Week 6 Spring Semester

This week was the fight for more funds in the budget proposal competition. I, as well as members of many departments, presented in the class for extra funds that our department could use. Though I presented, I did not receive anymore funds due to already having a budget of $1000. With this amount, more than anyone has ever received for an after party, I believe that I can create an amazing party. We decided that our after party location is going to be at Hell's Kitchen in downtown Wilmington. I have called them twice and have received the email of the owner, which was told to me to be the best form of communication with him. I emailed him and am now awaiting on his response. This weekend, I will be going to Hell's Kitchen in order to speak to them in person. I have also added on my trello list to have a meeting with Mariah to talk about swag bag items and which items could double as decorations for the after party. I also created SMART goals for the party that I have put into my Google Drive staff folder. I am really excited to see where I can take this party, especially with the other two parties successfully completed.

Week 5 Spring Semester

Week 5 was the week of the Valentine's Day fundraising party, "Love You to the Moon and Back." We held it at the Calico Room in downtown Wilmington. Wake N Bake Donuts donated two dozen donuts and we had a DJ from Hawkstream Radio donated his time. Having it at the Calico Room, which is the location we had our Halloween Fundraising party, made it faster and easier to set up. We had a an amazing raffle basket with vouchers from Wellness Massage, Hanover Stables, Carmike Cinema, and more. We had our Lip Sync Battle and a "kissing booth" contest in which people guessed the number of Hershey's kisses in a jar. There was a decent crowd throughout the party, with many people interested in the party and coming off from the streets. Our $5 cover charge worked well in raising money. Overall, we made $385 between the cover charge and the raffle basket. All of the Visions6 Staff was hard working and we everyone was nice and present at each of their positions. People came up to me telling me that they were having a great time and that they would help Visions in any way they can. I'll make sure to talk to those people to bring in people in Visions6, the event! I am so excited for the rest of the year and the after party!

Week 4 Spring Semester

This week is the week before the fundraising party. I have spent time organizing and preparing everything I need for class this Tuesday. I will need to go over how the day of show plan will go, from set up, time of the party, and breakdown. I have also made the sign-up sheets last Thursday and Friday for what the staff will be doing during the party as well as who can be a designated driver. I have also written up our contests, the game room games, and the contents of the raffle basket. This weekend, I have shopped for all necessary decorations, picked up the final raffle basket certificate, and have begun putting the raffle basket together. I have confirmed once again the use of The Calico Room with the owner, especially in regard to the use of the speakers. The previous party brought in a lot of business to the venue, so I think that having a party there again will be a mutually beneficial relationship. I have also spoken with my after party team and have assigned them each two locations to find out the maximum capacity, capability of having a private event, the reservation fee, and whether they are willing to have those under 21. Crew evaluations were also due this week, which I was sure to turn in Saturday.

Week 3 Spring Semester

This has been quite the bust week with regards to the after party. Last class, Shannon gave me the best advice of making not only an A List of places to have the after party, but a B, C, and D List in case I couldn't get my top picks. Unfortunately, this week revealed that my dream of having the after party at the Satellite Bar and Lounge was just that: a dream. The owner wouldn't budge on keeping the evening open to the public, not wanting to tick off his usual customers and lose out on what could be made for him during that time. Contacting my other lists turned out to be helpful. I learned that some venues are opened as a pool hall instead of as a bar, allowing to have more freedom with events. Burnt Mill Creek, for example, is able to make private events due to this detail. The owner was able to talk to me about many different options he could provide for the night, on top of having a free event. Though my Burnt Mill Creek conversation was a success, the main problem I have been running into this week is people simply not answering their phones or being at their locations. Some locations do not even open until really late at night, which makes it harder to get in contact with them. The best lesson I have learned is to not be afraid to leave several voicemail messages. It can help them remember that they need to call you. Overall, this week was a very good learning experience!