Conventions

            In order to help my company grow and expand my experience within the business I have began to look into finding some events and conventions that my boss could attend to meet some new clients and suppliers.  I began looking into conventions that he already takes the employees to in order to see what he is currently researching.  One convention that my boss has attended over the past couple years is the Nightclub and Bar Show http://www.ncbshow.com/nightclubbar/v42/index.cvn.   This is one of the nation’s largest food and beverage destinations.  This debuts the latest innovations, new strategies for growth, hot products, and networking opportunities.  Another convention that the company attended for the first time last year was The Special Event http://thespecialeventshow.com/specialevent2010/public/enter.aspx.  This show is to get together people in the event planning industry to network and share ideas. 

            I decided to look into other conventions that our company could go to in order to grow in various industries throughout our company.  The first one that I found, which is coming up fairly quickly is the International Special Events Societies Eventworld convention http://isesew.vtcus.com/index.aspx.  This is more of a conference where people can meet with professionals across the world in order to brand your business, gain knowledge of other companies, meet potential clients, and develop new plans and trends in the industry.  This conference is different from other things we have gone to because you are able to actually market yourself and company through talking to people instead of just being confined to a booth.  Another great convention and expo is the International Festival and Events Association http://www.ifea.com/. I think that this would also be interesting to attend to learn more about different venues of event planning. 

            After doing a lot of research I learned that the event planning industry is larger than I imagined.  I hope that other people that read this blog can take some of these ideas and apply them to their own company.  I think that all of these conferences and conventions would be great learning experiences and hopefully my company will take them into consideration.

Supervisor

While interviewing my supervisor I learned a lot not only about the company, but how I should act and work to be involved effectively through my company.  One thing that I think is very important is learning how to work in a way that your supervisor appreciates.  I asked her if she was comfortable delegating tasks for me or how the best way to get work is.  She said that if she is not too busy I can always ask her and that way she knows that I am ready for a new task and can take some work off of her shoulders.  I think that this is a very effective question in the work place because I often find myself wondering what I should do next.  From this I know that as long as I am courteous I can ask her any questions that I have.

            From this assignment I also learned other great ideas and things to keep in mind while working under my supervisor.  Especially what kind of work updates that she would like and what I should expect from her.  I learned that she is all about keeping a positive attitude through working in and out of the office.  I felt that this assignment was very helpful in getting me comfortable with the company and will only help me move forward in the future.  Somer, my supervisor, has big goals for me to find new clients and ideas and this is what I hope to do.

            While taking this interview and applying the skills to my position I hope to grow to new levels.  I have now taken the opportunity to start looking into new clients and businesses coming to the valley.  I also have started contacting businesses that may not be doing so well, and trying to create a package to improve their company.  I have been informed that the summer is a slow business time in Arizona, and the bad economy is also not helping.  Right now I am going to continue with this goal and see what new ideas I can bring to Steve LeVine Entertainment.

Current Project

So now that I am getting familiar with my job position, the company is starting to give me more responsibilities.  The project that I am currently working on is planning an on campus event.  Steve LeVine Entertainment would like to plan events throughout the first week of school on campuses such as ASU, Scottsdale Community, and Paradise Valley Community colleges.  For this event they would like me to book local DJ's, talk to sponsors, as well as create a schedule for the week

When I began to work on this project I wasn't sure where to start.  I began calling all of the schools in order to fill out forms and get approval.  This was not an easy task.  After going back and forth with the different campus coordinators as well as filing for insurance for each event I was able to lock down the dates that I wanted.  After this I had to contact different companies in order to get sponsorships.  Some of these companies included; Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, Sandbar, AXIS/ Radius, Myst, W Hotel, ad various other companies that my boss has connections with.  I am currently still waiting on responses as well as confirmation on dates and locations for each event.  I am also working with our talent coordinator in order to book entertainment for each event.  So far I am really excited about receiving a project all to myself.  I hope that all of the companies and schools keep in contact with me and in the end the event will run smoothly.

Company Picnic

Last week the office put me in charge of planning the annual Steve LeVine Entertainment company picnic.  This is an event that the company does every year and from what I heard around the office, it has never been incredibly amazing.

As I began to brainstorm I had to keep in mind the hot weather and what locations would allow us to stay in the shade as well as have food and beverage on site.  I looked into various parks until I found one that seemed to have it all.  I chose the Indian Bend park in Scottsdale which included; bocci ball, tennis, shuffle board, basketball, baseball, horseshoes and many other activities.  Through planning I had to rent a ramada as well as get food and music permits.  I also created an Evite (online invitation) to make sure that all of the employees we invited.

As the day of the event came I had to make a trip to Costco and the grocery store to not only get food and drinks, but make sure that we had all of the necessary utensils.  As it came close to 12:00 people started arriving, and I could already tell they were impressed.  People immediately started digging into the food and participating in all of the activities.

Looking back I would say that this was a very successful event.  If I were to change anything I would switch the event to a date earlier in the year.  This would prevent people from getting too hot in the Arizona summer.  I would love to plan more events like this, that are more for enjoyment than for profit.