I'm beginning to question why I even write these… or more like, why do I publish them publicly?
But may I officially announce that I have finished university lectures until September. I know, it's ridiculous. Six months on, six months off. I'm almost positive that this year has been the easiest academically since I was in like, reception. And will be the easiest year until I probably retire.
Still, I'm having a great time doing whatever I want; my luck will run out eventually.
Oh, may I also point out that I hate uni. It's so pointless, and I'm aware that friends, family and McFly's guitar tech have been telling me this for some time. Events Management is a cop out degree costing me £35,000 by the time I'm 21. Anyone willing to carry on reading, let me dish some dirt on my course…
Basically, don't waste your money. The course material is 'made up' to bulk out the course. We're taught theory such as 'the authenticity of events' and 'what constitutes a performance?'. All this means nothing. What does that give me that will help me manage events? What will I be able to take to a placement and implement in my working? Nothing. I can tell you the history of ritualistic gatherings in South Africa, but nothing about specing venues, booking people, managing events.
One out of my six first year modules was hands on. The very first lecture on day one was promising, since we were planning a real life event for a real life company. Something that could actually be useful, and beneficial, not only to myself but the people I'll ultimately end up working for / with. Despite not having a scrap of a clue what we were doing, I was the only one brave enough to manage a small team of 5. Safe to say because of the lack of actual guidance, and more pressure on 'update presentations', we got nothing done, and ended up almost embarrassing ourselves because we tried out best at threading needles in the dark. Once again, it would have been beneficial if there was an end product, but let me tell you that the 'company' we were working with, wasn't really a 'company', but an educational establishment that had no team spirit. The management were friends with the course lecturer (hence why we had this opportunity in the first place), but the acutal students lived their own separate lives outside of the classroom held once a week, and they didn't actually even want to have a Christmas party with strangers they sat next to on a Tuesday evening. The manager ended up calling the event off, because 'she could have taken the 7 paying guests out for a meal herself cheaper instead'. I have not yet managed an event at university, let alone seen the whole process being done properly by an actual company.
Marketing for the tourism, hospitality and events sector. This is another of the first year modules that is essentially 'marketing for dummies'. It has about 10% relativity to the events sector, and focuses mainly on tourism and hospitality. I sit there in lectures (that I actually bother going to) wondering, 'what am I being taught here?' That is a very different answer to 'what is being communicated here?'. Of course, not everyone did a business A-level at sixth form, but if you don't know what market segmentation is, you need to resit the 21st century, not business A-level. They ask for BCC to get into the course in the first place! Suddenly the A-level I worked my ass off for, for two years, is being taught in less detail at university. Discuss.
Last point I've noticed. Guest speakers?! More like friends and associates of the lecturers. These industry professionals are probably very inteligent, busy and hard-working individuals… in their own arts funded organisation. They are NOT events companies, they are arts charities and hotel chains. They teach me nothing more than I already know. My eyes are not being opened by the ever-expanding world of events. No innovation, no services development. I'm being told about a woman's dream of graffitiing the city in chalk coming true, and how that counts as an 'event'. Large billboards with provocative statements are now called 'events', and this is what young people are told the events industry is all about. I'm being asked to create marketing campaigns for a hotel's Christmas party evening. That is not planning, organising or managing an event, is it?
I do have a slightly wider view of events due to my dad owning R&B Group. No, it's not an events management business, but it does run events. The events they do are certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but the fact that probably not one of my uni coursemates knows about the vast world of corporate events (and the money that's involved, google it). They don't know about the process of planning a corporate event, or the many job titles to choose from, out of all of the people involved in creating and delivering one. They're pretty boring, I know, but make the best of it, and if you're at the top of your game, innovate. Make it fun, make it cool.
There are people on my course who have never been to a music festival. Neither have I, if you have to have camped to experience a festival in it's true sense. I've been to foreign festivals, and foreign arena events, and the only word that keeps coming back to mind is that they're 'magical'. The students learning about events management have not stood in an empty arena or even academy before fans flood in, to take in the fact that without them, the event wouldn't have been the way it is. Events students need to be captivated, and enchanted by one small thing they can focus on, and build upon. Honestly, I have a small infatuation with wristbands and lanyards, and I'd be lying if I said my goal in my career wasn't to wear three lanyards at once, because I'd be so important.
