a position, an organization, and an industry. My interview with Mr. Hennessey may not perfect, it still made me learn and think, and encouraged me to keep going in this way.