My tasks
My responsibilities in organizing the conference were diverse, particularly involving finding sponsors, selecting speakers, and assembling content for the goodie bags. In the initial phase, we faced the challenge of determining where to start, as we only had a topic and had not secured any speakers. To fill this gap, we decided to focus on attracting sponsors first. Our approach was direct and purposeful: we reached out to companies in the aviation industry by sending them emails.
The experience of approaching sponsors has provided me with valuable skills, especially the ability to compose effective and polite emails. This is a skill that I will undoubtedly need to apply frequently in my future career. The sponsor email I drafted can be found under the 'Sponsor Email' button. After sending these emails, discussions with many potential sponsors followed. In these conversations, I had to effectively present myself and be convincing as we were seeking support for our event. This proved to be a real challenge because, by nature, I am modest and do not enjoy boasting about my achievements. However, in this process, I discovered that it is essential to be persuasive and clearly communicate your goal.
Along the way, we found that companies appreciate concrete examples of what they can sponsor. Although we were initially hesitant to offer sponsorship packages, this ultimately turned out to be the key to success. These sponsorship packages can be found under the 'Sponsorship Packages' button. We also noticed that some companies were hesitant in their responses to our emails. To address this, we sent reminders, but when this did not have the desired effect, we decided to switch to phone contact. However, this also proved to be a challenge because many companies only had general phone numbers that were not actively managed. We had to proactively search for specific contacts, which ultimately proved to be more successful.
After initially facing challenges, we were able to surpass our fundraising goal of 8000 euros and raised a total of 9250 euros. Achieving our target amount, despite the obstacles encountered, fills me with pride. The process of approaching sponsors has taught me that people don't mind if you ask for support, as long as you are clear and direct in your communication. This experience has further developed my ability to act purposefully, effective communication skills, the drafting of professional emails, and persuasive speaking, all of which I will certainly carry forward into my future career.
Compiling the goodie bag was a task I took on entirely by myself. I made this choice consciously, considering the time pressure and the need for quick action. The PR team gave me the freedom to independently search for suitable items, with only the suggestion to include booklets and pens. The decision to handle this last-minute was made because it ranked relatively low on our list of priorities and had to be sorted out in the week before Christmas.
Despite sending numerous emails to different companies, I received few responses. Therefore, I decided to adopt the same approach as when recruiting sponsors and started making phone calls. Fortunately, this strategy yielded better results, and I was ultimately able to assemble a diverse goodie bag. However, obtaining booklets proved to be challenging and disappointing.
Within the team, a discussion arose about what should be included in the goodie bag from our conference. Initially, bags were considered, but the majority of the team preferred booklets. We were also in search of lanyards, which luckily could be obtained through HVA. Although we could also get bags through HVA, some team members indicated it was unnecessary due to already available TDA bags. Later, however, there was a desire for HVA bags, which frustrated me. This frustration was partly a result of a previous discussion with a company reluctant to provide promised goodies.
To get my emotions under control, I decided to take a short break and go for a walk, ensuring my irritation wouldn't be transferred to the involved person. After calming down, I returned and apologized to the team member. This experience taught me that not everything always goes according to plan and made me aware of the need to express my emotions and communicate effectively. In the future, I will be more proactive in sharing my experiences and feelings to prevent confusion and unrest within the team. On a professional level, I believe this has significantly improved my ability to manage projects independently, communicate effectively in teams, address conflicts, and apply emotional intelligence.