What good is it teaching kids about how authentic Chinese new year was in Newcastle, and then making them write a field report on it? Don't ask me how to assess the scholarly aspect of this, because I don't know how you would create a university course without exams or assignments. Therefore, Events Management doesn't fit into the university course critera, and therefore it shouldn't be one. Find a placement, do volunteering, do things for free in the sector you want to be, let people know you're work ready and have a level head on you. I learn more being employed by R&B than I ever have at uni. Let me tell you, employers couldn't give a damn about the authenticity of Chinese new year. If you can flawlessly plan and organise that event and ultimately make money out of it, they want you, regardless of if you have a first class honours degree to prove it. Use yourself to prove it, your name, not your title. Let people remember your name as being one of the good ones, and remember, don't study Events Managment.
Slightly related, here was the third North East Business Awards heat from Thursday:
Next month is the final, and it's gonna be faaab. I've seen the storyboards for it and it looks amazing. It'll get filmed, so I'll stick a link on here when it's up. I'm actually pretty excited about it…
I went to the bingo for the first time in Sunderland too hahahahaha, what an ordeal. I can't count for starters, and me and my friend are sitting there like whhaaaaaaaa. The thing is, I have such a short attention span, I'm sitting trying to dot numbers off, and suddenly he'll call five four, fifty four. Now to me, that could either look like 54 or 45. And by the time I get it the right way round in my head, I've missed 3 numbers. It's only 45 and 54 though, and the occasional 16 and 60 hahaha. Luckily there was a sweet old woman who had obviously not missed a trick in 50 years, and she helped us with what sheets it was next, and what to do and what not to do, bless. You could say that we were taken under her bingo wing… ha? I made that one up…
I didn't win though, which is why I was primarily there. That and the insanely cheap food.
But may I officially announce that I have finished university lectures until September. I know, it's ridiculous. Six months on, six months off. I'm almost positive that this year has been the easiest academically since I was in like, reception. And will be the easiest year until I probably retire.
Still, I'm having a great time doing whatever I want; my luck will run out eventually.
Oh, may I also point out that I hate uni. It's so pointless, and I'm aware that friends, family and McFly's guitar tech have been telling me this for some time. Events Management is a cop out degree costing me £35,000 by the time I'm 21. Anyone willing to carry on reading, let me dish some dirt on my course…
Basically, don't waste your money. The course material is 'made up' to bulk out the course. We're taught theory such as 'the authenticity of events' and 'what constitutes a performance?'. All this means nothing. What does that give me that will help me manage events? What will I be able to take to a placement and implement in my working? Nothing. I can tell you the history of ritualistic gatherings in South Africa, but nothing about specing venues, booking people, managing events.
One out of my six first year modules was hands on. The very first lecture on day one was promising, since we were planning a real life event for a real life company. Something that could actually be useful, and beneficial, not only to myself but the people I'll ultimately end up working for / with. Despite not having a scrap of a clue what we were doing, I was the only one brave enough to manage a small team of 5. Safe to say because of the lack of actual guidance, and more pressure on 'update presentations', we got nothing done, and ended up almost embarrassing ourselves because we tried out best at threading needles in the dark. Once again, it would have been beneficial if there was an end product, but let me tell you that the 'company' we were working with, wasn't really a 'company', but an educational establishment that had no team spirit. The management were friends with the course lecturer (hence why we had this opportunity in the first place), but the acutal students lived their own separate lives outside of the classroom held once a week, and they didn't actually even want to have a Christmas party with strangers they sat next to on a Tuesday evening. The manager ended up calling the event off, because 'she could have taken the 7 paying guests out for a meal herself cheaper instead'. I have not yet managed an event at university, let alone seen the whole process being done properly by an actual company.
Marketing for the tourism, hospitality and events sector. This is another of the first year modules that is essentially 'marketing for dummies'. It has about 10% relativity to the events sector, and focuses mainly on tourism and hospitality. I sit there in lectures (that I actually bother going to) wondering, 'what am I being taught here?' That is a very different answer to 'what is being communicated here?'. Of course, not everyone did a business A-level at sixth form, but if you don't know what market segmentation is, you need to resit the 21st century, not business A-level. They ask for BCC to get into the course in the first place! Suddenly the A-level I worked my ass off for, for two years, is being taught in less detail at university. Discuss.
