Projects > Event Design & Management
Event Design & management:
stakeholder engagement, visionary planning, and digital designs
Background
THINK Global School’s showcase events have traditionally been celebrations of learning at the end of each term, where students present their projects and experiences with the host communities. However, dwindling enthusiasm from stakeholders regarding the relevance and excitement of these events signaled a need for change. It became clear that a strategic revisioning was necessary to reimagine the showcase events from both educational and community-focused perspectives, ensuring they continue to serve as meaningful and joyous celebrations of student achievement.
My approach
As the point person on this initiative, I’m guiding a highly collaborative and structured design and implementation process. It all began with informal conversations over the course of a year, where I navigated colleagues' work schedules to form a revolving team of educators best suited to develop the educational components. I initially brainstormed with a trusted colleague experienced in alternative education, and together we established the showcase’s overarching purpose: “The TGS end-of-term showcase seeks to use best practices of project-based learning to further connect students with the communities into which we integrate while developing students’ life skills for the future.”
We focused on centralizing authentic feedback and aligning three of the school’s core values—love, qiu zhi yu (the pursuit of knowledge), and kaizen (continuous improvement)—with the new vision. With short-, mid-, and long-term goals set, we are preparing to develop a life skills program, align existing curriculum elements with the showcase events, and ideate new methods to integrate expert and guest feedback more intentionally into student learning.
Challenges & Solutions
This project has brought its share of challenges, including the dynamic and sometimes messy nature of team collaboration. Observing the showcase on both macro and micro levels continues to be essential, as was securing buy-in from the rest of the staff. To address this, I incorporated full staff feedback early in the design process and ensured support from leadership beforehand. Looking ahead, I anticipate challenges in rolling out the new approach to students who are accustomed to the traditional format of the showcase. Introducing this evolution thoughtfully will be key to its success.
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Our design document includes brainstorming, formalizing our purpose, and drafting a rollout plan for the remainder of the year.
Impact & results
As we work towards a full realization of our new vision, I’m gradually rolling out feedback mechanisms. I developed a feedback form with input from key colleagues and launched it through a QR code to our virtual showcase website during our most recent in-person event. This allowed attendees to provide feedback on individual student presentations and the event as a whole. Students have expressed appreciation for receiving direct, thoughtful feedback via this method, and it has already sparked more engagement. The impact of the life skills curriculum and other program adjustments will become clearer as we continue to refine and implement our plans throughout the remainder of the academic year and into the next.
Acknowledgments
I am incredibly grateful to my team for their continued support, creativity, and engagement throughout this collaborative process. I’m also indebted to the students for their patience and willingness to embrace new approaches, and to the entire TGS community for their ongoing attendance, feedback, and engagement with our students' education. Their involvement has been instrumental in shaping the future of our showcase events.
Artifacts from past years
I led a team of several staff and students as we worked toward the biggest project exhibition that THINK Global School had ever hosted - at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai.
With several big names in innovation, futures thinking, and international education spaces, this was a particularly high-stress event to run. However, the team pulled through with flying colors thanks to consistent, fruitful communication, delegation of responsibilities, and optimism. It truly was an exhibition for the books.
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With the infinite whiteboard platform Miro, we found new ways of sharing asynchronous showcases online.
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I, in conjunction with a couple of colleagues, used Gather to host our synchronous end-of-year Symposium, a celebration of learning about the entire academic year.
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Using Adobe InDesign, I created flyers for THINK Global School’s end-of-term project exhibitions. One of my colleagues used Illustrator for the country shape graphics.