Lessons in Event Planning

I believe event planning to be an extremely valuable skill. I don't know the best way to learn this skill, but some seem to have a natural talent for it. Event planning is not the specialty I wish to pursue, but as I am involved in multiple organizations across campus, it is definitely a skill I hope to hone before I enter the workforce.

I am Delta Zeta's philanthropy chair. Through this position, I plan and host large campus events to raise funds or awareness for Delta Zeta's philanthropies. Today, I planned my second successful Turtle Tug. Turtle Tug is a mud tug-of-war competition benefiting The Painted Turtle Camp. We had 16 teams of five participate, over 150 people attend and raised approximately $190 dollars.

Here are three things I learned about event planning from Turtle Tug:

1. Plan. Planning is key. Without a solid foundation, an event will fall apart. I can't tell you how many lists I made to cover all my bases today. It's especially important to be prepared for an outside event, like Turtle Tug. I started with a list of things to do to arrange the event and completed these tasks in weeks prior to the event. I compiled lists of my workers for each area of the event. I created a list for team registration. I contacted ONU's Physical Plant to set up the layout of the event. I got there early to meet with a p-plant worker to plan how the tables would be set up. I had to check the music and microphone use and set up the water table. I made sure all my volunteers understood the ins and outs of their jobs. It's a lot of little tasks, but planning ahead makes everything (hopefully) run smooth.

2. Delegate. One person can't do it alone. Delegating is the best way to make sure a lot of things can get done in a short period of time. I luckily had a sorority full of girls volunteering to help do anything I needed. I had girls hand out water, create the brackets, ref the competition, announce winners and facts about The Painted Turtle, sign in and register teams and so much more. I had to delegate because I could not do all these jobs alone. Having eager and able volunteers is one of the best assets an organization can have.

3. Enjoy. It's important to sit back and enjoy the event! All the hard work you put into weeks before planning and hours before setting up are worth so much more if you take a second to reflect on what you did. I did this while sitting at the bracket table today. I took a second to take in the view of all I accomplished today. I didn't do it alone, but I did do it!