We should all give student assistants more credit. They may only work 10 hours a week, but they accomplish so much in that time – in spite of the fact that they are usually carrying a full course load, participating in student clubs, and trying to maintain a social life while carving out a few hours to sleep.
So, it’s important to give your student assistants the tools they need to make the most of their limited time in your office. Here are some of the resources I find to be the most helpful to an assistant.
In these times of increasingly conservative budgets where conference attendance approval can no longer be taken for granted, it’s imperative to make the most of your experience. The more you get out of it that will add value to your department, the greater your chances of securing approval for future conferences. Here’s what I can share with you having just returned from my first conference.
This semester, I faced the challenge of planning Fall Commencement. It was difficult, stressful, and I would do it again in a heartbeat—all because of the simple gestures of others.
Planning events is an exercise in crisis management. When a VIP guest attends without an RSVP or a vendor arrives late (or not at all!), the problem falls to the event planner. We seldom, however, deal with true emergencies at our events, but should one arise, we don’t want to be caught unprepared. Be proactive by observing the following tips:
It’s a new semester filled with new opportunities. The next few weeks are often the calm before the storm for event planners on campus. By using this time to be proactive, you can set yourself up for success later in the year.
With Halloween officially complete, the holiday season is in full swing. It's a time for celebrating and gathering with friends, family and loved ones. It's also a time to test our table manners at all of the dinner functions we will attend or host.
The Georgia Tech campus comes alive on game days. From Bobby Dodd Stadium to the Campus Recreation Center, the campus is crowded with students, alumni, and fans of all ages parked outside for tailgating. Which brings us to two big concerns of hosting an event on a game day: crowds and parking.
As my event supply closet series continues, I want to discuss the hidden costs of items. We all clearly see the initial item cost but can forget to calculate the maintenance.
The hardest part of maintaining an event supply closet is upkeep of the items. It is possible to create a one-time budget entry to purchase an item, but no event item has only a one-time cost. Continued use translates into repair costs for general wear and tear.
One of the challenges that event planners across campus have mentioned is not having ready access to event supplies. To complicate matters, many of us are limited by budgets and storage space. For my next miniseries, I’ll discuss décor ideas that bend to a variety of budgets.
The start of new semester continues to inspire my professional development side. While my last article focused on going back to school as an event planner, this article will focus on brushing up on all things Georgia Tech.
As an event planner, we often talk with a variety of different people as we plan events with diverse goals. Being familiar with the university will make us better ambassadors to our guests and provide us with more resources in our toolbox. If I was creating a required reading list at Georgia Tech, here's what I would have on it.
