Final project paper and PowerPoint due in 20 hours

On May 23, 2018 the event management class of Spring 2018 hosted the first BCE Alumni Event in the Stevenson Union Arena. The goal of the event was to have a network event for alumni and students to share experiences and memories about their time at SOU. This paper is going to explain steps that each individual group took in order to plan the event. The paper is also going to evaluate the group work with the help of a SWOT analysis and

The Design committee’s main goal was to design the overall set-up and design of the BCE Alumni Event. The group worked with other groups determining logistics of everything relevant to design. Additionally, the committee contacted people and groups on campus to make decisions concerning the design, such as Kay Swader and A’viands.

The first step the committee took in the design planning process was to determine what would happen at the event. After figuring out what would physically happen at the BCE Alumni Event the Design committee was able to figure out how many tables and chairs were needed, and where they would be placed. The group knew that the event was estimated to have 150 to 200 people coming to the Arena, so the group mapped out how much space that would take with the addition of the tables and chairs for the Alumni speakers. The group was able to see that the chairs and the area for speakers would take up roughly half of the main Arena space, which made the other half of the room viable for an area to mingle, wine stations, and a photo booth area. The group went to the Arena with Kay Swader, who they worked with throughout this planning stage, to decide which areas of the room would be best for each of these sections. All was left was the food set-up design, which was made easier due to the fact that the designated area for food was small. This led to a buffet style setup that would be accessible from both sides of the tables to cater to the large amount of people who would be eating.

Initially the Design committee used the website Social Tables to plot out the set-up for the event. Social Tables can be used to create a floor plan and guest lists, as well as to arrange seats (Social Tables, 2018). However, due to the website’s limitations in its capabilities the group decided to hand draw the setup design. This method was easier to produce and the committee was able to share the plan with the rest of the event planning groups.

The group worked closely with A’viands and the Logistics committee to choose which tablecloths would be used for the event and additional equipment that might be needed. The group contacted several members from A’viands team to determine costs associated with the equipment and then contacted the budget committee to alert them of the costs. The team then contacted A’viands for any changes that were made so the final invoice could be updated and prepared before the event.

One of the final tasks the Design committee had was to choose the background music for the event. After choosing Spotify as the platform to play the music, the group met and discussed what genres of music would be appropriate to match the ambiance of the event. The group ultimately decided on a mellow jazz playlist, which was well received by the event goers.

Logistics – transportation of people and materials; set up and one source

Publicity, Promotion and Marketing – how is the event marketed please add the Flyer and at least 2 sources

Food and Beverage/Catering

Technology, Risk Management and Entertainment

HR, Volunteering

Strengths

Everything was on campus

Did not have to pay for the venue because it was a SOU event

Plenty of students/help

Weaknesses

No back up plan for technology

Registration seemed unorganized

Limited budget

Not enough signs

First BCE Alumni event, no information from previous years

Opportunities

Networking with Alumni

Annual opportunity ← positive feedback from attendees

Threats

Other conflicting events

OLCC regulations

Weather conditions

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