I remember watching chick-flicks such as The Wedding Planner and 27 Dresses and even Sex and the City before starting my Public Relations degree and thinking how awesome it would be to make a career out of planning weddings and events. The planners make the process look effortless and the purpose of each event is purely to ensure everyone has a great time.
Over the past two weeks I have been working at Methodist Ladies’ College and the main focus of the last week has been on events. Two events were held over the weekend and I grasped to the full extent how much planning and dedication goes into hosting events and ensuring they run smoothly. I also came to recognise that while events are held for enjoyment there were many goals that MLC hopes to achieve through hosting their events. The opening of the new MLC Health and Sport Centre was held on Friday night and a fashion runway event called Adieu Summer was held on Sunday. Each had different objectives but here are some of the key points I learnt about events at MLC…
· They are an instrument of communication-they provide a forum outside of school hours that promotes communication between teachers, PR staff, collegians, parents and students.
· They allow past collegians to extend their school experience by making them feel part of the school community. These collegians often want to enrich the experience of the newest generation of students as much as they can and therefore offer donations for that to occur.
· They are often held in order to make money for the benefit of the school. They are a fundraising tool encouraging guests to donate in order to make adjustments to the school and to allow more events to be held in the future. Though the opening of the new Health and Sport Centre was more of an opportunity to showcase what can be achieved through the kindness of donations.
· Events draw media attention which consequently promotes the school to a wide audience and also encourages donations from a wider audience. The comparative cost of holding an event against the cost of advertising the school would be quite similar so it is more valuable to hold an event which may draw media attention which in turn could advertise the school for free -you are virtually getting two for the price of one. Some collegians of MLC are quite high profile-Olympians, Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi, designers etc. which draws media attention to events in itself.
· MLC held a fashion event in conjunction with the opening of the Claremont Quarter and due to this combination, many stores in the Quarter could be persuaded to provide donations in the form of discount cards or goods for gift bags and door prizes (one of my tasks was to obtain these donations). The donations provided them with name recognition within a highly educated and professional audience, and they were also showing an investment in the community which may provide them with an edge over competitors. Involving another organisation allows each to bounce off each other. If the event brings positive results to the sponsors of MLC from the Quarter they will be more likely to cooperate again in the future.
· The school is competing for sign-ups with many other schools in the area and the promise of events can make the school look more professional/trendy/fun/more of a community than a school. By drawing attention to the new Health and Sport Centre with an opening ceremony provides an opportunity for the community to view the vastness of the structure and the modernity that MLC is striving for which may encourage new students.
· It pays to spend money. A professional event where everything runs smoothly will encourage the same people to attend more functions. In turn these guests will spread via word of mouth the superior nature of the event and more will be likely to attend the next which could then bring in more donations.
· Showcasing the work of MLC fashion students was also a priority as members of the community had the opportunity to view what has been achieved which could influence the number of enrolments for years to come.
MLC puts alot of emphasis on events but their success ensures all the hard work and planning pays off!
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