Missouri School of Journalism students gain hands-on event planning experience
The events planning and promotion course at the University of Missouri offers journalism students the opportunity to gain real-world experience in event planning. During fall 2022, students are working collaboratively to plan and promote events for two clients — American Public Square at Jewel (APS), a community organization dedicated to improving public discourse and affiliated with William Jewell College; and the Columbia Missourian, the J-School’s non-profit, digital-first community newspaper.
“Being able to problem solve in the safety net of a class is a really valuable way to learn, so that moving forward you have those skills when you don’t have that safety net anymore,” said Lorah Lackland, professor and marketing director at Missouri Business Alert. “Not everything goes smoothly. Sometimes venues are booked when you wish they were available. Sometimes caterers pull out at the last minute.”
This opportunity to learn in a real-world setting is not lost on the students. The chance to experience and understand the logistics involved in what goes on behind the scenes at these events gives students the kind of hands-on, Missouri Method experience that employers value.
“I am really excited to work the events. As a class, we’ll get to really experience what true event planning is,” said senior Josh Robinson. “I want to work in PR in the fashion industry. To go in with one semester of experience and be able to say I have planned an event and understand everything that goes into it, that’s exciting.”
This opportunity to learn in a real-world setting is not lost on the students. The chance to experience and understand the logistics involved in what goes on behind the scenes at these events gives students the kind of hands-on, Missouri Method experience that employers value.
APS tasked the students with making an on-campus debate watch party, asking only that the environment they create be inclusive and diverse in the pursuit of fostering political conversation amongst Gen Z.
After weeks of honing their vision of what the debate watch party event for APS might look like, the students finally got to see that vision come to life on Oct. 25. The event, The Politics of Gen Z, was festive and welcoming. Attendees enjoyed refreshments as they watched the livestream debate and then delved into political conversation with one another, many putting the conversation starter cards made by the students to good use.
“They created a space that’s bold, brave and allows people to be themselves and help us build and strengthen our democracy,” said Denesha Snell, program manager for APS at Jewell. “The goal was to pull a diverse group of students together and create an atmosphere where they could participate and come away with the understanding that they have the power to create this dialogue in a way that is civil. I think MU and Mizzou students were the perfect folks to get involved.”
With one event completed, the students are diving into the final planning stages for their second event of the semester, the sixth annual Missourian Progress Awards on Dec. 6. The awards are designed to elevate people who may not be otherwise recognized for their contributions to Columbia, and each class of students tends to put a unique spin on the event. This year, however, the client asked the students to introduce something entirely new to the event — a scholarship giveaway. The students are eager to approach such a significant community event with a purpose near and dear to their hearts.
“I’m excited to see our vision of the event’s theme come to life,” said Robinson. “With event planning, I feel like a lot of the reward comes from giving people an experience that they’ll remember and cherish and that makes them happy; and that’s exactly what we’re doing with the Missourian Progress Awards.’
Updated: November 22, 2022