Pitch to the UN World Food Programme

Last week our Diploma Students had the amazing privilege to pitch their creative event ideas to a team from the UN World Food Programme (the department that Halle Berry is currently fronting all over the papers this morning!) The World Food Programme’s mission is very current and very powerful considering what is going on in Syria and neighbouring countries at the moment: ‘In emergencies we save lives by getting food to the hungry fast’. So important work and a great project for our students to be involved with. As part of our live event management courses the Diploma and Postgraduate students have the opportunity to pitch to a live client for a real brief. Typically the creative ideas involved are used by the clients in the delivery of their events, depending on how well they match the brief. In this case for the UNWFP our students bowled the clients over with their creativity, knowledge and passion. Teams didn’t just pitch their ideas they brought them to life through visuals, costumes, a bit of performing and themed cupcakes. The Clients loved the ideas so much that it looks very likely that they will be taken further and used for the big UNWFP event this August. The original brief was for an fundraising and awareness event targeting the youth audience. So our students were divided into small teams of 5 each of which became their own mini agency for the project. Within these agencies individuals took on roles, collaborated and worked together to develop event solutions for the brief. Teams worked incredibly hard to meet the short deadline and to turn their creative solutions into an effective pitch, for which they received support, training and insights from our lecturers. The pitches were then delivered directly to the UNWFP team. This was no apprentice style ‘simulation’. This was the real thing and the Diploma Course teams more than rose to the challenge. The clients were literally over the moon with the quality and diversity of the pitches, so much so that they have invited 2 of the ‘agencies’ to come into their head office to repitch their ideas to more senior members of the UNWFP, with a view to taking the routes forward and bringing them to life. The result has been some practical, accelerated learning from the students, a great product for the client and a lot of fun along the way. This is surely the way to learn…by doing. AsLao Tze said in the 4th century BC “Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember but Involve me and I will understand”. I think our Spring 2013 Event Management Diploma class can consider themselves truly ‘involved’ in this totally worthwhile project. Congratulations all round. Plus here’s a lovely bit of feedback from one of those students… Please can I add a last ‘thank you’ to Justine, Claire, and the course lecturers. I’ve enjoyed the course so much, loved the experience of the UN pitch and made some good friends who I plan to stay in contact with. The knowledge I’ve learned on the course means that I am continuing to apply for roles I come across – with a much greater degree of confidence. I’ve been recommending the course to anyone and everyone and if Event Academy were to require any sort of testimonial or feedback for the website, or use previous students to direct new enquiries to, I’d be delighted to help. Best wishes, Hayley Ballard