2.0 Type of Event – Lecture Demonstration
As per our course requirement, we went through the process to organise a Lecture Demonstration with Richard Waygood MBE. We thought this would be more beneficial to us and to our spectators, as it was a presentation from Richard of what our demo-riders were displaying. We also ran this event for a well-known charity Horse Back UK, with all proceeds on the night being donated. Richard Waygood joined the army as a private soldier in the 90’s. He held the role of Riding Master there for seven years. In 2009, Richard received an MBE from Her Majesty the Queen for his services to equestrianism. Richard is a BE accredited trainer, is the Chef d’Equipe for the 2* European Eventing Team, and British Dressage Team. I felt very grateful that we were able to secure a place with Richard for our event.
2.1 Reflection – Personal Tribute to Event
Organising any event can sometimes seem overwhelming. That’s why it is important to have everything planned well and be organised, in order for smooth running and success of the event. At our first meeting, we sat down and discussed everybody’s job-roles prior to the event. My job roles were Chairperson for the group, and to Contact the event organiser at Hartpury College to inquire about equipment, first aiders, microphones, etc. I got in touch with some generous prize givers for our raffle and received some outstanding prizes which people were very happy with. I also took minutes of each meeting we held together, as I found this would not only help me keep on track of everything at the time, but now I can look back and understand why and how we done everything.
A chairperson is a key role on any management or volunteer committee. I had to ensure that our group worked together appropriately, that there was participation during meetings, and I also took responsibility of any inquiries the public had regarding our event. I also had responsibility to keep my tutor in the loop, meaning updates of job roles, risk assessments, and overall communication. Prior to our event, I was unsure about my role as chairperson as I had never taken leadership in a group before. I learned that I am quite good at working as a team and I enjoyed the overall organisation of the event. If I look back at my experience of the event, I have learned the importance of working not only in a group but independently. I have also learned the importance of sharing ideas and knowledge amongst my team. Which allowed me to set aside some more planning time and become more social.
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On the night of the event, I was assigned to set up the arena foyer area, where spectators would come and collect pre-paid tickets, or purchase tickets on the night. I ensured the area was inviting, tidy, and that everyone was aware of what they were doing on the night. At times, I found it difficult to rein everyone in, although I understood it was everybody’s first time organising an event including myself. I got a chance to meet some lovely people, which was a bonus and made the night run smoothly. This was a very valuable and enjoyable module and I was confident in myself that I gave the very best of my ability throughout. The experience I had of my role as chairperson will add values to me as an individual, and if in the future I extend my experience with event organisation, it showed me the values of working hard to produce positive results.
2.2 – Reflection – Group/Team Work
The first phase of our module was to organise ourselves into groups. We done so ourselves and we each gave our strengths and weaknesses to help us acquire appropriate job roles. The planning of an event requires a good working team (Slack and Parent, 2006) I am confident we had a good team, and working together in a group made me realise that event organization is fun and educational. In my experience of working with this group, I realized that there was a lot more to just organising an event. An event is more than an occasion where people come together. I felt it was an outstanding idea to donate all proceeds to our chosen charity Horse Back UK, and each member was also committed and passionate towards the charity event.
There were many things we needed to plan prior to our event. We followed guidance and policies mentioned during our module to determine different area’s of our event we were expected to cover, such as marketing and publicity, finance, volunteering, sponsorship and graphics. We agreed on ticket sale prices, although we had to discuss what our potential income would be minus expenses. Event organization requires team effort, regardless of the type of event being held. I felt the majority of our team members put a lot of effort in to our event, and each of us played the role of team leader at different stages throughout. Effective communication is vital and as a team we sometimes lacked this. It was difficult to get everyone together at once for meetings, which was important, but on the night each one of us had a role to play and I felt we were confident as a group that we held a successful event.
2.3 – Future Improvements
For our group, I found that financial consideration gave us some challenges.
