Networking Event Project Plan

Initial Faculty Meeting

11/17/14

Project Objectives

Project ObjectivesProject Vision

As the first ever class of Advertising and Marketing Communications students prepare for

internships and graduation, it is immensely important to build and nurture professional networks. In

order to maximize the impact of the networks already created by students and to add new connections,

a group of involved students want to host a networking event.

Project OverviewThe aim of a networking event arranged and hosted by Advertising and Marketing

Communications students is to showcase their full skill range and abilities to potential employers and

networking connections.

Hosting such an event will entail following all of the procedure required to arrange a project of

this scale, as students were taught in class. This will demonstrate the comprehension of course materials

and the ability to apply them in a real-life setting.

Project BenefitsHosting a networking event, completely organized by students, will highlight the abilities of the

graduating class and increase the potential of finding an employer or connection that will advance

student careers. The aim is to showcase the successes of the Advertising and Marketing

Communications program and increase employment opportunities.

Project Objectives

Main Objective: Host a networking event for the Advertising and Marketing Communications

graduating class with a high turnout of industry professionals and graduates prior to

commencing internships.

Objective: Promote the networking event using social media and connections to attract a range of

industry professionals

Objective: Create a comprehensive plan for organizing and executing a networking event

All objectives have deliverables and schedules involved. Refer to the evaluation plan for more information on the execution of objectives.

Milestones

MilestonesMilestone Planning

Major Milestones have all been identified in three phases: conception, creation and execution. Conception focuses on the planning of the event, creation on the generation of event materials and execution on the actual event.

Milestone Breakdown

*Note: Teams are divided by Excel tracking tags, outlined at the end of this section

Conception

Group formation and role selection – Date: November 7, 2014Expected Deliverables: List of roles

Description of Expected Outcome: To be determined by Team Head(s)

Faculty meeting/approval – Date: November 17, 2014Expected Deliverables: Project Plan

Description of Expected Outcome: To be determined by Team Head(s)

Finalize budget – Date: November 19, 2014Expected Deliverables: Budget Breakdown

Description of Expected Outcome: A comprehensive breakdown of all expected budget items

Event Date finalized – Date: November 19, 2014Expected Deliverables: Event Date Chosen

Description of Expected Outcome: To be determined by Team Head(s)

Initial Contact Document Created – Date: November 21, 2014Team: CPWR

Expected Deliverables: Informational Document to potential invitees to event

Description of Expected Outcome: To be determined by Team Head(s)

Event name, feel finalized – Date: November 21, 2014Team: EVNT, GRPH

Expected Deliverables: Event Name and style is finalized

Description of Expected Outcome: To be determined by Team Head(s)

Graphic Style Sheet Completed – Date: November 18, 2014Team: GRPH, EVNT

Expected Deliverables: Graphic Style and Branding Guide

Description of Expected Outcome: comprehensive strategy and schedule for all graphic elements of the event

Creation

Social Media Sites Created – Date: November 21, 2014Team: SCMD

Expected Deliverables: Social Media Sites

Description of Expected Outcome: To be determined by Team Head(s)

Contact Document finalized – Date: November 21, 2014Team: CPWR, LIAS

Expected Deliverables: Informational Document to potential invitees to event

Description of Expected Outcome: To be determined by Team Head(s)

Website Created – Date: November 28, 2014Team: WBDV, CPWR

Expected Deliverables: Live public website

Description of Expected Outcome: To be determined by Team Head(s)

Contact Document sent out – Date: November 28, 2014Team: LIAS

Expected Deliverables: Informational Document to potential invitees to event

Description of Expected Outcome: To be determined by Team Head(s)

Event location finalized – Date: December 3, 2014Team: EVNT

Expected Deliverables: Event location selected

Description of Expected Outcome: To be determined by Team Head(s)

Invitations Created – Date: December 12, 2014Team: GRPH

Expected Deliverables: Invitation to network connections

Description of Expected Outcome: To be determined by Team Head(s)

Invitations sent out – Date: January 3, 2015Team: LIAS

Expected Deliverables: Invitations mailed

Description of Expected Outcome: Invitations are sent to all attendees.

Budget Update Completed – Date: December 12, 2014Team: BDGT

Expected Deliverables: Budget Breakdown

Description of Expected Outcome: An exact breakdown of available funds and associated allocations

Reserve facility – Date: January 8, 2015Team: EVNT

Expected Deliverables: Contracts signed and prepared

Description of Expected Outcome: To be determined by Team Head(s)

Team: Budget (BDGT)Team: Graphic Design (GRPH)Team: Event Planning (EVNT)Team: Copywriting (CPWR)Team: Liaison Group (LIAS)Team: Social Media (SCMD)Team: Web Development Team (WBDV)

All subtasks and deliverables will be determined by the individual teams and reported to the project management team by the team head prior to November 19th, 2014. This will demonstrate comprehension of task expectations that is required for full-time positions. All deliverables and timelines will be populated to the master Gantt chart, which will be monitored by the project management team.

