Looking through Rose-coloured Glasses

As I'm writing this, it is 1:38am on Sunday, and I just came home to hear the neighbours cranking up some loud music *lovely* Also, as I'm writing this, my feet ache once again from an exciting and crazy night spent at another signature Momentum Forum Events function: the Brian Gardner Pink Ribbon Ball. 

Behind the scenes

T'was a Pink Night
Held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, the massive ballroom was lit up in pink. Before the guests were to arrive at 6:30pm, setting up tables with name cards, raffle tickets and envelopes, auction catalogues, and corporate signage was the first task our group of interns. It was great to see you all there again (you know who you are!).

From the get-go I had an inkling that the night would have it's stressful moments; as is expected from helping to run an event. The corporate signage list wasn't set out according to a previous version, and the guest list pinned to boards by the entrance weren't printed well; raffle tickets had to be counted and re-counted, and laid out on all forty-six tables, and so, too, did the auction catalogues; all neatly rearranged to accommodate everything else crowding the table. There's a lot more paperwork at an event than you'd think.

Pink Ribbon Ball 2016

As the guests arrived in the foyer, enjoying their bubbly pre-drinks and came over to the table where raffle entries and door prize sign-ups were happening, the excitement started to build together with the decibels of conversations. The rainy weather withdrew into the night, and soon everyone was filling the ballroom, anticipating the night ahead.

The Pink Ribbon Ball is an annual signature event, since Barbara founded MFE in 2002, and its support for breast cancer awareness is amazing. It's sad to realise that this illness is something that everyone in that room had a connection to; either because they experienced it, they guided someone else going through the rigorous treatment, or because you want to support others discovering the painful journey. Behind the pink lights, the sequinned dresses and the grand ballroom, we are real people gathering to support a cause that we, sadly, hear about too often. This is something our guest testimonial speaker Debbie Clarke was sharing with us last night.

Going One, Going Twice, Sold!
Behind the scenes and away from the reality check felt across the room, the live auction was coming up soon. But before the real hustle began, Jess and I got the delicious task of showcasing a 10kg life-size Cadbury chocolate bar, tempting everyone, which was really fun!

Colour me pink

And so the serious bidding began. In addition to the team which was handling the auction, us interns were made to divide and conquer, and be 'spotters': signalling anytime someone in our section raised their hand to place a bid to benefit the auctioneer. My head was swirling from one side to the other, patrolling the area if you will, trying to keep up with the pace of the auctioneer's speedy monotone of which bidding price we were at. There was also a silent auction, but it was pretty quiet on that front; I wonder if any of those silent auction paintings got sold...

Wrapping it Up
In the end, everyone was dancing and having a good time. The live band got a crowd of their own up on the stage, singing away as the smoke machine fogged the disco laser lights. The atmosphere was infectious. When all the auction catalogues, corporate signage and other bits and pieces were collected, it was time for us interns to get together and have a glass of wine. What was a nice surprise was that the kitchen had some desserts left over for us to enjoy. Chocolate cups with raspberry coulis, macaroon meringue and flower petals was truly a treat!

The A-team

When your boss is not around

I wanted to share with you what really happens when the boss has been away for three weeks, and what happens when you need to get back into the swing of things... 

Hello fellow readers! 

Since the last blog things have changed, as they usually do. For one, the boss is back. Since Barbara's treasure hunt in Poland for the mysterious Gold Train, she has brought back the sense of urgency, methodical chaos and rigor into the workday. The storm has hit (but in a good way)! Emails still linger, yet are no longer the only activity of the day, which I'm happy about. Yet what was happening here while she was away is a different story. 

In a day of an intern, we're under constant supervision. Colleagues, managers and the boss keep us busy and engaged throughout our times in the office or in the field. So what happens when the boss is not in the office to pull you in all sorts of directions? 

