During a group assignment during my Bachelor of Entertainment Industries, I chose to assist the administration and service teams for Woodford Folk Festival’s little sister “Woodfordia’s Artisan Camp” and their Feast Night. This celebrated the workshop attendees and their week’s progress in their chosen art. Below is some of my work.
Reflective Analysis
Introduction
Studying the unit Entertainment Industries Studio in my Bachelor of Entertainment Industries at QUT, I was exposed to a multitude of new experiences. Externally, the Artisan Camp Feast went perfectly and made organising it seems so simple. Now having experienced what it entails, I know, and can recreate, the intricacy of managing a large-scale project like such an event. I had many duties fulfilling my role as leader of Intercommunications for the Administration team. With my professional help, the event was a success. I learnt many valuable lessons that I will demonstrate in my future in this industry.
Report
During May each year in Woodford, approximately 100 people attended an event called Woodfordia’s Artisan Camp. Attendees camped onsite and could learn an array of skills in workshop styled classes such as songwriting, dance, hat-making, silversmithing, comedy, acrylic painting and ukulele. After the week of workshops, the guests were invited to join a feast night, showcasing these newly learnt talents. This included a three-course meal, a bar and performances in-between each meal.
Over the semester, I worked in the Administration Team for Woodfordia’s Artisan Camp Feast. My team was comprised of four people including myself, amongst a larger project group of approximately 40 people. We were expecting a more hands-on experience during the feast but made use of our attendance by finding small jobs to assist with. However, we had an opportunity to witness a well-organised and successful event which was environmentally-friendly and a community focused project. In the Entertainment Industries, particularly event management, I must work in both small teams and larger groups. In the beginning of this project, I asked myself, “will I be prepared for graduation, or will this career choice be too much work and stress?” This is no longer the case. On the contrary, I now know that I thrive on more responsibility and have chosen the correct field. It gave me the chance to see that I might be suited for an administrative position in event management and I now know I would love to participate in similar events in the future such as experience-based festivals.
On arrival, our team followed the signs to the “day parking” area. The driver pulled the car over on the grass to inspect the map and instructions. We realised this was probably the camping day parking and there was a better carpark closer to the event. We tried to drive off, but our wheels were stuck in the mud. We had to enact problem-solving to arrive at the event site on time.
Relate
Completing the inter-communication tasks for the Administration Team for The Artisan Camp Feast, my role was mainly to create the Gantt chart of the overall project [see Appendix 1]. Using colour coding, dividing the tasks into each team and delegating to a member, estimating a deadline, and keeping track of completion times, I ensured the project timeline was organised. Additionally, I practised inter-communication skills by keeping track of the larger group’s progress on individual tasks using the phone application ‘Slack’. This was in opposition to another event I worked on this semester which was a five-person team for an art fair. There were large differences in the two projects, the main being the size of this group impacting the ease of communication between the smaller teams. Previously, I have never had to supervise such a large group. Hence, the greatest challenge of my inter-communications position was maintaining a discourse between the large group and supervising each team to ensure they are on track with their deadlines. I also made the draft Progress Poster which the final design was modelled after and I also curated a contact list.
My role in the car dilemma was that of a team player and problem solver. We tried pushing it out, putting objects under the tyres, asking a man with a truck for help but without a towbar, not much could be done. We tried contacting the organisers with our contact list but were told to wait. We realised we had to get to the event on time so we started walking up the hill, realising it was much farther than we anticipated, I waved to a driving peer for help and asked for a ride to the top. Arriving at the event site, we were inducted and then other team members drove back down in another car to get the trapped car out of the mud. Apparently, there was a hook under the bonnet that could easily pull it to safety. I assisted the event day by polishing cutlery, setting the feast tables, decoratively tying up the certificates, and supervising the bar staff as I have worked in hospitality previously and have obtained my QLD Responsible Service of Alcohol Certification (RSA).
Reason
By using a Gantt chart, I could easily see the critical tasks which push the project forward. If one critical task is delayed, it unavoidably sets back the entire project (Tiburca, 2017). A Gantt chart was perfect for this project as it provides a holistic and micro view of the project time frames allow task start and finish times to be (Pielichaty, Els, Reed, & Mawer, 2016). Moreover, a Gantt chart allows members of the workforce to be allocated responsibility for specific tasks (Pielichaty, Els, Reed, & Mawer, 2016). Unfortunately, I relied on a line of representatives to relay important information. Instead, I should have kept an open line of communication with each individual member. An experienced worker in charge of intercommunications would know that taking charge of communications is the only effective tactic to achieve efficient results in any project. This was exacerbated by the confusion of which roles were that of the project manager or of the administration team. By highlighting the most important jobs with a colour coding system, I ensured the planning process was completed successfully. A survey of 750 Project managers showed that the Gantt chart was the fourth most used tool associated with project management. Thus, it is an imperative skill and a part of the “common language amongst the members of project management community” (Geraldi & Lechter, 2012). Internationally renowned Event Manager, Roger Hooker, says that you “can’t do it on your own, you need the skillsets of the people around you” (TAFE Brisbane, 2016). Similarly, as Roger Hooker explained, it is imperative for a project manager to “continuously stretch [themselves]” to move forward in the industry (TAFE Brisbane, 2016). By working with a large group, I have begun to build a valuable network and to move onto greater things (TAFE Brisbane, 2016). This large scale project has pushed me to network which is an important skillset as the Event Management industry is a “people business” (TAFE Brisbane, 2016). In the case of the car stuck in the mud, a knowledgeable person, such as our tutor Kylie Southwell or one of the official organisers, would have known to immediately call the event staff to rescue the car. Initially, the driver accelerated normally. An experienced person would have known that “Hitting the accelerator reduces the ability for the wheels to gain traction and will most times force your vehicle deeper into the bog” (RACQ, 2019).