Structure, Organization and Responsibilities

Structure, Organization and Responsibilities Structure

The members of the planning group have divided into teams to handle specific aspects of the conception and execution of the event. Each team will select a team head to communicate progress on tasks to the project manager and coordinators. When necessary, additional resources will be called in for assistance with task completion.

Personnel Requirements

As this is a project that will allow team members to gain experience, teams will be open to anyone who would like to contribute to the tasks that will be completed. The roles that must be filled are:

1. Project Manager – Oversee all aspects of project conception and execution

2. Project Coordinator (2) – Coordinate the timings and completion of tasks

3. Faculty Liaison - Liase with faculty (teachers) for advice, contacts and provide general updates to Faculty Advisor. Must have a strong grasp of communications and have excellent organizational skills. Must be comfortable with frequent meetings with faculty

4. Invitation/Guest Liaison - Oversee all contact with invitees (emails, notifications, updates, etc) Manage master guest list and any additional considerations (allergies, disabilities etc)

5. Event Planners - Directly responsible for all venue-related tasks (liquor licensing, security, location booking etc)

6. Web Designer/Webmaster - Create, oversee and maintain website

7. Graphic Designers - Create all graphics for event and related materials. Must be willing to create branding guide and associated style sheets

8. Copywriters - Create all text for event and related materials. Must be willing to create a brand voice statement.

9. Team Secretaries/Minute Takers - Record all meeting events for distribution to team members. Maintain contact information for all team members

10. Social Media Organizers - Organize and publish social media content in relation to networking event. Must have strong grammatical skills and be self-regulating

11. Budget Coordinators - Is responsible for budget allocation (and sourcing funds for event). Must be responsible, organized and trustworthy.

Personnel Budget/Management

This project was conceived to be an example of how to effectively organize an event and will be unpaid for all participants. To ensure all tasks are completed on time, all teams will report to the management team under Gabriella Trujillo, the management team leader. The management team will oversee the efforts of the teams and address internal issues as they arise.

CommunicationsTeam Head Meetings – Once a week on Wednesdays (time to be determined), the team heads will meet to discuss progress on their teams tasks.

General Meetings – Once every two weeks on Friday, starting at 1:45, all members of the teams will meet to provide and hear summaries of the work currently underway in other departments and will have a chance to address any concerns or gain the advice of other teams.

Team Meetings – Team leaders will organize meetings among their team members, best suiting the availabilities of the members. A member of the management team will attend the individual meetings on an impromptu basis to check in with the teams and ensure meetings are run smoothly.

An event email has been set up and all communications to team members will be sent through the general email. Any messages which need to be shared with the entire team will be sent to the management team or the secretaries to be sent to the rest of the team members. Inter-team communications will be decided by the team members themselves and will be communicated to the management team to be monitored. Communications between individuals will not be determined by the management team. The contact information of all team members will be held by the secretaries and can be accessed at any time.

Schedule and Task ManagementTask Management – Key DatesInitial Meeting: October 31, 2014

Faculty Meeting: November 17, 2014

Name Selection: November 19, 2014

Budget Forecast: November 21, 2014

Event Date: February 11-25 (Actual Date TBA)

Deliverable Completion DatesDeliverables will be outlined by team leaders and dates will be added to the Gantt chart when finalized.

Evaluation

EvaluationEvaluation Plan

The completion of the project will be measured against the time frame as set out in the Gantt

chart, as well as by obtaining successful milestones. We will measure the success of the project by the

completion of deliverables and the final evaluation by the project sponsor. We will also endeavour to

complete a self-critique of our efforts to gauge individual opinion of the completion of the project.

Progress will be tracked in a number of ways. The team leader will, at the advent of a milestone,

log progress information in the Gantt chart as well as create an entry in the progress log. Team members

will be expected to submit a bi-weekly progress report, detailing the work they have accomplished and

tasks they will be working on as they move forward. Regular check-ins via email will be used for tasks

that require a greater amount of time spent on them to ensure their timely completion.

Review meetings will be held concurrently with progress meetings, with an additional meeting

prior to submission of the project to complete self-critiques and perform a post-mortem on the project.

Review meetings will be formatted as such: completed items will be discussed and suggestions will be

solicited for additional information or changes that are required. We will then discuss items in progress

and any obstacles or issues that have arisen with them.

Reports will be submitted via email to the team leader to be added to the master progress log.

Minutes will be taken during team meetings and added to the memorandum for the project. Team

member files will be stored on Google Drive for access by all members.

The quality of project work and project deliverables will be reviewed and verified by the team

leader prior to the completion of the task. The quality will be measured the detail included, the depth of

thinking demonstrated, and the professionalism demonstrated by the final product. The final measure of

success will be the feedback of attendees to the networking event.