My final blog now!
The last few weeks of my prac have consisted of a lot of recruiting and informing volunteers of their roles on the day of the HBF Run For a Reason. My co-worker, Bob, and I spent a morning at ECU Joondalup talking to a Sports Science class about volunteering as prac students or volunteering at the HBF Run For a Reason with TriEvents. During this hour, I gave a small speech to the students about my work with TriEvents over the past few weeks and how my prac has been a fantastic experience for me. I spoke to the students about the networks I have made in the Sports Events Management industry since I began working with TriEvents and how working in the “real world” is something I have gained much more knowledge from than working in a tutorial.
One student from this class is now doing her prac studies with me and she has been assisting me with making phone calls and recruiting more volunteers. Ashley and I have updated databases and emailed hundreds of people detailing briefing times for the volunteers and their times and locations on the day of the WA event. The next couple of weeks before the big event are full on, as we recruit final volunteers and get busy placing them along the course.
To be involved in such a respected and well-liked Sports Events Management organisation as TriEvents was a great benefit for me as I learnt so much more in a real life environment than I have in previous semesters in class. Being asked to work with TriEvents as a casual staff member after my prac days had finished was an honour for me and I have thoroughly enjoyed being the Volunteer Co-ordinater for the HBF Run For a Reason.
It took me a little bit of time initially to adjust to the environment in the TriEvents office (understanding the personalities and positions of my colleagues), however the satisfaction of being appointed a relatively large project and being given so much responsibility has been great experience for me in this industry.
I can’t wait for the Run For a Reason (Sunday 22nd May)..it is set be a fantastic event! Having some real life experience has been fantastic for not only my degree but also for my confidence – to be able to walk into an office and meet new people every week has been great for me.
I hope you have all enjoyed your prac experiences, and thanks for sharing mine with me!
Mel
Showing posts with label Melissa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Melissa. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Settling In
Hi Guys, Mel here again! This is my third blog and also my third week at TriEvents; the Sports Event Management organisation at which I am doing my prac. During this week, I began to use my initiative more and went straight to my desk to begin sending out and replying to emails. I was finally given my own email address and felt as though I was becoming a part of the TriEvents team. I spent the week beginning to get my head around my newly assigned task of HBF Run For a Reason Volunteer Co-ordinater, updating databases, registering volunteers and meeting with my co-worker to discuss possible recruitment plans and sending more letters to possible volunteers. My co-worker and I discussed the use of social networking sites such as facebook to recruit volunteers and we felt under the pump when we found out we needed to recruit 350 volunteers for the event. This was made much easier when another supervisor told us we had plenty of charity volunteers and helpers from last year who were already on board this years’ event.
During my fourth week at TriEvents, I attended another Hillary’s Triathlon – TriEvents’ final Hillary’s Triathlon of the season. On the day I assisted in setting up, directing participants, taking control of the kids’ triathlon bike sector and of course, packing up at the end of the day. This event was a great event and it was (as always) well worth the early start when I got to watch the satisfaction on the faces of participants as they crossed the finish line.
I came back to the office on the Tuesday following this event and really felt comfortable coming in to the office and knowing exactly what I had prepared for myself to do for the morning. I’m learning far more about the Events Management Industry and the workforce than I did in my classes.
I hope you are all learning great things from your prac experiences..
Until next time,
Mel
During my fourth week at TriEvents, I attended another Hillary’s Triathlon – TriEvents’ final Hillary’s Triathlon of the season. On the day I assisted in setting up, directing participants, taking control of the kids’ triathlon bike sector and of course, packing up at the end of the day. This event was a great event and it was (as always) well worth the early start when I got to watch the satisfaction on the faces of participants as they crossed the finish line.
I came back to the office on the Tuesday following this event and really felt comfortable coming in to the office and knowing exactly what I had prepared for myself to do for the morning. I’m learning far more about the Events Management Industry and the workforce than I did in my classes.
I hope you are all learning great things from your prac experiences..
Until next time,
Mel
Monday, May 9, 2011
Early Starts & New Projects
Hi guys, Mel here. The part of my prac which I am going to discuss with you today was the most exciting moment during my prac as of yet. It may not seem like anything amazing - but for me, it was a step towards learning Evens Management to a new degree. Before I begin though…I am doing my professional practice at TriEvents; an Events Management company which organises sporting and fundraising events throughout Western Australia. During my second week of prac, staff at the company were busy getting organised for the HBF Bike Hike for Asthma, to take place on Sunday 20th March. I had already been told to arrive at this event at 6am so I was looking forward to that early start! I spent my first day that week finishing a task from the previous week, calling a large number of schools and encouraging them to participate in the event.
My second week of prac consisted of a few extra days because of this event, as I was rostered to work in the HBF shop on the Friday and Saturday before the event on Sunday. I arrived at the shop at 8.45am and spent the full day there on the Friday, and spent half the day there on the Saturday. The work at this shop consisted of learning the computer system, registering new participants, and finding race packs for participants who had already registered. I couldn’t believe that out of the amount of people taking part in this event, I saw just one person I knew throughout the whole weekend! I obviously don’t surround myself by particularly athletic people!
