Public Relations is building and
maintaining relationships. Mudfest 2012 at the residence hall at the University
of Florida is a 40-year tradition that is meant to develop relationships
between residents. It is great way to meet new people while having fun. Such an
event is one that a public relations practitioner may have to put on to
showcase his or her cause or organization.
Mudfest is a week-long competition
of sports in the mud, floor decorations and spirit competitions. There is mudpolo, mud volleyball, mud tug of war and rock picking. Each residence hall floor decorates a respective window area and compete against each other for the best theme and design. This year
through Penny Wars money competition the residence halls were able to raise money for March for
Babies.
To create this week-long event
requires planning and teamwork. Since this is 40-year-long tradition there is
more of a guideline to follow but it is just as hard.
To begin with, for any event there
is a goal, a social event for residents to have fun and get to know each other.
Next, planning for the event is
important, the planning starts with the executive board. Decisions need to be
made about money, location, permits, dates, time, supplies, people, space,
promotion, and any other obstacles that may come up.
There is also the part about
funding the event. Funds come from sales of activity cards which are $10 per
resident and this allows residents to participate in area activities, rent
supplies and cash checks.
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| Resident signs in and sign waiver liability form for the first day of Mudfest. photo by Ann-Makir Magloire. |
Moreover,
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Permits had to be issued to dig the pit for the
mud for Mudfest.
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Mud had to be bought and transported from
Georgia.
·
Workers had to be hired and assigned to dig the
pit.
·
Food had to be ordered for the event.
·
Supplies had to be organized and accounted for
o
Volleyballs, Polo ball
o
Nets
o
Tables
o
Stage
o
Mics
o
Rule books
o
Judges
o
And more.
A team is very important for event
planning and the general body for the area council played a large role in
helping to organize pit watches as well as setting up during the opening
ceremony and day of the sports.
Pit watches were to make sure that individuals
did not play or hurt themselves when the mud-pit was not in use.
Communication is very important when
organizing such an event and it helps in making an effective team.
·
The publicity team, worked to promote the event.
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Hall presidents, made sure each floor had
representatives for the sport competitions.
·
Executive board members made sure individuals
were playing their role and updated with information and any changes.
There is a lot of logistics in
event planning which is a part of public relations. To be a great event
planner, one must be able to manage time, budget, and work with a team and see
the whole picture for a project. A great reference for planning public relations event is
here. It takes hard work before one can play in the
mud. After one gets dirty, it is important to clean up and in public relations that means we review the results and conduct an evaluation.
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Members of the executive board wash up after a late night of volleyball competition. photo by Ann-Makir Magloire.
© Ann-Makir Magloire
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