It’s almost here…

My thesis deadline and defense.

Getting a job!

Summer!

Graduation!

Moving back to Portland (granted I can find an apartment).

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: Probably nothing, because the traffic on this blog has dwindled to next to nothing so chances are nobody’s reading this. Sad. But I PROMISE I will be back (but not with a vengeance) come June. Think of all the exciting things I’ll have to share! Yes, shamelessly plugging my future posts…

(my mind is whirling with thoughts)

Anyway, what’s happening now is I’m editing the first draft of my thesis to submit to my committee on Tuesday. I’m sitting at about 70 or 80 pages - much to my own surprise. I’ve uncovered some really remarkable stuff and I wish I could sit down with each one of you event planner/pr pros/students/anyone who will listen because that’s easier than trying to write it all. Wait, I am writing it all. But, like I said, it’s 70-80 pages and nobody wants to read that. But when I have a second I will post on young professional donors, donor motivations, benefits of special events for nonprofits, relationship management and special events, and so on. Basically, it’s about kick-ass strategies to make friends with your publics/audiences/guests/donors/communities and develop mutually beneficial relationships rather than just asking for money or telling people what they should think, feel, and do. It’s better in the long-term and much more fun.

So I hope the little teaser piqued your interest. Stand by for more.

P.S. The job search is going well; I’ve got my first big interview in 2 days. Thrilling!

Image courtesy of http://static.yuppiechef.com

I’m still alive

Things have been getting crazier and crazier, so I apologize for abandoning my blog temporarily. Never fear, my mind is still a-teeming with thought. Unfortunately, much of it is being diverted into my honors thesis. In fact, today I am doing my first interview with the Development Director for a local non-profit - I’m going to pick her brain about how events fit into strategic development plans and address some more specific questions on young professional donors and how events may appeal to them.

I’m nervous! But it’s time. I gotta do it. I’m also delighted to have a great response from other board members and staff from the organization to fill out my case study quite nicely. Like I said, it’s keeping me all rather busy, leaving it hard to find time to blog, look for/apply for jobs, and get everything else in order for my impending graduation. Not that I want to complain. I’m just making excuses for being so dormant on the blogging, because I’m hoping once this is all over I’ll be back with some really exciting new thoughts.

On a rather unrelated note, this past weekend I celebrated my 22nd birthday. I feel much older, in a good way. I had a fun party and spent time with my friends and loved ones. What more could I ask for?

And yes, my mom called last week to say the swallows were back.

Thanks to Christy at The Red Carpet Events!

What a wonderful surprise to find upon my return to the blogosphere - a post by Christy Bareijsza at The Red Carpet Events featuring my blog. Thanks Christy! In response to her post, here’s my question for all event planners/event planning professionals: What tips or advice do you have for new graduates looking for a job to break into the industry? Beyond myself, I know several soon-to-be grads who are interested in events and I’m sure they’d be appreciative of your input! In my own experience, I don’t have the credentials many employers are looking for in a director of events or events manager or event coordinator.

So, how do I get my foot in the door?

Back from Mexico

After 10 of some of the most exhausting, fun, and rewarding days of my life, I find myself back in Eugene, sitting in front of my computer, feeling a little overwhelmed at the prospect of jumping back into the blogosphere after an almost completely internet and technology-free week and a half.

Mexico was amazing. Never before have I been honored to help lead such a remarkable group of high school students and adults. The kids this year were truly unique. To be honest, I think high school and college comprise periods in our life in which we are possibly the most self-centered and oblivious to the thoughts and needs of others. I don’t mean this to sound as bad as it does. I just mean that in my experience, ESPECIALLY in college, we are taught to think primarily about ourselves - who we are as individuals, what it is we want to do with our lives, and what we must do to achieve our own personal goals. We don’t yet have spouses or families to be responsible to; nor do we own homes or hold steady jobs. We don’t HAVE to think about anyone above ourself. In some ways, that’s good. It’s important to discover and establish ourselves in the world. Putting yourself first isn’t always wrong.

But on the trip this year, the collection of selfless, compassionate, accepting and respectful souls blew me away. Despite it being a group of nearly 50 high schoolers, I didn’t see any cliques! No alienation or social ostracism. Everyone genuinely seemed to engage with everyone else. And everyone benefited from that.

My role on the trip this year was also a step up from the past. It was my first year as a “site foreman,” which means I was responsible for the construction of a standard Amor home (11′ x 22′, 2 windows, 1 door). I was the second female site leader and the youngest ever in our group’s 20 year history of doing the trip. As such, I had high expectations for myself; I wanted to prove to myself that I had the gumption, leadership, and expertise to do a good job. I’m proud to say we finished it, with time to spare! In 4 years we haven’t finished a home, but this year 3 of the 4 site leaders finished. A testament to our group I think. As a site leader, I was surprised by how mentally exhausting the process was, but also surprised by how naturally much of it came to me. I’m glad I accepted the invitation to serve the group this way.

