DECORATION SOURCING & BUDGETING

The final KPI that I took responsibility for was planning and organising the running of the event itself, working with each individual department to create a timetable of events during the night. Through team-working and liaising with each different department, I was able to get an idea of what each team is working on, allowing me to create a running schedule of the event so on the night we can be prepared in the timings of speeches, the awards ceremony and class film showings for example. As we only have the venue hired from 5pm to 9pm, we only have an hour to set up everything, therefore it is important that we have a time sheet to stick to in order for the event to run smoothly and limit any overlapping issues. This timetable has been sent to every student attending and setting up the event in order to achieve a better sense of communication of what needs doing as we all arrive as well as ensuring every detail has been considered before hand to avoid any unexpected issues. My role extends to the launch night itself to co-ordinate the running order on the actual night also.

Each team member was also given the task of creating an invoice for their own personal contributions to the team in how they each responded to their KPI’s. The invoice was to include an estimate of how much we would each have been pr-agreed paid by our employers at the Studio 204 Creative Agency. This was an interesting task to complete as I had never made or used an invoice before, therefore it was a valuable experience to help me understand the financial costings side of working within a creative agency. This task was also helpful in allowing me to research into the monetary value of my tasks and roles completed across the project, and I now have a better understanding of the earning potential within events management.

In conclusion, I feel that I was very successful in achieving all my stated KPI’s throughout the project and I fulfilled my roles to the best of my ability. This project was extremely beneficial in aiding my learning in working within an industry-inspired brief, especially due to now having experiences in adapting and accommodating to diverse views, and live-acting business problems in a dynamic and fast paced environment.

Upon reflection of completing the Contemporary Fashion Business module, I believe that this project has really allowed me to excel my understanding of working within a marketing and events creative agency from a variety of aspects - such as financial management, interacting and managing working within a team environment, as well as employing appropriate techniques in communication both in written and verbal forms. One of the most significant learning opportunities I have taken from working within the Studio 204 Creative Agency was the ability to take on multiple responsibilities at once which has allowed me to showcase existing skills, whilst also having the opportunity to acquire new business-related skills. This new skillset includes improving my time management capabilities, developing an entrepreneurial way of thinking, and enhancing my ability to work and perform under pressure.

Reflecting on my performance in achieving my set out KPI’s at the start of the project, I believe I responded well to the brief from both an individual and team contribution point of view. My KPI of venue styling and decoration sourcing in particular really allowed me to engage in professional communication practices amongst business professionals and my team mates through both verbal and written communication efforts. Developing the ability to interact with a team and reflect on the actions of others has helped me to understand the importance of considering everyone’s individual viewpoints on situations, as this is the most effective way to resolve business issues and diversions across the project. There were run in occurrences throughout the project, such as external businesses changing their pricing and availability which I then had to adapt to managing difficult situations and overcoming them by changing the styling plan due to budgeting constraints. Effective communication efforts also came into play when responding to unexpected occurrences on the live project, such as difficulties in securing venues, budgeting limitations and unanticipated delays in communication from other departments. Working on this fast-paced project within a team has allowed me to enhance my abilities in accommodating and responding to ever-changing business environments, which I think has been a very valuable experience to have as the business side of fashion is a very fast-paced and demanding industry. Therefore, I have gained more confidence in getting a feel of what it’s like to work within this type of environment.

This project has also provided me with further confidence in working alongside a team, highlighting the importance of listening to other’s ideas, supporting other members within my team and realising the benefits of collaboration when making decisions and managing our own time. Prior to this brief, I hadn’t really worked this closely within a team before, therefore this experience was beneficial in emulating what it would be like to work within a professional team environment. This team working process was particularly beneficial when things weren’t always going to plan, as we did experience some difficulties in communication with the venue, as it sometimes took a while for us to hear back from the venue after we’d asked questions, for example. However, it was good to have a team in place to support each other if we were ever confronted with a problem. I was also designated the role of creating and editing our weekly update presentations to our peers and CEO, which allowed me to show accountability for taking ownership of a role within a team.

I think my response to my press KPI was well achieved in the way of my successfully writing an engaging press release which captured the attention of media outlets, consequently deciding to publish my press release to the public. This KPI allowed me to focus on my independent working abilities and the ability to solve problems independently. Carrying out a task from starting with research to fulfilling the task by creating a cohesive and branded press package demonstrated my ability to learn and expand my knowledge whilst working on a live brief. I think I responded well to this role in particular, as I succeeded in achieving the creation of a piece of marketing material for our launch night that was illustrative of Studio 204’s brand, the Class of 2023 student’s stories, and the unique selling points of the new fast-track course. These key elements were set out to be achieved during the initial research and development process of this job role.

In conclusion, I believe I have confidently responded and contributed successfully to our personalised brief and completed all of my Key Performance Indicators by the deadline and of a high standard. This project pushed me out of my comfort zone in the way of discovering and experiencing new ways of working, such as working within a diverse thinking team. The developmental task of completing weekly update presentation briefings in front of my peers, our CEO and established industry mentors has been really beneficial in helping my confidence grow in a personal and business sense. Overall, I think my contributions to the Marketing and Events Team demonstrates my ability to develop through a project in a professional manner from concept direction through to ending production.