by Natalie Hoffmann, September 19, 2018

These ten weeks always seem to fly by. I am sad that this summer quarter has come to end because of the classes I have taken – oh and the weather too! This quarter I had the privilege of being a part of HOS 210 – Event Planning Practicum with Professor Popely. This class was extremely beneficial for me and my two other peers, who are also concentrating in Meetings and Events. As a group we were tasked with planning the events for capstone. Some of the events we were able to assist Professor Popely with included: capstone dress rehearsal and photos, capstone showcase, capstone presentations, capstone tasting and lastly the capstone awards.

For each event my two team members and I had to create an Event Specification Guide (ESG), Request For Proposal (RFP), Floor Plan and a Run of Show (ROS). Professor Popely guided us on these documents and made sure we knew exactly what needed to be done. There were several occasions where my team and I had to come in to school on additional days during school week to allow the events to be a success.

Each event ran smoothly, except there was one case during the presentations where we ran into some technology issues, but I stayed calm and was able to get the situation under control. I had learned so much about events and how to expect the unexpected. I feel like this class really has prepared me for the real world event scene. I am super excited to be starting capstone myself this fall quarter. Every day when I go into school I am grateful for the opportunity I have to attend a school that is preparing me so well for what is to come in my career.