Spooktacular- Free Write 8

With one event under my belt we quickly headed into the next one the following week! This time my day started at 8 am, but ended at 11 pm... However it helps that I simply love Halloween. The morning went by smoothly even though we were worried that it would rain again as it had the previous night, but the sky held. It was a *beautiful* morning with cloud cover and just enough sunlight to keep us warm. The previous night we had gotten all of the supplies out of storage and organized it. That night I also helped the Mayor's Youth Commission set up their haunted house in one of the Community Center rooms. The morning of I was in charge of setting up and decorating the "Spooktacular Graveyard"pictured below,

It doesn't seem like much, but it took over 3 hours to assemble. From putting up the gates, to strategically placing the tombstones and other spooky items around, to putting cob webs around the entire thing it was quite an undertaking! The pumpkins were delivered from a local farm in Chandler and that took enough 30 minutes walking all 250 of them from the truck to the cemetery. It was worth it in the end from the multiple compliments I received from both personal and guests alike! It was a huge hit and all the pumpkins found homes with families who had the option to paint them at the event.

Spooktacular was a little different from Day of Play because we had no outside contractors (like we did with the table/chair/booth set up at DOP) and did all the work ourselves. I have to say my heart broke a little when we disassembled the graveyard. At this event though I learned how to manage staff and volunteers and was given more responsibility in that area. We had the Chandler High ROTC join us and help run the various carnival games, one of which I was in charge of. Having never managed people before I felt a little awkward asking them to do specific tasks, but I always made sure to thank them for their service and would help them with tasks when I could. In the end it made me a better, more confident leader. One of my certificates is in Leadership and I was finally able to apply some of the concepts I had learned to the real world!

Normally the event draws about 1800 to 2000 people, but my boss said this year they probably had the highest turn out with about 3500 people attending. It certainly felt that way! It was great seeing so many people come out, though, and appreciate all our hard work. It was also great seeing all the little kids dressed up and having a blast with all the activities. Serving the public in this way is so rewarding and I am loving every minute of it.

Day of Play- Free Write 7

Well event day finally came and went! I started my morning early that day at 4:00 am arriving at Tumbleweed Park. My normally 20 minute commute took about 10 minutes. Maybe I should try getting up and going to work earlier?

Once there I realize why I had to be there at 4 am. There was SO much to do even with all the other preparations we had done the days before. At around 5:00 we had our tables and chairs delivered and set up. This was a huge help seeing as we had about 40 vendors or so and lots of extra tables for people to be able to sit at. Myself and another staff person did various tasks such as hanging sponsorship posters on the stage, labeling each booth area so vendors would know where to set up, assisting vendors with questions they had about their booth sites, and any other odd job that needed to be done. Once the event got underway I ran a booth where families could come get a piece of chalk and draw under our huge ramada, or rent out sports equipment such as volleyballs and horseshoes to play with in our designated activities area. Interacting with the public was different this time than I had ever experienced. I had to keep in mind when answering questions and resolving conflict that I was representing the City of Chandler. Not that I would ever be rude or disrespectful at a professional engagement, but for the first time I realized that I was, for all intents and purposes, a city official. I wore the same shirt as paid professional staff and had the same knowledge, so I could not hide behind the excuse that I was just an intern if I had a poor attitude or gave wrong information. I looked like everyone else. It was a little daunting at first, but I eventually became more comfortable as the day went on and accepted the responsibility with grace and everything went great.

We had about 2000 people attend from all age groups. When the event was over at 1:30 we all worked together to take down signs, fold up tables and chairs, pack supplies away into our parks and rec trailer, and clean up the field. Surprisingly we were done at about 3; the Chandler staff really know how to work together and work efficiently!

I was not as tired as I thought I would be when I got home, but the next day was a different story. I woke up SO so so sore in parts of my body I never knew had muscles. It was worth it though, because as one little girl put it as I handed her some chalk, "This is the best day ever!"

Successful event? I think so.

* As a side note I took lots of photos but my 4 year old Galaxy decided it was it's time to go so I lost everything.

Event Preparations- Free Write 6

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Yes because it's fall in Arizona and also because this weekend is my first special event! Day of Play! We are extremely busy at the office getting ready and I am excited to report back on it next week! For now we are getting last minute things ready such as making posters, finalizing schedules, printing out scripts, gathering supplies from our storage units and marking the Tumbleweed field. This Thursday I have been instructed to come directly to the park instead of the office and dress in a t-shirt I don't mind ruining and shorts. I have no idea what's in-store for me, but I am looking forward to getting my hands dirty and working hard.

Two of our carts

In other event news we were also preparing for Spooktacular last week by going to Sam's Club and buying what felt like their entire supply of candy.