In a nutshell...  
...it gets quiet and the intern doesn't get that many responsibilities. Another thing that happens here is the process of writing, newsletter layouts, resizing photos and content creation all become less hectic. A writer's way of going about reaching a goal is to either logically outline what they're going to be writing about, how they want to structure it, or to prefer the tangled version of putting a newsletter together. Depending on how people around you influence your writing process, you might find it contagious and adopt this alternative pathway to successfully reaching your intern goals. 

Two ways of reaching your end goal

As the radio filled the silence, I had to do something during these doldrums. This being a work experience when things get quiet you have to take some initiative to ask for tasks you can do, how you can further help out, and keep asking plenty of questions. 

Never a Dull Moment? 
Speaking with other interns who are at different placements, I hear another story; they are always busy, loaded with work and completely overwhelmed - wondering when the day will end. Of course every place is different, and all our bosses and supervisors have different approaches to teaching and exposing us interns to the fast-paced world of PR, communications, events management, in-house work and consultancies. 

Coming in every week and not knowing what to expect is nervously exciting, so when you can accurately predict a bland day ahead, you'd want to make it better and turn it around. I don't know how you feel about this, but I'm sure we'd all rather be busy bees than wilting workers. 

Keep on Moving
Of course while Barbara was away she kept in touch, and her right-hand go-to assistant Siobhan was in the office, which gave us the chance to work together a lot more and enjoy the less-manic office vibe. So just because the boss isn't here doesn't mean you can slack off; if anything it gives you the chance to keep improving your skills, prove yourself to other co-workers and keep moving in a productive direction; even if responsibilities don't pile up on your desk. 

Booth sales sheets, Pink Ribbon Ball flyers and inspirational team posters

While Barbara was away, I had time to dedicate myself to an ongoing email frenzy and think about how to turn this into a useful blog post. I realised that any tasks that we do as interns serves a larger purpose, even if we can't see that at this very moment. Once it all comes together and we enjoy the hard work we'd put in, we realise that all those menial and repetitive things on our to-do list were not as terrible as we previously remembered them to be. 

It might be crazy, but it's worth it in the end.

Hi everyone..

So as I mentioned in my last post, a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be able to attend the event that we at Momentum Forum Events had all been working very long days on, the Medaesthetics International Woman's Day Luncheon.

From what I'd seen, this event was going to be huge with over 300 attendees including the Honourable Julie Bishop, Dana Vulin and Australian bachelor Blake Garvey. We had spent weeks of long office hours to make this day more spectacular than ever before and that dream was about to become a reality. After spending so much time making sure that even the finest details were taken care of, one would expect that the day would be smooth sailing and that we could kick our feet up and watch the day unfold before our eyes. Well how wrong was I..

We were all told to meet at around 8:30-9am to start setting up as the event was set to start at 11:30am. Well 10am came and went and we were still unable to enter the venue as another event had run late. Finally we were let into the venue well after 10:30am only too be greeted with the chaos of about 40 staff trying to set up this event for over 300 new guests. Although well out of our job description for the day, we were told that the chair cover company was definitely unable to cover 300 chairs in less than an hour so we all had to hike up our skirts and give a hand while simultaneously making sure tables were set to perfection and taking last minute phone calls from guests and newspaper companies that were interested in attending.

The guests were finally allowed into the venue only half an hour later than planned. The rest of the day consisted of running around to make sure guests were seated and happy in their chosen seats, making sure that all hosts had everything that they required and finally being able to squeeze in a 10 minute break to eat some of the delicious food.

I definitely learned that there is no such thing as being too prepared. No matter how many times you have gone over the details and no matter how many back up plans you have, you can't always control every situation, especially those that are beyond your control. Being able to think on your toes and take initiative during a crisis is a very useful skill to have as you don't even need to be working in a crisis management role to experience a crisis that may be detrimental to an event or organisation.

In the end, the event however was more spectacular than I could ever have imagined . The entire day was covered by all major media outlets with television stations flying in from other states to attend on the day. What made it even more spectacular was that the entire day was hosted to raise money for the Momentum for Australia charity as well as to raise awareness for the "Kiss Violence Against Women Goodbye" campaign.

