MallettMaggieHawkenProjects2021

  When it comes to inspirations for this project, it is hard to put my finger on an exact one. However, I would definitely say that my dad was a big part of it. He has helped plan and put on events in Cleveland for many years and it has always been something that seemed so cool to me. I knew I wanted more of a taste of it, so I decided to see what I could find in the world of  sports and events.  I think that overall this project was an extremely positive experience for me and I have loved seeing it grow since the beginning. Initially, I struggled to piece together a structured schedule of my weeks which was a bit frustrating, which is the only thing I would say was (initially) a weakness in my project. However after talking to my mentor things came together and I felt a lot better. I came into this project wanting to learn as much as possible, and I think I accomplished that really well. I really enjoyed being able to be so closely engaged with my mentor, Mr. Matt Sajna,...

 Over the course of this project, I have realized that a lot of skills I had in my back pocket from being a Hawken student all my life have helped me succeed within this project and get the most out of it. I consider myself a strongly independent person. Considering I am doing this project by myself, that has been something that worked out well for me. I have been able to keep up on my work in and outside of the office without needing guidance (while of course I can ask questions when I need). I was able to spend the first bit of the project to take some time and listen and learn, which I think built a great foundation for me to then take off on my own. I have had struggles within my independence however, and I think my senior project provided me a lot of opportunities to work on that and improve them. Procrastination is something I can struggle with, and not having set homework every night or exact things to do every day, there was a lot of room for it to creep in if I wasn't care...

Not only have I had a great learning opportunity so far with the Cleveland Sports Commission, but I have developed a lot of skills; some that I already knew about and some that I didn't. First of all, the experience of working downtown has been really cool. I am already comfortable driving downtown and have done it a lot before, but it really adds to the experience of making me feel independent with this project. Just when I thought I had seen it all, I see a new part of Cleveland that I didn't know existed. I have to find parking which is full of ups and downs, and I make the walk to the office alongside all different kinds of people going about their days in the city. The office itself is something that really surprised me, and in a good way. I am really interested in business, but I have known for a while that I didn't just want to have a job where I sit at a plain desk every day. The Sports Commission's office was extremely lively to the point where it didn't ev...

 In this post, I am going to talk a bit about one of my main projects during my time with the Sports Commission. As I touched on previously, planning is extremely important in an industry like this. Even years out from a given event, it is important to get frameworks set and even some specifics, because things like venues and equipment need a far out notice. I am doing work specifically for the Pan American Masters Games, which is going to be held in Cleveland in 2024. This is arguably one of the biggest events Cleveland has ever hosted, and is bound to bring the most economic impact EVER at once to the area of Northeast Ohio. I am currently working on a giant google doc that includes information on every sporting event that the Games will include. This ranges from basketball, swimming, and baseball, to sports like pickleball, curling, and coastal rowing. All of those obviously have very different needs in terms of venues and equipment, so it is important to get a jumpstart on that...

 This week has been off to a great start. Last week, I took the careful time to learn and study the different areas of the Cleveland Sports Commission Organization, and this week I am actually in the office to get hands on with my project! I have already learned so much by being here and a lot from meeting with one of my mentors in person, Matt Sajna. On Monday we sat down for handful of hours and got to review some actual planning documents from previous events that the organization produced. I was absolutely amazed by how much went in to producing an event, tracking it from the brainstorming faze to the dates it actually happened. There are so many different parts that are necessary in order for an event to successfully be put on. Last week came in handy for me here because I had insight into how each different area functioned in the bigger picture and all worked together to produce an event. I was particularly interested because as an example, we looked through the planning docu...

 Today I had the awesome opportunity to dive deeper into what interested me the most initially, and that is the bids that the Cleveland Sports Commission submits in order to get events to come to Cleveland. I met with Mike Mulhall and Monica Gustin, the leaders of Business Development for the organization. They are the people that are in charge of creating, analyzing, and submitting bids. In other words, they are on the front lines of going out and finding events to bring to Northeast Ohio. These types of events can range from the US Jump Rope Championship to NBA All-Star Weekend. I was really excited to hear that there were a rang of events they did, because I knew I would get to learn about the difference in requirements for hosting a large event versus a smaller one. Bids are made to sell the governing body of the event on WHY a certain city is the best fit for them. That includes facilities, hotels, financials, etc. The Cleveland Sports Commission is competing with other cities...