A couple of weeks have passed since the FIFFLA-seminar was held in Metropolia Myyrmäki Campus. FIFFLA stands for Finnish Freight Forwarding and Logistics Association and the seminar centred around the future of logistics. In our Managerial Communication course as a group project we had to participate in the organizing of an event and our group decided to participate in the organizing of the FIFFLA-seminar. I would like to now share 5 things that our group learned from organizing an event.

1. Team work skills

We have had several group projects in our studies so far, but I feel like this was the project where our team work skills were put to test the most. We had to work very smoothly and efficiently as a team for everything to go as planned. This included distributing different tasks to each individual team member. We also helped each other when needed and frequently asked feedback from each other.

• Adaptability

As in every area of life, things do not always go exactly as they were originally planned to go. Plans change along the way and when organizing this event, we learnt to react accordingly. When something changed while planning the event, we “went with the flow”. These kinds of curveballs taught us to think quick on our feet.

• Organizational skills

When planning an event, you must be highly organized.  Our group had to keep timelines on schedule and maintain details running smoothly. We learned how to concentrate on the big picture, while keeping track of small details. Not only did we learn how to plan our part of organizing well, but to execute it accordingly.

• Listening and communication skills

Planning the event helped us enhance our communication skills – not only when interacting amongst each other in our group, but also when working with the professionals from Metropolia UAS and FIFFLA as well. In meetings we had to learn how to listen closely to what was wanted from us. I think I speak for every member of our team when I say our communication skills are now even better and more efficient.

• Event planning experience and understanding of it

I think each of us now have a better understanding of what it takes to organize an event. Participating in the organizing of the seminar, showed us how many different aspects need to be considered while planning on event. We can use all the newly gained knowledge for our advantage in the future when organizing events.

It is safe to say we learned a lot. It was such a pleasant learning experience – I would warmly recommend participating in organizing an event to anyone and everyone! Liina

The members of our group from left to right: Ekaterina Podnebesnikova, Liina Uusitalo, Ella Ijäs, Kerttu Apajalahti and Liene Cirule