Conestoga Event Management students spent months planning a fundraising event at THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener to benefit the Dr. Anne Innis Dagg Foundation and pay tribute to the Waterloo giraffologist’s legacy.
Conestoga Event Management students helped plan a fundraising event at THEMUSEUM in Kitchener to benefit the Dr. Anne Innis Dagg Foundation.
The students have been working since November to organize, market and execute the event being held Thursday, January 23 titled “Celebrating a Local Hero: A Tribute to Giraffologist Dr. Anne Innis Dagg” that will support the foundation and its vital efforts in giraffe conservation.
“This hands-on approach to teaching gives student experiences with so many event elements. On-site designs, risk management, social media marketing to the general public, reaching out to required stakeholders, fundraising and working closely with the client to complete event objectives are just a few of the responsibilities students have taken on to commit to the success of the event,” said Mariette Haras, event management coordinator in the School of Culinary Arts & Hospitality.
Along with marketing the fundraiser, Event Management students also added activities including an African bracelet-making booth, walk through interactive African sets, and oversized walking giraffe entertainers. Before the holiday break, students also sold African bracelets they made, raising $150 for the foundation.
Students said during classroom discussions that the event was a great opportunity to connect in a positive way with the local community, as well as help the giraffe population in Africa. They appreciated the opportunity to contribute to events like this that can make a positive change in the world, while also honing their event management skills.
“I feel that taking part in this event gives me the experience needed in order to succeed in my career. It gives me a hands-on learning opportunity,” said student Allison Irwin. “Also, working with my fellow classmates gives me the opportunity to learn how to work in a team environment. The chance to interact with the attendees and perhaps obtain their feedback will help me to succeed in future events.”
Innis Dagg was 23 when she travelled to South Africa in 1956 as the first Western researcher to study giraffes in the wild; she returned home a year later armed with ground-breaking research. By the early 1970s, she had 20 research papers published as an assistant professor of zoology at the University of Guelph.
The evening event kicks off at 6 p.m. when guests will be greeted by giraffe stilt-walkers as they enter the cocktail-style event. After capturing the moment in the free photo booth, guests get private access to GIRAFFE | A Heightened Experience, an exhibition curated by THEMUSEUM, that celebrates the lifelong work of Innis Dagg. There will be a silent auction of framed photos she took while traveling through Africa in 1956/1957.
Guests will then enjoy a screening of the award-winning documentary “The Woman Who Loves Giraffes,” followed by a Q&A session with Innis Dagg’s daughter, Mary Dagg, and the film’s director, Alison Reid.
Tickets are $50 plus taxes and fees.
Conestoga’s Event Management program is specifically designed to meet the needs of a growing industry in the planning and management of virtual and live in-person events. The program provides graduate students with specialized training and practical hands-on learning opportunities. Students will develop a portfolio of event experience while collaborating with community partners designing, developing, promoting, and executing events in the public, non-profit, and corporate sectors.
Find out more about the variety of programs offered by Conestoga’s School of Hospitality & Culinary Arts, a leader in culinary and hospitality programming that prepares students for successful careers in Canada’s dynamic tourism industry.