Week 18: Final Event Preparation

The final session before the students hosted their themed event night was used to ensure groups were prepared for their event and that their expectations matched those of the instructors and the venue manager.

Each group met separately with both the manager of the event venue and with the instructor to review the planned timeline of the groups’ events and allow for any last minute questions or clarifications. Groups discussed with the manager when they would have access to the venue, and the layout of the room and its available furniture and electrical outlets, and plans for loading and unloading equipment for the night. The meetings were held in the venue so students could better visualize how they would set up their event. Some groups had not yet accounted for the specific dimensions of the venue, so the meeting proved very valuable for planning purposes. In addition to the logistics discussion, everyone completed a risk assessment to and ensure the groups’ plans complied with health and safety requirements.

Afterwards, the students had the opportunity to put their presentation and ‘elevator pitch’ skills to the test. The venue manager was open to ideas from the students to help them promote their event by providing discounts on refreshments and vouchers for free drinks. The venue manager listened to each group’s pitch, based on their market research, and decided what promotions he would make available according to how successful he thought the group’s night would be and how much revenue would come into the venue.

The session was also an opportunity for the instructor to ensure that each group was moving towards final stages of their event preparation and they were applying the principles they had learned. The instructor pushed students to reflect on what they had accomplished, what still needed to be done, and how they would pull everything together for a successful event. The instructor gently pointed out any weaknesses he saw in the group’s plans so they could be addressed prior to the event. For example, one group had not yet acquired all their resources because, while they had agreed in principal on the division of this task, they had no strong group leadership to ensure everyone was on task. The groups became uneasy when they realized how much work was left and the instructor encouraged them to focus on the tasks and management so they could bring everything together. This reflection time also served the purpose of providing a head start on their final assignment—composing critical reflections of their progress throughout the semester.

This session was the most difficult stage of the module for the instructors. Checking on the groups required assertive suggestions and questions, as groups were initially reluctant to go into detail and reveal the gaps that still existed in their plans. The main problem stemmed from a lack of leadership and open communication within groups to ensure that everyone was accomplishing their assigned tasks. In future courses, the instructor would spend more time discussing details and would ensure that the role of the group leader/manager was emphasized during the module before the event planning began.

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