With regards to my professional interest in events and relationship management, I think I learned a lot from this experience. Too much to relate here. But here a few quick tidbits:

• Engaging in hands-on activities is great for building relationships. The necessity of cooperation and teamwork allows individuals to interact positively in pursuit of a common goal. Students and adults who might not have spoken to one another otherwise developed friendships through challenges like building a wall together.
• Be honest and open about setbacks. When our bus broke down on the trip down through California, the students were less put-out by the inconvenience of it than by the leaders’ lack of communication about the problem. Admitting a mistake garners respect; hiding it hurts trust.
• Put faith in others (but don’t be afraid to check-in, advise, and supervise). I was nervous about trusting the completion of certain elements of building the house to students; then I reminded myself that as a high school student I was capable of many of these tasks. I was not disappointed in the work of the students under my supervision but under their own leadership. The finished house looked great!
• Love conquers all. Okay this one’s pretty cheesy. But all I mean is that, at the end of the day, it’s who we are as people that matters. If we are loving, ultimately we will do good. The talent, the brains, the experience - that’s all important. But the first, last, and most important quality we must have, in order to truly succeed, is love. Love to make us understanding of others, responsive to their needs, patient and respectful, and invested in their personal outcome.

I think that’s enough for now. Stay tuned for my updates on the job search. Hint: it’s most definitely still on.

Here are some more beautiful images from the trip, courtesy of Spencer Mason Roberts:

Taking a (spring) break

 

I am leaving tomorrow to head down to Mexico on my annual mission trip with my church to build houses for impoverished families. Amor Ministries is the nonprofit organization that organizes these trips, and my church has been doing this for about 15 years I think. This is my 8th year; I started my freshman year of high school (the first time I was old enough to go) and have been going ever since.

This year, I’ve been asked to be a site leader, which entails the additional responsibility (beyond being an adult leader, as I have been for the previous 3 years) of leading a team of approximately 20-25 high school students and adults in constructing a home. Yikes! I was reluctant to accept but decided I was ready to step up and challenge myself. I know how to swing a hammer, but I’m no toolman, so I’m a bit nervous! How do I tell other people what to do when I’m still not sure myself much of the time? I trust the judgment of the trip leaders - I figure they wouldn’t ask me if they didn’t think I couldn’t do it. But it’s still intimidating - the other 3 sites leaders for our group of 60+ are all men twice my age with a lot of experience. Not only do I feel as though I’m still just a kid, I wasn’t born with that Y-chromosome that makes me know how to tinker with stuff like my dad can.

I’m excited for the opportunity to lead the group this way, and I have high aspirations for my team. I think we can build a really good, strong home for a deserving family and have a fun, safe experience doing it.

Please, please wish me luck!! I’ll be back in two weeks with the outcome!

Image courtesy of Amor Ministries on Flickr.com

Jones Soda custom labels - I want!

I found this cool idea at Enjoy. I already loved Jones soda, but now I am going to have to find an excuse to order my own custom bottles. Would make great party favors or thank-you gifts to a client. Get more info at Jones’ Web site.

Images courtesy of enjoycando.blogspot.com

Taking a crack at my first professional resume

Alright folks, I’ve finally done it. I’ve retooled, re-worked, fiddled with, edited, and redesigned my resume. In the past, it wasn’t as important how my resume looked or what all it included because I felt pretty proud of myself just for having one in the first place. After all, applying in high school for a part time job at the mall wasn’t quite as rigorous as trying to find my place in the professional world, so I didn’t stress over the details so much.

But the time has come for a fancy-schmancy, formal resume. I posted it on its own page - please take a look and give me your input. I hope it avoids any of the 7 deadly sins of resume design, which includes the sin of using pink strawberry-scented paper, a la Elle in Legally Blonde. If it stinks, let me know how it could be improved. If it’s brilliant, forward it along to someone who might be interested! Either way, feedback would be much appreciated!

But it’s not my fault!

 

I want to be an event planner. I am not a masochist. But, sometimes I fear the two go hand in hand. The exciting thing, to me, about events is how everything comes together in time and space to create this incredible, real, touchpoint experience for everyone involved. There is interaction. There is community. There is life. Sometimes, there are pretty things to look at and yummy things to eat. Every sense can be engaged.

