A Pair to Remember

I am interning at Easter Seals as a Special Events/Development Intern. With this position I will assist the Director of Development and the Development Team with the planning of Easter Seals’ signature event, A Pair to Remember. I will also aid with fundraising, donor identification and recruitment, strategic planning and other development goals for the Central Florida region of Easter Seals Florida. I am really excited about the experience I will gain, which will help me in achieving my ultimate goal of becoming a Creative Director. 

A Pair to Remember is a unique event created for women who adore shoes! Top designer shoes, like the ones you can't pronounce, will be part of a live auction at the event. A Pair to Remember is a really big fundraiser and that money will help in Easter Seals' mission to serve children and adults with disabilities and special needs. The event happens in Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach.

This non profit organization has found a great and creative way to raise funds and awareness for disability services. I already love to volunteer so I find it really awesome that I'm getting the experience in special events but also assisting in a great cause.

Graduation Slideshow

Here's a slideshow from my graduation! Can you spot the number of times I'm in it?

Thanks to the photographer Ed :)

Industry Trend Or Not...I graduate!

Can you believe it?! I still cannot. In two days I graduate with my Master of Science degree in Entertainment Business! A year has already gone by and everyone is commenting “didn’t you just start yesterday?” The fact that I was adamant about not going back to school after my Bachelors, it’s crazy that I’m here. I would like to thank Professor Evans who changed my mind back in my undergrad, who stressed and kind of forced her class to continue their education. Even though I took a year break from then, one of my goals was to obtain my next degree before the age of 25. Praise the Lord it has been achieved!

Now that I will be looking for employment, the things that I will have to look at is how trends are affecting the industry I want. I would love to work in live special events, such as launch parties, award shows, fashion shows, and the likes. According to an article about the evolution of the industry, Elle Magazine executive director said, “Each year it gets harder to impress people. The audience is much more knowledgeable, and you really want to stand out and keep them wanting more,” and “You have to overdeliver.”

The biggest trend is brand marketing, which is huge in this industry. Many companies use events as part of their marketing campaign. Hopefully I can take advantage of this. I took a digital marketing class and I think I am someone with crazy ideas already so it might work out. Another interesting trend is making Special Events smaller. Most of us are used to the big spectacles but it seems that lately the idea is “To focus not on quantity, but, rather, quality, and create a more personal experience for guests.” The intimacy factor makes patrons a part of the experience. This is refreshing actually because producers will not necessarily have to worry about the numbers as a measure of how successful an event was.