It was so interesting to see how organised TriEvents was in setting these shops up. They knew it would get busy at a certain time of the day and they had staff rostered for those times. They had every race number set out and easy to find and they had back-ups for everything that went wrong. The people I worked with in this Subiaco shop on these days were volunteers and were so nice and welcoming, ready to have a joke and help out whenever they could.
The ride took place on the Saturday and I had been told to arrive at 6am. I was told to go to “Joondalup” – it could have been anywhere in Joondalup and I had no specific place I was told to go, so I drove around for a while (luckily I was early) and found a volunteer tent. I sat in this marquee for an hour, waiting…waiting… No other volunteers arrived till 7.30 and I was highly regretting not asking more questions – I could have slept in for an extra hour!! Apparently I had been given the wrong time, but the atmosphere when participants raced through the finish line was worth the early start.
The second week of my prac had been a big one and the event had run very smoothly. They gave me jobs such as handing certificates to race winners, keeping the stream of people running through the finish line running smoothly, and ticking off other volunteers as they came through the marquee.
The Tuesday after this event, I found myself back in the TriEvents office, where my supervisor asked me to stay on for after my prac days were complete for a new project – the HBF Run For A Reason, an event for which I have now become the Volunteer Coordinator. This was great news for me as it has given me what I feel is a great responsibility and purpose for being a part of the TriEvents team. I met with the previous Volunteer Coordinator for this event (who has now left TriEvents) and a co-worker, who updated me on the requirements of my project and a vague plan of the way the following weeks would turn out. Since then I have been recruiting volunteers for the big event, calling schools, uni's, bigger clients, Scouts, recreational and Rotary Clubs, sporting teams, volunteers from the event last year, and many more people. I have printed, folded, enveloped and sent many letters to schools and emails to interested volunteers have been countless!
More to come soon on my prac as Volunteer Co-ordinater for the HBF Run For a Reason!
Mel
My second week of prac consisted of a few extra days because of this event, as I was rostered to work in the HBF shop on the Friday and Saturday before the event on Sunday. I arrived at the shop at 8.45am and spent the full day there on the Friday, and spent half the day there on the Saturday. The work at this shop consisted of learning the computer system, registering new participants, and finding race packs for participants who had already registered. I couldn’t believe that out of the amount of people taking part in this event, I saw just one person I knew throughout the whole weekend! I obviously don’t surround myself by particularly athletic people!
It was so interesting to see how organised TriEvents was in setting these shops up. They knew it would get busy at a certain time of the day and they had staff rostered for those times. They had every race number set out and easy to find and they had back-ups for everything that went wrong. The people I worked with in this Subiaco shop on these days were volunteers and were so nice and welcoming, ready to have a joke and help out whenever they could.
The ride took place on the Saturday and I had been told to arrive at 6am. I was told to go to “Joondalup” – it could have been anywhere in Joondalup and I had no specific place I was told to go, so I drove around for a while (luckily I was early) and found a volunteer tent. I sat in this marquee for an hour, waiting…waiting… No other volunteers arrived till 7.30 and I was highly regretting not asking more questions – I could have slept in for an extra hour!! Apparently I had been given the wrong time, but the atmosphere when participants raced through the finish line was worth the early start.
The second week of my prac had been a big one and the event had run very smoothly. They gave me jobs such as handing certificates to race winners, keeping the stream of people running through the finish line running smoothly, and ticking off other volunteers as they came through the marquee.
The Tuesday after this event, I found myself back in the TriEvents office, where my supervisor asked me to stay on for after my prac days were complete for a new project – the HBF Run For A Reason, an event for which I have now become the Volunteer Coordinator. This was great news for me as it has given me what I feel is a great responsibility and purpose for being a part of the TriEvents team. I met with the previous Volunteer Coordinator for this event (who has now left TriEvents) and a co-worker, who updated me on the requirements of my project and a vague plan of the way the following weeks would turn out. Since then I have been recruiting volunteers for the big event, calling schools, uni's, bigger clients, Scouts, recreational and Rotary Clubs, sporting teams, volunteers from the event last year, and many more people. I have printed, folded, enveloped and sent many letters to schools and emails to interested volunteers have been countless!
More to come soon on my prac as Volunteer Co-ordinater for the HBF Run For a Reason!
Mel
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Busy Times
Hey everyone, I’m Mel. I started working at TriEvents as a part of my prac work a while ago (64 days to be exact), but life has been so full on that this is my first blog! TriEvents is an Events Management company in Osborne Park which I became involved with through a contact who is a major organiser of the Rottnest Channel Swim.
On the first day of my prac, I walked up some stairs in a hidden building on Hutton Street, took a seat in the waiting room and was brought into the office; a small room with five desks for the staff and another three rooms with an office for each of the Event Co-ordinaters.
