I wanted to organise an event that would give me an exposure of how different types of businesses work. I would get to experience about the procedures to be followed and what to keep in mind while running a business. I would also get the opportunity to improve time management, communication and social skills. It is also relevant to my school subjects hence it would allow me to apply my classroom skills in real life. So, I along with my four friends decided that we would organize an event in our city so that we know more about the business that is involved in the organizing sector. We decided to take help from a group which organised stand up comedies named The Comedy Factory.

Learning outcomes covered:

LO1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

One of the strengths that I discovered I had are my persuasive skills. I was able to pitch sponsors in and i was able to persuade them to invest in our project. Being aware of this quality made me realise I can use this to my benefit while pitching in sponsors or negotiating with other business partners. If i am aware of my strengths i can use them to my advantage and enhance it even more in the future. One weakness that i discovered i had was that I used to procrastinate a lot hence sometimes i was not able to work on time. This would lead of delay in making business decisions and hence we would not stay up to date about what to do next. Being aware of my weakness will help me try and turn it into my strengths so that the next time i do not delay or leave unfinished work for the last minute.

LO3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

I am not much of an organised person hence it was difficult for me to complete the tasks on time but as time passed I got accustomed to being organised and completing my tasks on time. To become more organized I set up deadlines for myself and put reminders on my phone to talk to the sponsors. Planning was the easiest part however, moving forward with the plan and executing it was difficult as all five of us had to complete our tasks according to the deadline. While initializing the project there were many skills that my teammates and I discovered. I learnt time management skills and the importance of keeping a detailed account of the finances. Planning and initiating an activity is important as it helps us become more organized and helps us avoid last minute work.

LO4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

This was a CAS project hence it took approximately 6 months and required us to be committed towards it. In order to execute the project successfully we had to be motivated and dedicated. I can easily commit to projects that I am interested in and since I like stand up comedies and organising events this was an easy task for me. I have learnt how essential it is to stay committed as it helps us to be motivated to work and it helps us remain focused on our goals.

LO5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

I do not find it uncomfortable to be with new people or having to work with them. I can easily make new friends and work with people I do not know, hence when I am working with people I do know completing my task becomes much more fun. This is why I chose to work with my close friends, furthermore I could trust that they would be completely dedicated to this project and that I would be able to trust them. The communication is better and we can understand each other and are aware of each other’s strength and weakness so it is easier to work with each other. However there were times when we would have disagreements and having many partners led to a lot of chaos. We tried our best to be on the same page and keep each other updated. Many times I felt working alone is better but I knew that working with others is mostly an advantage for us as I can get a helping hand in completing the tasks. Working with other people led to all of us thinking differently and having different perspectives which led to better decision making. In this activity teamwork was one of the most important things as we had a lot of different things to be done and dividing it into five parts would make it easier. Even though the work was divided into each and every task was interrelated and thus we had to have teamwork in order to make this event a success and sell tickets as many as possible.

Being a business student, this project helped me gain amazing experience and it also helped me understand how to actual market functions. Another agenda of this project was to do charity with all the profits earned but due to some miscalculations, all the revenue that we had gained got used up to cover up the startup costs. This project was a once in a lifetime experience and from this project, I could apply my theoretical knowledge in the real world.