Header picture by Martina Ketelaar

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Our event coordinator Nikki will explain more about the organization of events on this Wisdom Wednesday. On June 21st we organized a super cool event. In fact, we had two events that day: Fully Charged – Explore the Future Together and our car presentation. Nikki takes you into the organization of these two events.

New concept
We have many partners who support us in all sorts of ways; from providing input in brainstorms to contributing to the budget. As Solar Team Twente we would like to do something extra for our network. That is why we have created Fully Charged. The event in which we allow students and companies from the region to come into contact with each other in an accessible way, a frequently asked question within our network. So, we heard questions from our network, came up with an idea and created a cool concept for a new event. So what is next?

Combine events
How do you get two target groups, students and companies, together being Solar Team Twente? Well, during our car presentation! Here we present the new solar car to all our partners every edition. Besides partners, friends of team members and students who are interested in the project are also present. That is why we have combined our car presentation with Fully Charged this edition.

When and where?
Two events with their own objectives and target groups on one day, at one location, organised by one team. But which date and location? During the car presentation, we want to show a beautifull car ready to go. That is why the date is mainly determined by the planning of our technical team. Therefore, we picked June 21st! The day is similar to our starting number 21 during the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.

This edition we wanted to show our achievements in a grand way during Fully Charged and the car presentation. This requires a large location that is easily accessible for both partners, students and all other interested people. I visited different locations in Enschede, which I all enjoyed very much, which did not make the choice easier. The choice fell on De Grolsch Veste, because this large and well-known location best suited our idea about the car presentation and about Fully Charged.

Workgroups
At the beginning of 2019, the save the date with date and location was spread within our network. Then we sat down with the entire management and communication team to set up working groups for the organization of the events. One for Fully Charged and one for the car presentation. Annelies, Frances and I were in both workgroups for the overview, planning and promotion. Arthur joined the Fully Charged workgroup as function external relations. What I found challenging about the organization of the events was that we all kept an overview and were executive for our own part. When dividing the tasks you end up by yourself every time. Super fun, but sometimes you would like to have a few more hours in a week.

Car presentation workgroup
For example, the storyline for the presentation is written in the car presentation workgroup. For this we organized fun brainstorming sessions with the team. With every brainstorming I find it super fun to notice how enthusiastically the entire team thinks along about the content of media and events. The stage, the LED screens and the special effects were also arranged during the unveiling. My role in this was to stay in contact with De Grolsch Veste and with the external parties to coordinate what was possible. My role was also to take care of the inner being. Together with De Grolsch Veste we made a choice for the snacks and drinks that were available during the day.

Fully Charged workgroup
For Fully Charged, the workgroup generally consisted of three phases: setting up the event, contacting companies that wanted to be part of the event and the promotion for students. For example, Arthur called and emailed hours to provide companies with the right information. Frances has chased all the workgroup members to get all the information together to process in the promotion plan and in the program booklet. Annelies picked up tasks where necessary and monitored the planning. My role was mainly keeping in touch with De Grolsch Veste and ensuring that Fully Charged fitted well with the car presentation. I found working in the workgroup very pleasant due to the clear division of roles.

The big moment
Then the moment is there. Everything is organized with the workgroups, all external parties are aware of the correct information, the scripts are ready and the team is informed about their role on 20th and 21st of June during set-up and the events. We have put down the events with the whole team. Sometimes things went a little different than planned, but everyone thought along and made sure that the end result was achieved. And I found that this was great to see.

After Fully Charged and the presentation prior to the unveiling, we stood on stage with the whole team next to our own built solar car with around 800 people in the stands! What a great moment!

Have you been to Fully Charged or were you at the car presentation? Share your experiences with us!

Wisdom Wednesday recap

  • Fully Charged is a new event to bring students and companies into contact with each other
  • Two working groups formed the basis for the organization of Fully Charged and our car presentation
  • The entire team and a lot of external parties were involved in the organisation of the two events

Picture by Jerome Wassenaar