Source from: Ian Crawford, Visiting Professor, Events Management and Organisational Behaviour
Every year, in order to show they can apply theory in a practical situation, groups of Year 4 students studying events management have to organise an event for an external client as part of their course This year, the highlighted event was run as part of Family Fun Day, held at the Shanghai Centre on Nanjing West Road. Four groups helped the Shanghai Centre on Nanjing West Road, and one of their partners, organise their major Family Fun Day event on 19 April.
The theme of the day aimed at families and children in championing health and facilitating fun. The various activities covered both the ground floor of the Shanghai Centre and the atrium. On the ground floor, approximately 50 vendors sold food and health related products in a Farmer’s Market, while bands from nine Shanghai international schools performed on a stage facing the street. In the atrium there was a Cardboard City organised by the Awesome Kid’s Club, where children had to build and decorate models made from cardboard boxes with a theme of interactive play. Next to the Cardboard City there was a play area for kids from 3 – 10 years old, which included a roller board ramp, dancing & sports activities on stage and children’s play area as well as two of those ever-popular bouncy castles.
On the day of the event, the groups managed approximately 40 other volunteers. They also experienced the hard work that goes into setting up all the activities before the event.
The live events course focuses on planning events and the students gained first-hand experience during the months before the event as they helped organise the participants. In the Family Fun Day as, for example, one group was heavily involved with managing school bands, ensuring they knew exactly what time to arrive, checking that the right equipment would be available on the stage and that the sound systems would be set up correctly. The second group responsible for the ground floor spent time contacting potential vendors and again making sure they knew when to arrive within a tight schedule before the event, so that the access to the complex was not blocked.
In the atrium, the third group spent many hours setting up the Cardboard City which was to be a part of the Family Fun Day, identifying potential sponsors and during the earlier planning phase generating ideas to make the event different from previous years. All the other events on the atrium level required many volunteers in order to manage the activities and ensure none of the children hurt themselves. This group also spend time in advance of the event helping to find sponsors.
The weather was perfect on the day and the event easily exceeded its target attendance. Although it was hard work, the students also enjoyed themselves watching the happy, laughing children and the enthusiastic audience listening to the bands on the street.
There also were many client events organized by Year 4 Events Management students. Amongst those events, there were three culture events held at USST International Culture Park which were Music Festival of the British Centre, Fairy Tale Experience of the Nordic-Baltic Centre, and a Concert by the Klezmatics at the American Centre. Students also worked with CereCare and Home Sweet Home and held two Charity events. In addition, they worked with Jebsen and organized a customer promotion event for Porshe, and worked with Shanghai Design Centre to hold the fourth Young Designers Exhibition.
