The Challenge:
As the new Community Coordinator for the Business of Creative Enterprises undergraduate program, my first assignment was to enhance the traditional welcome-back party. The goal was to elevate it beyond the usual mix of food and networking to create a more engaging and memorable experience for the students returning for the fall semester.
Ugly Baby Identified:
Without proper planning, these types of events can often be passive, lacking interactive elements that could fully engage students and encourage meaningful connections. The challenge was to revamp this event to not only welcome students but also energize them and stimulate creative interaction that reflected the program’s values. Game Plan: In collaboration with student ambassadors, we evaluated the program’s core values and brainstormed activities that could embody these principles. The aim was to introduce fun, interactive, and educational elements to make the event memorable and foster community among the attendees.
Strategic Approach:
We decided on four main activities that would cater to diverse interests and promote active participation:
- Personalized Name Tags: To spark conversations right off the bat, we introduced name tags where attendees could share a fun fact or opinion about underrated artists, favorite foods, etc., along with their names. This setup encouraged personal expression and provided easy conversation starters.
- Yard Pong: Adapting the popular game of beer pong into a family-friendly yard pong with buckets and larger balls created a lively and competitive atmosphere, engaging students in friendly competition.
- World Map Interaction: A large world map with sticky notes allowed students to mark their places of origin. This visual representation of diversity within the program highlighted the global makeup of the student body and sparked discussions about different cultures.
- AI Creation Station: Featuring midjourney on a projector, this station allowed students to experiment with AI technology by creating and displaying their own AI-generated artwork. This not only tapped into the current relevance of AI but also provided a hands-on, collaborative experience.
Victory Dance:
The event was a resounding success, with high participation in all activities and positive feedback from students. The personalized name tags facilitated more engaging conversations, yard pong became a spirited focal point of the event, the world map effectively showcased the program’s diversity, and the AI creation station introduced many students to AI technology for the first time. Overall, the activities chosen not only made the welcome-back party fun and memorable but also effectively reflected the innovative and inclusive values of the program.
Skills Used:
- Event Planning
- Experience Design
- Collaboration
- Problem-Solving
- Communication
- Project Management