I would like to leave you all with a short video showing the highlights of the incredible day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPt2qhOaxeU&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1

A little-longer-than-expected stay at Momentum

Since writing last, I was thoroughly enjoying my time at Momentum Forum Events, working on the Men in Black Ball, in support of Men's Mental Health. Post ball, my mentor Barbara invited me to stay with Momentum and work on the Pink Ribbon Ball which would be held on the 11^th of October 2014, and raise much needed funds for breast cancer awareness and research. 
</br>Not wanting to pass up on this opportunity, of course I said yes. I can now say I have had the pleasure of assisting on one the most incredible events EVER (potentially bias but you will have to take my word for it!). The days turned into weeks, consisting of 100’s of emails, phone calls, bookings, arrangements, liasing with clients and companies, organizing donations and entertainment, the writing of scripts and run sheets, table settings and placements…the list goes on ….until finally the Brian Gardner Pink Ribbon Ball 2014 finally came together. And WOW. What a night! I can proudly say that the night was a success, and with the generosity of many corporate sponsors and attendees on the night, we were able to raise over $100,000 for the Momentum For Australia charity. At this stage, to say I am proud to have been a part of such an event is an understatement in itself. Money aside, we were also thrilled to welcome Dana Vulin who attended the ball as her first social event without her mask. That was a highlight in itself – what an honour to meet such an inspirational woman.  
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After a total of six months, I have just completed my final days at Momentum Forum Events – a little bittersweet ending to an enjoyable and insightful internship. I will definitely miss my days at Momentum, working with the other interns, and not to mention the organized chaos that is Barbara herself. She has been a huge inspiration and mentor to me over the past few months, and I am super grateful for everything she has taught me. As sad as I am to be leaving Momentum, it is now time for me to decide what I would like to do once I graduate – there are so many options! Thankfully, Momentum has helped me decide what I am  good at as well as what I love, and this will help me make a decision about the future ahead.

To see more of the amazing work that is done by Momentum Forum Events, click here!

Putting On My Big Girl Pants!

During my time at Momentum Forum I have had the chance to put my writing skills to good use. Under the watchful eyes of my supervisor and mentor Barbara McNaught (the founder of the organisation) and her beautiful daughter Kasia, we have worked together on countless media releases, Facebook posts, Linked in updates and editorial pieces leading up to the Men in Black Ball…. and I have to say we are a dynamite trio! Continuously bouncing ideas from one another, "what's a better way of saying this?", constructive criticism, positive encouragement - a recipe for fantastic writing!

This week I was given an exciting task: to prepare a newsletter to send out to all of Momentum's contacts (over 5000!) with information about the upcoming Men in Black Ball.

The best bit?

I GOT TO DO IT ALL ON MY OWN.

It might not seem like much, but like most of you, this is my first time in the "real world" as they call it, writing real material, sending it to real people, who might end up coming to the event IM working on! Excited is an understatement let me tell you.

So, while Barbara went to meet with a potential corporate sponsor, I was left to write a newsletter. Barbara had given me a couple of pointers/topics she would like in the newsletter and the rest was up to me. It was to be short and sweet, interesting and attention grabbing, not too much writing…you know the drill.

By the time Barbara returned the newsletter was finished.

The verdict?

SHE LOVED IT!

After a few minor tweaks here and there, it was ready to send out…. and wow I didn't know such a small project could bring such a huge feeling of personal achievement. I was so proud of myself, and it felt even better that Barbara appreciated the effort I had put in.

Guess it looks like my "big girl pants" are here to stay :)

Stacey Morrison
14862663

OCD in the Office

If there is anything I have learnt so far from my time at Momentum Forum Events, it is that  being over-organised is the key!

Working closely with Barbara, the founder and CEO of Momentum Forum Events, has taught me a lot about the importance of being organised and on top of your workload. While she juggles the planning of multiple high-profile events, Barbara must manage her time with clients, sponsorship meetings, responding to emails, phone calls and the like, as well as giving her undivided attention to her beautiful interns!

