2 Biggest Weeks of My Life

Hey Guys,
I think last 2 weeks was quite possibly the biggest week of my life! The Fremantle Football Club hosted their largest event of the year the Doig Medal (Best and Fairest winner). I was able to see everything from the very beginning of the planning of the event right through until the final product on the night. I feel like I have learnt so much through the process and of course grown largely in my personal career.

The planning of the event began in the early months of 2008 in which of course a venue is booked, date decided and publications approved. Although a large percentage of the planning was undertaken earlier in the year it was exciting to watch the final pieces fall into place in the two weeks build up to the event. I was given a great deal of responsibility in the planning process and information that I had to understand was highly confidential to the club and event. I can finally announce a huge secret which I had know for months that Shannon Noll was playing as the final act at the event! As part of Shannon's contract we were unable to use him as a selling point so it was essential that his appearance was kept under wraps! It was so rewarding however to see the excitement on the faces of many of the women at the event when he made his suprise appearance on stage!

I was lucky enough to sit in on many planning meetings involving the Navy Band (In which we used as the band for the evening), AV Technicians, Food Trials and Speech writing forums. In these meetings I learnt that it is important that you get your point across even if you don’t know the correct technical lingo or language. For example the event manager for the Doig Medal was speaking to the AV Technician and wanted to use a certain lighting and sound format that she could not explain. The AV Technician was able to explain the formats to her and she is now informed for the future. I guess it goes with the saying that no question is a stupid question! Always ask or question because otherwise you will never learn.

My job on the evening was to check place settings matched the total numbers requested from Fremantle of the Burswood entertainment complex. Considering there was over 100 Tables and 1000 people it was a large task. I needed to coordinate with a staff member from Burswood to change the necessary place settings, re-arrange tables. Unfortunately on the night I missed one place setting which I found out later a staff member had removed due to them believing there was too many. It was easily solved however still a tad embarrassing and I was lucky enough to have a very understanding client! I was also in charge of making sure that all of the required people were on stage on time, all the awards/flowers were in place and giving queues to backstage. I was linked up to a radio microphone for the entire evening and in communication with the event manager throughout the whole event who was situated at the back of the room looking at the overall picture.
Lesson number one:
Do Not wear high heels when doing a job like this (I learnt the hard way!)
Do not wear a long or flowing dress (again learnt the hard way!)
Eat a substantial meal and drink loads of water before the event because you need the energy to keep going all night! This also falls into the category of know your limits! Ask someone when you need help and monitor your energy levels
A large percentage of my success in the position on the night came down to preparation the day before. I took the time to read through my run sheet and highlight all of my requirements. As part of my job was grabbing appropriate people at certain times I went through the document and highlighted my Que's and where these appropriate people were seated. Its amazing just the tiny things that make the evening perfect. A tip that the event manager told me is to never ever run infront of the general public because it instantly shows panic and creates a sense of lack of control. I have learnt that very much within events that it is the image that you project on the outside that counts, no matter how much panic or disorganization takes place behind the scenes.
I was involved with the process of clients and guests booking their ticket over the phone and both my phone mannerism and networking skills were again increased. One of the most rewarding things on the night was taking the time to seek out clients that I had personally built relationships with on the phone and getting their valuable feedback from the event. Many of these guests were pleased to finally meet me face to face and I feel as though I have added to the friendly and approachable nature of the club.
I have also received some great news for something that I have completed for the club. Earlier in the year the sponsorship department of the Fremantle Football Club approached me to complete a submission for the Australian Marketing Institute in the category of Corporate Social Responsibility. We ranked as a state finalist and received a high commendation for our work however we were not the state winner. The representative from the club that accepted the award stated that he was incredibly impressed with our submission and that we should enter further categories in the future! It was exciting recognition that the club has never received before! I was congratulated in the staff meeting and thanked by the sponsorship department. The lesson in this situation is that it is important to enter awards, because people who enter have the opportunity to win.
Moving back to the Doig Medal… I was also involved in a detailed de-brief after the event, which I have quickly learnt is one of the most vital feedback tools of the event. The Events manager selected 7 representatives from each of the departments and asked for their feedback regarding 10 different questions. Participants were to rank scores from 1 being the worst through until 3 being the best. The events manager also received feedback from a player and from a member of the general public. The meeting went for over 2 hours and critically analyzed every step of the event. It is sometimes very hard to take harsh criticism, which is something I learnt personally however I understood all outcomes from the meeting were for the future of the event and the people surrounding the event. Some of the more positive feedback stated that it was the ‘best’ Doig Medal so far (very exciting to hear!). I found it so rewarding and such a great learning experience to listen to all of the personal views regarding aspects of the event and where areas for room for improvement stood. I particularly found the points made by the communications manager incredibly interesting! He constantly had in the forefront of his mind the reputation and social responsibility of the club. He understood the importance of the behavior of the club players within public view and in particular any representative of the club.

I feel as though this blog could go on forever however I know that it must stop! This is really only a tiny touch of everything I have learnt from that event and the planning. Honestly if anyone has any questions please feel free to contact me as I would love to pass on more of my valuable knowledge I have learnt so far.