The terrifying thing about events is everything I just said. There is less control and no edits. There are the confines of time and distance. What’s done is done, and if it’s not done well, there is no backspace key or reset button. If something goes wrong, will it be my head on the chopping block?

This is one reason why I’ve been drawn to corporate and nonprofit events versus weddings. Don’t get me wrong, weddings are fun! I’d like to keep it that way. I’ll plan my own and help my friends. But event planning is a demanding profession, and the personal emotions (for better or worse) tied up in the Happiest Day of Your Life are just the icing on the towering cake of pressure put on event planners to ensure that everything runs smoothly, on-budget, and successfully. If I make a mistake in an event, I’d prefer not to think I’ve ruined somebody’s lifelong dream.

Event Planner Christy Bareijsza wrote in her blog, The Red Carpet Events, about the responsibilities of event planners in her recent post “Where Do You Draw The Line?” She says that “if it rains the day of your event…chances are, it’s your fault.”

Gulp.

Bareijsza explains that, as a strategic planner, you should always have multiple backup plans and be constantly prepared to roll up your sleeves and do the dirty work to keep your client satisfied.

I think what she’s saying is that rather than admitting defeat or pointing fingers, the best thing an event planner can do for a client is to be accountable, which means not just taking responsibility for mishaps but, more importantly, generating positive solutions. In my experience, hardly anything ever goes perfectly according to plan. I think clients understand that. But being a good planner doesn’t mean planning it all and then going on autopilot. Instead, it means developing flexible strategies, supervising their implementation, and improvising as necessary to ensure that end goals are met.

Personally, I’d like to think that I will never make a mistake and everything I touch will turn to solid gold for my clients. In reality, that’s impossible. Mishaps will occur and I will get blamed, whether or not it’s really my fault. This, I must accept. But the difference between pleasure and pain will be how successfully I can anticipate, prevent, mitigate, and repair the damage. Then I can proudly accept responsibility for the outcome, rain or shine.

Image courtesy of jupiterimages.com

Feeling a little dormant

 

The stars are in alignment as the end of the school term, my annual mission trip to Mexico, the post-graduation job search, and go-time for my thesis all culminate this month to create a hectic whirlpool of stress, intellectual drain, and general busyness. So I apoligize in advance for a bit of a slowdown on the blogging. But never fear, my mind is still a-teaming with thought, and I hope to continue to make this an outlet for it.

Next week I leave for Mexico to build houses with my church’s mission team, stay tuned for updates on that as I have a very exciting role this year.

The art of the effective business e-mail

Brian Zafron wrote last week about the importance of well-crafted e-mails on the Freelance Switch blog. This topic drew me in because I too tend to be a bit picky about e-mail grammar and content and shudder at the complacency some of my peers seem to exhibit in this age of new, instant communication technology. In a world where “Where you at?” is actually a tag line for Boost Mobile and”idk” “lol” and “brb” make sense, the art of eloquent, professional, and thoughtful communication seems to have been seriously downgraded as a must-have for the adult world.

And maybe I am on a bit of a rant. It’s true - I stodgily resist the new IM and text messaging jargon. When I send a text (which is rarely) I painfully type out each word, finding myself slightly irritated that I can’t figure out how to make an apostrophe when I want to say “you’re.” I still subscribe to the notion that spelling, grammar, and writing style say something about us as individuals and as professionals. Just as I’m nervous having my hair cut by a stylist with a less than salon quality ‘do, I wouldn’t trust my professional communications to someone whose e-mails read like a 2nd grader’s spelling test. They could end up costing me my dignity with a blunder like this one (featured on Bad Pitch Blog).

So, my advice to students and professionals alike is this: save the shorthand for your BFF and keep your professional communication just that - professional. That means writing an e-mail like you would a letter, beginning with “Dear so-and-so” (or some variation) and ending with your signature. Read Zafron’s post to get more great advice. One thing I had to add to his advice is to avoid humor. Personally, I LOVE humor; I doubt I’ve gone a day in my life without cracking a joke or doing something silly just to get a laugh. But the problem with e-mail is it’s harder to tell when someone is joking. Sarcasm is the trickiest to pull off, so I’d recommend nixing it altogether, at least until you’ve established a comfy rapport.

After I’ve let loose my frustrations with bad grammar and time-wasting ramblings in e-mails, I want to please beg your pardon for any grammar/spelling/outright stupidity I’ve accidentally let slip in this post. Though I don’t want to make excuses, it is 1 AM and the chances are high I’ve missed something. So here’s my last piece of advice. Above all, be merciful. One or two errors does not a moron make, so on behalf of my graduating class, in our vernacular: plz give us chance!  

 Image courtesy of http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/16/Typist.JPG