SYP Social and Professional Mixer
Where and when did the event happen?
University of Guelph on the 29th of March 2007
What happened?
The purpose of the event, which was held in the Landscape Architecture Building of the University of Guelph, was to bring together students and water resources professionals for an informal evening of social interaction. Approximately 30 people attended the event, with a good cross-section of students, young professionals and professionals from academia, government, industry and NGOs. These included the Universities of Guelph, Waterloo, and Western Ontario, Conservation Ontario, GRCA, Canadian Water Network, Trout Unlimited Canada, CF Crozier & Associates, Conestoga-Rovers & Associates, and OMAFRA.
The strongest points of the event were: - Keynote speaker: Dr. Isobel Heathcote provided a very inspiring talk on her long career in water management. We provided her with a list of questions to guide her discussion beforehand. This questions related to the types of things we were interested in, such as the importance of mentors in her career, her experiences in academia and outside academia, and lessons learned. - Food: We provided nice refreshments that were appreciated by professionals that drove from other places to attend the event in Guelph after a long day of work. - Student posters: We showcased several posters from students in the chapter, and they contributed to the professional yet relaxed atmosphere of our event.
How many people attended?
28 (Ten professionals from the following organizations attended the event: Conservation Ontario, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, University of Guelph, Trout Unlimited Canada, CF Crozier & Associates, and K. Smart Associates Ltd.)
We are interested in holding such an event, how much would it cost?
350.00.( 224.00 refreshments 40.00 gift keynote speaker 31.00 folders for registration packages 55.00 printing brochures and registration packages) Refreshments were funded by the Ontario Branch of the CWRA. Gift for keynote speaker and registration packages were funded with seed money from the CWRA SYP national committee. The venue was provided at no cost by the Department of Rural Planning & Development of the University of Guelph.
How long did the organizing take?
We had really good support from the Ontario Branch of the CWRA, and the Waterloo SYP Chapter. This event took approximately 40 hours to organize. We were able to coordinate and divide the tasks in just two meetings (e.g., keynote speaker, venue, food, registration package, contacts, poster), so things worked very well. A lot of hours were used to prepare a registration package that featured a brief profile and picture of students and young professionals attending the event. This took many hours because a few emails were required in order to obtain all the profiles and the pictures.
What were the major challenges you faced?
We originally scheduled our event for March 1, but had to cancel because of a winter storm. We learned that it is important to be prepared and have a contingency plan in place... Another challenge was the timing of the event. Due to the storm, we had to re-schedule our event for March 29, which was a busy time for students with the end of the semester. Many of the students members of our chapter, who were going to attend the event on March 1, were not able to do so on March 29.
Was it successful? And would you recommend it?
The professional networking event was very successful in starting the process to build a "water community" at Guelph. It also helped foster a partnership between the Guelph and Waterloo SYP chapters. It was a very good event, with a relaxed atmosphere and good conversation among students, young professionals and professionals. We recommend this type of event to any of the SYP chapters.
Who can I contact to learn more?
Cecilia Ferreyra
amoharir@uoguelph.ca
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