I walked into the room, saying a friendly hello to those already at work (I hate being late to places so I was super early for this one!), and I was greeted with a very quiet 'hi' from one of the workers. After briefly meeting my supervisor, I was put to work: “Mel, can you ring every school in Perth on this list and ask if the Physical Education Department is keen to get any students involved in the HBF Bike Hike for Asthma?” From this moment, I understood what previous Public Relations prac students had meant when they said I’d be given the repetitive, far-from-exciting jobs that no on realllly wanted to do but someone had to do. I was given a desk, a phone and a script and off I went, calling over 100 schools in my bid to recruit participants for one of TriEvents’ most well known events! Although I was tired of repetition by the end of that task, I was sent off to bag race bibs, participant numbers and timers for participants in the following weekends’ Hillary’s Womens 2XU Triathlon Event.
I have included a link for you all in case you feel like perusing the site and checking out this event!
http://www.womenstriathlon.com.au/
Anyway, following my first day of prac I was given tasks for my next two days of work (My supervisor and I had planned for me to come in to the office twice a week). I really enjoy the fact that Events Management means everything is well-organised and planned as I am a planner from way back! I arrived at Nodes Park in Hillary’s at 12pm on Saturday 5th March, where participants in the triathlon (to take place the following day) would be coming to pick up their registration packs. This was the day I begun to get a feel of the enormity of preparation that goes into events that aren’t even particularly well-known. The following day I was at Nodes Park at 5.40am (early, as usual), ready for a full day of handing medals to race participants and registering last-minute participants. The event was great fun and the satisfaction on the faces of participants when they crossed that finish line was incredibly rewarding to watch – pity I could never be bothered to actually participate in one!!
The event was over and I was back in the office the following Tuesday, where I found myself focusing my attention back to my list of schools and the HBF Bike Hike for Asthma which was to be held on Sunday 20th March. I emailed every school and then rang them to check they received my email and by this time I had definitely had enough of repeating my script over and over!
From my first week at prac, I learnt that regardless of how small the work I was being given was, I was learning so much more than what I had been learning in class. I know my prac was more on the Events Management side of things rather than PR, but it was really interesting to get an idea of the work that is put in that goes relatively unnoticed on the day of an event. I enjoyed my first week of prac and actually looked forward to coming back the next week!
An update on how the following week went is to come…
Hope you have all enjoyed your prac experiences
Mel
On the first day of my prac, I walked up some stairs in a hidden building on Hutton Street, took a seat in the waiting room and was brought into the office; a small room with five desks for the staff and another three rooms with an office for each of the Event Co-ordinaters.
I walked into the room, saying a friendly hello to those already at work (I hate being late to places so I was super early for this one!), and I was greeted with a very quiet 'hi' from one of the workers. After briefly meeting my supervisor, I was put to work: “Mel, can you ring every school in Perth on this list and ask if the Physical Education Department is keen to get any students involved in the HBF Bike Hike for Asthma?” From this moment, I understood what previous Public Relations prac students had meant when they said I’d be given the repetitive, far-from-exciting jobs that no on realllly wanted to do but someone had to do. I was given a desk, a phone and a script and off I went, calling over 100 schools in my bid to recruit participants for one of TriEvents’ most well known events! Although I was tired of repetition by the end of that task, I was sent off to bag race bibs, participant numbers and timers for participants in the following weekends’ Hillary’s Womens 2XU Triathlon Event.
I have included a link for you all in case you feel like perusing the site and checking out this event!
http://www.womenstriathlon.com.au/
Anyway, following my first day of prac I was given tasks for my next two days of work (My supervisor and I had planned for me to come in to the office twice a week). I really enjoy the fact that Events Management means everything is well-organised and planned as I am a planner from way back! I arrived at Nodes Park in Hillary’s at 12pm on Saturday 5th March, where participants in the triathlon (to take place the following day) would be coming to pick up their registration packs. This was the day I begun to get a feel of the enormity of preparation that goes into events that aren’t even particularly well-known. The following day I was at Nodes Park at 5.40am (early, as usual), ready for a full day of handing medals to race participants and registering last-minute participants. The event was great fun and the satisfaction on the faces of participants when they crossed that finish line was incredibly rewarding to watch – pity I could never be bothered to actually participate in one!!
The event was over and I was back in the office the following Tuesday, where I found myself focusing my attention back to my list of schools and the HBF Bike Hike for Asthma which was to be held on Sunday 20th March. I emailed every school and then rang them to check they received my email and by this time I had definitely had enough of repeating my script over and over!
From my first week at prac, I learnt that regardless of how small the work I was being given was, I was learning so much more than what I had been learning in class. I know my prac was more on the Events Management side of things rather than PR, but it was really interesting to get an idea of the work that is put in that goes relatively unnoticed on the day of an event. I enjoyed my first week of prac and actually looked forward to coming back the next week!
An update on how the following week went is to come…
Hope you have all enjoyed your prac experiences
Mel
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