Last point I've noticed. Guest speakers?! More like friends and associates of the lecturers. These industry professionals are probably very inteligent, busy and hard-working individuals… in their own arts funded organisation. They are NOT events companies, they are arts charities and hotel chains. They teach me nothing more than I already know. My eyes are not being opened by the ever-expanding world of events. No innovation, no services development. I'm being told about a woman's dream of graffitiing the city in chalk coming true, and how that counts as an 'event'. Large billboards with provocative statements are now called 'events', and this is what young people are told the events industry is all about. I'm being asked to create marketing campaigns for a hotel's Christmas party evening. That is not planning, organising or managing an event, is it?
I do have a slightly wider view of events due to my dad owning R&B Group. No, it's not an events management business, but it does run events. The events they do are certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but the fact that probably not one of my uni coursemates knows about the vast world of corporate events (and the money that's involved, google it). They don't know about the process of planning a corporate event, or the many job titles to choose from, out of all of the people involved in creating and delivering one. They're pretty boring, I know, but make the best of it, and if you're at the top of your game, innovate. Make it fun, make it cool.
There are people on my course who have never been to a music festival. Neither have I, if you have to have camped to experience a festival in it's true sense. I've been to foreign festivals, and foreign arena events, and the only word that keeps coming back to mind is that they're 'magical'. The students learning about events management have not stood in an empty arena or even academy before fans flood in, to take in the fact that without them, the event wouldn't have been the way it is. Events students need to be captivated, and enchanted by one small thing they can focus on, and build upon. Honestly, I have a small infatuation with wristbands and lanyards, and I'd be lying if I said my goal in my career wasn't to wear three lanyards at once, because I'd be so important.
What good is it teaching kids about how authentic Chinese new year was in Newcastle, and then making them write a field report on it? Don't ask me how to assess the scholarly aspect of this, because I don't know how you would create a university course without exams or assignments. Therefore, Events Management doesn't fit into the university course critera, and therefore it shouldn't be one. Find a placement, do volunteering, do things for free in the sector you want to be, let people know you're work ready and have a level head on you. I learn more being employed by R&B than I ever have at uni. Let me tell you, employers couldn't give a damn about the authenticity of Chinese new year. If you can flawlessly plan and organise that event and ultimately make money out of it, they want you, regardless of if you have a first class honours degree to prove it. Use yourself to prove it, your name, not your title. Let people remember your name as being one of the good ones, and remember, don't study Events Managment.
Slightly related, here was the third North East Business Awards heat from Thursday:
Next month is the final, and it's gonna be faaab. I've seen the storyboards for it and it looks amazing. It'll get filmed, so I'll stick a link on here when it's up. I'm actually pretty excited about it…
 |
| Here is a little guide dog puppy. How adorable though… |
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| Charl didn't think so… hahahaha |
 |
| Here is a cup of hot chocolate I got free from Metro. I got some funny looks actually on the metro though… everyone thought I was there to check tickets… |
I went to the bingo for the first time in Sunderland too hahahahaha, what an ordeal. I can't count for starters, and me and my friend are sitting there like whhaaaaaaaa. The thing is, I have such a short attention span, I'm sitting trying to dot numbers off, and suddenly he'll call five four, fifty four. Now to me, that could either look like 54 or 45. And by the time I get it the right way round in my head, I've missed 3 numbers. It's only 45 and 54 though, and the occasional 16 and 60 hahaha. Luckily there was a sweet old woman who had obviously not missed a trick in 50 years, and she helped us with what sheets it was next, and what to do and what not to do, bless. You could say that we were taken under her bingo wing… ha? I made that one up…
I didn't win though, which is why I was primarily there. That and the insanely cheap food.
I also bought this from Debenhams. I only took it to the changing room to try on, as a bit of a joke because it was so weird looking. I think I wore it too long though, because I got really attached to it, and it's now mine. When I'll ever wear it, I don't know… but maybe I will tomorrow, if it looks alright with tights. Prada will be calling me to model any day now…
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| Slept for 12 hours forgetting to buy milk for breakfast. |
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| Playing 'chase the toes under the cover' |
If you like The 1975, you might like Lisbon. They're from Newcastle and are influenced by The 1975, Little Comets, and a whole load of other little indie bands, and their manager used to work with The 1975 too, so he's obviously told them what worked previously. I mean, if you like poppy guitar orientated indie alternative stuff, then you might like their one song they have at the minute. I wanted to see them at the Cluny last Thursday, but I was busy with work. Then I want to see them at Pop Recs in Sunderland on the 25th April but I'm in Whitby with uni for another field report… It's free as well and they're decent enough to want to see live whilst they're still small. I think they're doing Kendall Calling too, so I guess I might see them then if I end up wristbanding there.
Jordanavia :)
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