Tag Archives: Alumni

Longwood Academy for Event and Meeting Planning (LAMP)

By Julia Bogdan

The Longwood Academy for Event and Meeting Planning (LAMP), presented by Communication Studies, will debut a four-day event planning certification workshop this Spring 2018 semester.

Open to all students, alumni, and professionals outside of Longwood University, the Academy is a “new venture for the communication studies department,” remarks Dr. Alec Hosterman, Assistant Professor and coordinator of the academy.

Dr. Hosterman, Emily Pilk, and Dr. Naomi Johnson, the chair of the Communication Studies department , have been conjuring this idea since early fall of 2017.

Each year the Academy will have a short overall seminar in the fall: an event planning boot camp. Here, attendees are taught the “nuts and bolts” of what they will have to know. They will have the opportunity to work on event planning scenarios and to network with experts in the event planning field.

After that, students, alumni, or professionals in the region will have the opportunity to take the four-day certification seminars taking place in the spring.

The four-day Academy will take place over four Saturdays throughout the month of April, learning a new skill on each one.

On the first day, students will learn how to work with clients, food and beverage, and managing lodging. They will also be given budgets and learn exactly how to work with that.

The second Saturday will entail attendees learning about contract negotiations and a/v expectations.

On the third day, attendees will be touring an actual event sight and will be taught what exactly to be looking for. They will learn how to create a timeline, and how to market and brand their event.

On the fourth day, the most important day, attendees will pitch an actual idea to the experts and hear what they have to say back.

After all of this is over, attendees will receive an official event planning certification from the university along with CEUs (continuing education units).

 

“There are very few degree-granting programs out there and lots of our students want to be event planners. This broadens their experience and makes them much more marketable,” Hosterman said. “We really saw a need [for this].”

To find out more information about the Longwood Academy for Event and Meeting Planning, head to blogs.longwood.edu/eventplanningseminars.

“Our students will be walking out of here not only with a degree but a certification in event planning – they should be the hottest stuff out there,” Hosterman said.

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ALUMNI PROFILE: ERIK OBST (’15)

Erik Obst, Longwood Alumni

By Julia Bogdan

Erik Obst, a 2015 Communication Studies alumnus with a public relations concentration, is living his dream job every single day as the Public Outreach Manager at Whitebarrel Winery in Christiansburg, Virginia.

Despite his title, Obst is highly involved in many different aspects of the wine industry, including a sommelier, sales and distribution representative, event planner, and even has even assisted in the entire wine making process.

“My dream was to be a corporate lawyer, before I discovered wine,” Obst said. “My career path went way different than what I was expecting. [However] I like to believe I am doing my dream job every day.”

A typical day in the life of his profession is what he refers to as “craziness.”

“There is never a day that is the same. One day, I am driving across Virginia selling wine and the next I’m knee deep in crushed grapes creating the next vintage,” Obst said.

Obst isn’t quite sure where he wants to go in the future, but he is content with that.

“At this point in my career, I am focusing on the present. Are there a ton of different places I could go and explore in the world of wine? Of course! But right now, I love where I work and who I work with. Not to mention, I’m learning more than I could have ever imagined,” Obst said.

Obst usually gets the question, “Is wine related to your degree at all?” His answer is “Yes!”

“There are thousands of moving parts in this industry that require the skills I obtained through my degree,” Obst said.

He also said that goes for anything, and that one must have dedication and discipline outside the classroom for whatever industry they are enthusiastic about.

“[My academic training at Longwood helped me with] thinking on the spot and always being prepared. In my industry, you are either prepared and know what you’re talking about, or they will call you out in a heartbeat,” Obst stated.

“[When I was in college], I don’t think I understood the lessons behind the lessons. I was more concerned about understanding theory,” Obst said, “but it was the experiences outside the classroom, like attending the PRSSA conferences and luncheons that truly made an impact. It was in those settings where I would talk to my professors and other professionals to gain real-world insight.”

Obst’s lasting advice is, “don’t be so focused on a specific field, like PR, go and find out what you care about. Research it. Dive into it. Find what you love and go for it.”

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Alumni Spotlight: Travis Lyles

[youtube]https://youtu.be/XKKdd3E7hE4[/youtube]

The second instalment of our Alumni Spotlight segment features Communication Studies graduate Travis Lyles (class of ’15) who is currently the Social Media Producer for Business Insider.

Lyles is very complimentary of Longwood’s Communication Studies program and the way it prepared him for his daily tasks at Business Insider. Recognizing the way the professors at his alma mater helped develop his skills, Lyles values the department’s teaching.

“The biggest thing it prepared me for is really just being a playmaker at BI, someone who can come in the office everyday and get to work and do something totally different that I didn’t do yesterday, or ever.”
                                                                                          – Travis Lyles

Being a recent graduate, Lyles’ experience of transitioning into the working world from college is still fresh in his mind and he knows what helped him come out of college and easily adjust to his position at Business Insider.

“You really have to find one or two things and give all of yourself to those … find one or two organizations and really invest in those,” said Lyles when asked about what advice he could give current Longwood Communication Studies students.

Longwood University’s COMMunity will be following Travis avidly as he progresses in his career. We wish him well during his time at Business Insider and we are excited to see how he continues in his profession.

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