Starting to fill the carts up

I really liked this bag design

 We had made a budget and knew exactly what types/how many bags of candy to get based on what was bought last year. However when we got to the store we realized that they no longer stocked certain types of candy and that the prices had increased dramatically by $2 or $3. It does not seem like a lot, but when you are working with a strict budget it can be difficult. What we ended up doing was collecting the candy we wanted, and that they still had in stock, and calculating that price. After we got that number we went in search of other candy types, to replace the ones we wanted but they no longer carried, to fill in the remainder of our budget. Who knew that shopping for candy could be so stressful?!

Unrelated to the process, as we were leaving a huge dust storm hit. Gotta love Arizona.

Leadership

Leadership plays a significant role in my internship, but it also takes on it's own definition. My boss, the Special Events Coordinator, is the primary leader in the Special Events department. She is the one with the most confidence and knowledge in her role. My second boss is the lady who works underneath her, the Event Coordinator I. I look to both of them to help guide me and teach me about my role in the organization, and they both look to each other for support in effectively planning events. It is an extremely interesting dynamic between the two of them. They both respect each other's opinions and work well together to flawlessly pull off events as well as help coordinate outside party events. They work well independently as well as together. I hope one day to have the same working relationship with my boss and employees. 

Currently there is not a whole lot of room for me to able to demonstrate any leadership skills as I am still learning so much and growing tremendously. However I do have the opportunity to show leadership by taking initiative with projects, voicing my opinions and concerns about ongoing projects, and being proactive with getting items ready for events. I have completed several projects on my own and have been given more responsibility as the weeks pass by. Currently we are working on writing all new policy for a stage that was just constructed and will be available to the public to rent. It may sound boring to some, but writing is my passion as is policy. I am slowly, but surely, becoming more confident in my role!

Both my co-worker and supervisor display leadership capabilities on a daily basis. I see it when I watch them interact with vendors at our special events, when planning and negotiating with other city departments, and when I watch them take on projects or work that was not originally theirs, but needed to be done. I admire their work ethic, and it still amazes me that it is only two of them collaborating together to pull off 7 special evens throughout the year. 

The Interview

For this prompt I interviewed my boss: the Special Events Coordinator for the City of Chandler!

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. 

Out of the Office-Free Write 5

The weather in Chandler was beautiful today so we had the opportunity to go out into the field and get some tasks accomplished. First we went to Downtown Chandler to switch some of the banners we previously hung up to advertise new events that would held in the next coming weeks. We also took a trip out to Tumbleweed Recreation Center to hang up our banners for Day of Play. The park is huge and we had three different posters to hang up around it. Pictured below is one of them. I think I have a future as a photographer.

When we got back to the office we then had to go out onto Frye Road and measure it. Sounds odd I know.... Recently, though, they just completed construction on a huge apartment/condo complex around the street. In doing so they extended the side walk into the street and also created areas for people to park on the street. Frye Road is one of the streets the City uses for their Parade of Lights event in December. Previously the width of the street had never been an issue and cars, floats, and walking groups were able to pass through safely. Now because the street is smaller we have to measure to find out the exact dimensions and then write new policy on the size of floats and walking groups we can allow in the parade. It was an interesting and unique challenge I did not consider, or even realize that the Special Events department had to be aware of and deal with. We received several odd looks from passers-by, and then we had to ask the construction workers when the project was going to be complete and when the road would open back up. We also had to consider when they were going to start leasing the apartments as that would mostly likely bring in heavy traffic from people coming to tour them. I learned so much today, and definitely got my exercise in.

On an unrelated note I am heading out today for an extended Fall Break (two days isn't enough in my opinion) and going to Disneyland with some friends! I cannot believe we are half-way done with the semester.

Career Service Write Up

Over the summer I met with Maryjo Zunk to talk about the internship opportunities that had been offered to me. At the time I received offers from the Girl Scouts of Arizona, Social Security, and the City of Chandler Parks and Recreation department. What was initially just a meeting to sign papers to make one official turned into an hour and a half long discussion about my future career. I was a little lost on which one to pick so we discussed the different options. Whatever option I chose she recommended that I still continue to network with he various career events. I ended up going to a career fair that month. We also talked about what led me to choose the current degree program I am in and what I wanted to do with it. She continued to stress the importance of going to career events and making as many connections as I could while still in school, especially since I had an idea of what I wanted to do but no specific direction. She also spoke to me about the new Public Service Academy that the College of Public Service and Community Solutions was just starting. She said they were always looking for passionate people such as myself to participate; it really made me feel proud and thankful to be in the School of Public Affairs.

Just recently, though, I visited another Career Coach on the Tempe campus who helped me review my resume and cover letter. I had a good foundation, but it was definitely time to update them. My biggest mistake was not going into detail about my experiences. I wrote vague statements that alluded to the things I had accomplished, but nothing of substance that would grab a potential employers eye.

I also discovered that using your LinkedIn on your resume was a smart move, and not something that would be inappropriate. Additionally she told me that it would behoove me to say that I have mastery of certain social media sites; all of which I had no idea! If you want to check me out: 

www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrawadsworth

Let me know if I can make any improvements!