1. What are your main job responsibilities?
She oversees 1 staff person and together the two of them produce 7 city wide vents throughout the calendar year. She also works liaison for a board of staff from different departments that review, approve, and oversee the application process for events produced by outside parties on city property. Finally she manages rental equipment for use within the city limits.
2. How did they choose this career?
When I asked her this question she chuckled a little and responded "I didn't so much choose this job so much as it fell into my lap" It was her sophomore year at Arizona State University (Go Devils) and she was working at Sun Devil Stadium under the athletic events department. Over the next three years she worked in the office of the office of the Sporting Events Coordinator gaining more and more responsibility. Eventually she was hired on in an "emergency" situation with the Athletic Department. After working there for a few more years her current position at Chandler became available, and with the encouragement of her staff and management at ASU applied for and was accepted for the job.
3. What type of education or training is needed for this position?
From the time she started to now the industry has changed. Just a few years ago the focus was more on "learning on the job" as opposed to formal education. It relied heavily on taking from other industries and modeling it. Since then it was discovered that more education was needed, and today there exists a multitude of classes/programs in universities as well as more associations/organizations that provide continuing education. In this position one needs to be aware of many different areas such as finances/budgets/law (contracts and risk)/negotiation/economics/sponsorship. As she put it there are so many little details to be aware of.
4. What advice would they give to someone
interested in this field?
Make sure you are in the right mindset; it takes a different person to do this job. It is not a Monday through Friday or 8 to 5 type of job depending on what needs to be done. Start early and learn from the ground up. You are more likely to succeed if you can relate to people, and never be afraid to ask others for help or advice. Nothing is original; it is always something massaged to fit the current situation.
5. Do they notice any new trends in the field?
Social Media. It has taken events and programming to a new level. Everything from how websites are designed to provide information to how it has changed the interaction with the public. It completely changed the way people have marketed events. She warned, though, that even with social media being as popular as it is, there still remains a balance between utilizing it and not. Many people in the community may not be logged into social media and you still have to be able to market in a way that reaches them.
6. Any advice you would give to someone interested in public
service?
This was a question I asked out of my own curiosity. Working in the public sector is completely different than the private and I wanted to hear her take on it. He advice was to remember that you are there as a servant to someone's way of life. Everything you choose to do or not do impacts a community. It is important to learn how to balance one person's differing opinion for the greater good. You can never please everyone. Everyone in the city limits is your client and clients always believe they are correct.
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