Brian Ingram's E-Portfolio
Reflection Experience
RELECTION EXPERIENCE THAT ENHANCED MEANING
OF THE CONTENT OF MY DISCIPLINE
In this Organizational Communication Communities (ORCO 3250) assignment, I was required to work an event honoring MTSU veterans. Each student had an individual role in the event. I served as the emcee. After working that day, I composed a reflective essay about my experience working the event.
Brian Ingram
November 16, 2008
ORCO 3250
Research Paper
American Pie
Introduction
On November 10, 2008 VSA Arts and the ORCO 3250 class at Middle Tennessee State University hosted an event to honor veterans called American Pie. Performers at the event included: Wes (VSA Arts), Carol Ponder and her husband Robert, and Dr. Frisbee. Wes sang “The Star Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America”. Carol Ponder and her husband performed songs and war stories from her father’s World War II memoirs. Dr Frisbee gave a short presentation on MTSU Veterans from various wars in American wars. The program lasted approximately one hour and a reception followed.
Special Events
What is a special event? Heidi Richards defines it as, “A special event is an event with a specific purpose, such as a special occasion (celebration of a milestone, conference, party, awards ceremonies, fairs). They are different from ongoing programs” (Management Articles). When planning a special event coordinators should consider the following strategies suggested by Heidi Richards in “Planning Special Events”:
- Determine if the events purpose has been established.
- Do you need volunteers?
- Who is your target market?
- How will you measure the success of the event?
- If the event has been done before, get advice and support from past coordinators
Planning the Event
The planning of this project began at the beginning of the semester. Ms. Kissinger told the class what the project would be and what the various roles in the project would be. As the months passed we discussed the project here and there. People gave reports as to what they had accomplished periodically. When October arrived, we began to focus more on the project. Ms. Kissinger handed the project over to the class totally at the end of October. Lindsay was Project Chairman. She handled all of the delegation of assignments and making sure everyone stayed on task with all of their assignments. Every class after Exam 3 was dedicated to planning the event.
When the actual event arrived, the entire class worked as a team to make the day go over smoothly. We all worked together to make sure the tables were in place, food was in place, audio/visual equipment was working, and all performers were in place. Students began to file in shortly after 1:45. At this point, Lindsay sent all of the people on program to their particular posts. The event began on time and went over very smoothly. After it ended, attendees were invited to a reception in the Keathley University Center lobby.
My Role
As a class, we were all given the opportunity to select a job(s) for the event. We all worked together as a team to plan the event, but each person had to select a specific role for the program. My role was to serve as the emcee of the event. Dictionary.com defines emcee as “A master of ceremonies” (www.dictionary.com).
Reflection
Working on this project was both a privilege and an honor. It was such a great experience being able to honor those who have served our country in such a powerful way. It felt good to be able to honor men and women who leave their own families to protect my family. Looking back on the event, the only regret I have is that there were not enough veterans in attendance. That could be because of a number of reasons, but I feel the most likely reason is because we did not do enough publicity. In closing, I really enjoyed working on this project and think it would be an excellent idea to do it annually.
Works Cited
1. Planning Special Events Part One by Heidi Richards
http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/management/planning-special-events-part-one.html
2. Definition of ‘Emcee’
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