With such a hectic schedule, I know it can be easy for some things to slip through the cracks and be forgotten. For me, if something is not written down, there is a pretty high chance i will forget to do it! This was the same with Barbara. Although she uses a diary, and makes a "mental note" of meetings and event appearances, there is not always time to write it down.

I asked Barbara: "Is there ever a time you forget about events, or meetings?"
She simply responded with "Oh yes Darlink! All the time!"

So, from that moment on, I made it my personal pledge to Barbara and Momentum to help her with her organisation while i am there….even if it is only small things like making notes in her diary, or flagging emails for her to read later. In the past, my friends and family have teased me and said that i have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (a joke of course), and that i am too much of a perfectionist sometimes. So why not put these traits to use at my internship?

As well as monitoring her diary, I have also made it a personal aim to help organise her computer (all files etc), her paper filing system (which sometimes is non-existent) and the sorting out of her contacts and databases. Since using her computer i have noticed that it is somewhat disorganised, and sometimes hard to find the necessary files or folders, because they have been saved in the wrong place or under the wrong name. This is not only annoying and frustrating, but extremely time consuming when trying to send quick emails to potential sponsors or clients.

So, from now on, I will attempt to re-organise Barbara's office life, to help make it as efficient and organised as possible! I think it will be so beneficial to be that little bit more organised at the office, and hopefully it can be maintained over the weeks to come - kickstart some useful habits i say!

Stacey Morrison
14862663

Kirby Scanlan - Blog Post #1 The Deep End....

My first day of my internship was Momentum Forum Events’ first big event of the year. So when I say I was thrown in the deep end... I mean it. I arrived early to the office and was immediately sent to a computer to return emails and then write a media release (not 24 hours ago I had told Barbara (founder and CEO of Momentum in my interview that media releases were probably my weakest PR skill so either she was putting my skills to test straight of the bat, or she was just too stressed to care). After I did that, she proofed it and it was sent straight off to channel 7, ABC and SBS. In the hope that one or all of them would show up at the event later that day. 

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I then drove myself to the PCEC where I met other interns and got straight to work on the 400+ gift bags. By the time we had finished them it was almost time for the event to start. It was quite exciting and glamorous, Barbara along with the MC and Charlotte Dawson (who was this year’s testimonial speaker) were getting their makeup done by Saviour Faire (major sponsors of the event) and once all the “ important people” got taken care of, we all got to get some bright lipstick put on us too (Momentum’s event trademark)! Soon after, people started arriving in herds and our next task was to usher people to their correct seats, we had a massive seating chart which we all had access too but not too soon after the first person got seated that we realised that there were A LOT of mistakes on the seating chart, as well as guests wanting to sit with friends etc – this, I found was quite stressful, mainly because not having worked on the lead up to the event and not having helped with the seating chart or was familiar with the guest list, I felt like a fish out of water and struggled with ideas on how to rectify the situation, but we got it sorted eventually, it just meant that, before  the event had already started, we were already running at least 30 minutes behind schedule. 

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The rest of the day was much more calm and organised, I helped with the drawing of the raffle and the live auction and got to sit and take in the whole event. I must admit, I have done lots of work experience before for many different large and small companies, and I have never been so looked after as I have at Momentum. All the volunteers get a table AT the event, in the ballroom with everyone and we get the same three course lunch as all the guests, which I was very impressed with. I got to listen to and later meet Charlotte Dawson, whose speech was very moving and inspiring and at the end got to meet some of Barbara’s clients and have a glass of champagne with herself and her family to end the successful day. 

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I felt this was a great start to the internship, and although I realised (of course) that everyday wasn’t going to be like this, It really made me excited for the next event and to actually be there from the very first promotion or media release all the way up to the event day and then see that through, it also gave me a very detailed insight into the great work that Barbara and Momentum does for different causes and made me very honored to get to be a part of it. 

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