Hola, It’s Race day!
I am dressed to the nines, heels, dress, headpiece, hair
done, make-up on. It is all about the glamour, fashion and fast horses today.
Well… at least until the band aids come out, the alcohol hits the race goers,
and I get left in a track side tent, promoting memberships… to members. Anyone
say ‘ice to eskimo’s?’
The spring racing season launched on 15th of
October, a day where it’s all happening, however it was a somewhat anti climax
for myself.
My day went a little as follows:
1.
Get up- spend hours getting dressed and ready
and ensuring I adhered to strict dress codes.
2.
Arrive at the office at 10.30- pack a small
amount of gift bags (due to water damage in the marquee the night before).
3.
Make my way over to meet the membership team at
11- there we sat a greeted members with a promotional bookies vouchers upon the
presentation of their membership card.
4.
At 12pm was a last minute set up of the ‘Young
Members’ function, where 75 people where due to arrive.
5.
At 12.30 I was placed trackside in a fenced area
for ‘provisional’ members and members of Perth Racing. There it was my job for
the next 4 hours to sell and promote memberships. The only problem was, 90% of
the guest where either members or guest of member, with no reason to purchase.
6.
Home time 4.00pm!
This day however was not all bad, it allowed me time to
reflect on the importance of public relation in a large-scale events and how
small changes can make huge impacts.
Firstly the skill of time management throughout the duration
of the event is quintessential. This seemingly obvious task is something that
is often overlooked or dismissed throughout the duration of an event. Tools
such as time-lines or order-of-events schedules are useful in management and
should be readily available to all staff members involved.
Secondly the need for the correct allocation of resources to
tasks. Take my experience on opening day; I could have been more useful in
other areas of the event rather then placed in an area to no effect. All event
staff should be utilised to ensure a smooth and effortless running of event
occurs.
Lastly the need for evaluation after large-scale events is
essential. Staff debriefs and feedback should be collected in order to improve
areas of concern and also to highlight successful practices. This information
should be adequately analysed and stored for future events.
Gab.
1 comment:
Hey Gab
I can understand how small changes can even create ripples to our event flow. One small delay can slow down or derail the whole show. Sometimes it can lead to a chaotic time. Its great to have a backup plan incase something bad happens.
I agree with you on feedbacks and debriefing. It helps us to improve on our next event.
Hope you're enjoying internship
All the best
Alan
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