SPEAKEASY

1920's Prohibition Night

Key Role: Event Team

Location: Falmouth University

Date: November 2016

Background

SPEAKEASY was my first assessed event at Falmouth University. The course was split into small teams, each allocated a room in the AMATA Performance Centre and given a budget of £100. Working in a team of three, our aim was to create an authentic and interactive experience for the audience that they hadn't had before. The event combined flapper dancing with a performance from a group of dance students from the university, live music from a 15-piece jazz band and music from an electro swing DJ, all in a 1920's themed setting complete with a bar and bouncers. The concept for the event derived from a personal interest in 1920's America and the prohibition era. The idea was appealing as the dark and devious nature surrounding these illicit establishments has not been experienced by many people in today's society.

Roles and Responsibilities

As a team we worked together to delegate the roles best suited to each team member. I took on the task of finding a graphic designer and liaising with them to create a poster for our marketing strategy. I also took over the responsibility of finances and budgeting, which was vital as we were given a set budget from the university and had to keep track of what we spent. Most of the budget went on decor to make the venue look as authentic as possible. I helped source the majority of the decorations in the lead up to the event. I also found volunteers for the event, to help out with stewarding and checking tickets on the door. Therefore, on the night, my main responsibilities were decorating the venue, briefing the volunteers and overseeing the running of the general setup. The team supported each other in creating the appropriate documents before the event such as risk assessments and schedules. We also worked together to promote the event on various social media platforms such as Facebooka and Snapchat.

Skills Acquired

Creative thinking: coming up with the concept and theme of the event
Team work: communicating with each other to find out which tasks would be best suited to each member and working together to create a successful event
Volunteer management: sourcing volunteers and briefing them on the day
Time management: setting ourselves personal deadlines to keep event planning and implementation on track
Budgeting: using an excel spreadsheet to keep track of finances and delivering the event within budget
Artist Liaison: organising large groups of people, on the day and prior rehearsals
Marketing: promoting the event mainly through the use of social media

"Tonight was great! Good drinks, Great music and ring of fire! Really need to do it again!!"

"Great evening.. loved the music and it was decorated lovely.. really enjoyed it! Can't wait for the next one!"

"Really good, enjoyed the music and dancers. Will definitely come along again."

"Classy ol' night at the uni, beautiful live music, lovely cheap drinks, proper job guys well done!"

Photo Credit: Molly Budd 2016