Reconstruct
On a few occasions I had to change the dates on the Gantt chart. This is a common mistake amongst project managers by creating unrealistic deadlines (Graham & Portny, 2012). To combat this, I will attempt to use to due dates in any Gantt chart in the future. The first will be an ideal and realistic due date and the second will be a final deadline. There was also a few issues with teams not knowing which member was responsible for which task. According to the 2016 “Events Project Management” textbook, work breakdown structures (WBS) would be a useful tool to combat this. The project manager could see “who has line management responsibility in which broad employee area”, as there can be many cross-over duties within the different areas of project management (Pielichaty, Els, Reed, & Mawer, 2016). Similarly, Gantt charts are a great tool for project management, hence, I will inevitably use them again in future projects. One of the benefits of these charts is that “members of the workforce can be allocated responsibility for tasks” (Pielichaty, Els, Reed, & Mawer, 2016). Next time, I will personally communicate with each team member to see who is the most capable of completing each task and are then recorded in the Gantt chart for future reference. Constant communication throughout the planning process is imperative. As a member of the administrative team, it would assist in efficiency in achieving a two-way conversation by maintaining a two-way conversation with every team member. This could be via private chat in ‘Slack’ or simply addressing the general team chat reminding them of upcoming deadlines. This way, everyone knows their role or can contact me with questions. Additionally, I now know how to create a Runsheet, Operations List with how to contact significant team members and how to design a floor plan. Specifically, the administration team wanted to begin the Runsheet but could not include the order of the night until closer to the event date. However, preparing a template with the information we could find would have been more efficient.
Another great learning moment was during dinner with the venue’s staff which, as Andrew Tuttle advised, “[spoke] to people who have done it before” (Tuttle, 2014). We sat next to and spoke to the man who set up the payments for the events and created the software for similar event’s internal payments such as e-pay wristbands. After an exhausting day, I did not portray myself by a high professional standard. By simply sitting up straight, talking clearly and professionally I could have created a helpful connection in the industry (D’Souza, 2015). Similarly, Dale Carnegie suggests casually repeating their name in conversation in order to remember it (Coles, 2013). This way one can send them a LinkedIn request later and build their network.
Conclusion
Studying Entertainment Industries Studio I am now prepared for professional project management roles. Working with the Artisan Camp Feast was a successful event and has prepared me for a future in this industry. Implementing the role of Intercommunications for the Administration team included many project management tools such as completing a Gantt chart for the overall project and monitoring the team’s progress. My roles ensured the lead up to the event ran smoothly and the problem-solving skills that I learnt assisted in its final success. After working with the Artisan team, I now know what it takes to be an event organiser.
References
Geraldi, J., & Lechter, T. (2012). Gantt charts revisited. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/17538371211268889#_i8.
Pielichaty, H., Els, G., Reed, I., & Mawer, V. (2016). Events Project Management. Routledge. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/reader.action?docID=4741380
RACQ. (2019). What to do when your car is bogged. Retrieved from RACQ: https://www.racq.com.au/Living/Articles/What-to-do-when-your-car-is-bogged
TAFE Brisbane. (2016, May 2). Day in the Life: Events Manager – Roger Hooker. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUjCwvRmU2s
Tiburca, A. (2017). When should we use Gantt charts for project management? Retrieved from Team Week: https://blog.teamweek.com/2017/10/use-gantt-charts-for-project-management/
Tuttle, A. (2014, September 24). Event Production Tips and Tools. Retrieved from Music Industry Inside Out: https://musicindustryinsideout-com-au.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/module-9/andrew-tuttle-event-production-tips-tools/
Portfolio
Progress Poster
The Administration team created a progress poster halfway through the project. I created the conceptual draft and contributed to the ideas of the final product.
Initial Concept
Draft
Final Progress Poster
Gantt Chart
My main duty for this project was to create a Gantt chart for the overall project and to update the timeline and roles throughout the weeks.
Meeting Minutes
I recorded many meeting minutes over the course of the project. The Week 5 meeting with the Venue Operations team and Marley the Project Coordinator, was one of the most significant meetings as we finalised all of the risk documents, decorations expenses, travel documentation and final numbers.
Communication via Slack
Throughout our project, we used a phone application called Slack. We had multiple channels in which each team could communicate and collaborate.
Arrival Issues
Our car got bogged upon arrival, which we realised was the incorrect carpark area and proceeded to problem solve to get the car to the correct location.
Event Day Preparation
There were a few tasks that needed to be completed before the event began, including tying up the certificates to give to the workshop leaders ready to be handed out. Similarly, we assisted in polishing cutlery and setting the tables. The administration team worked the opening shift at the bar for the feast, which I supervised as I hold a current QLD RSA. The performances ran smoothly.
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