Congratulations! All your hard work has paid off and your event is over! You’ve been part of a special experience from beginning to end, and you have transformed what was once only an idea into real tangible impact. You and your team truly deserve a round of applause for your determination and commitment.

The event is over, but there is still one thing left to do. While you hosted a wonderful event, you should always be looking for ways to improve. This comes from self evaluation and by asking yourself questions. The focus of reflection should be around the goals that you had set early on in the process.  The question is simple; have we met the mark we set for ourselves? For the goals that you met, think about what allowed you to meet it. Was it a good student engagement strategy? What specifically about that strategy was effective? For goals that you didn’t meet, consider the reasons you fell short of the target. Was it an unexpected problem that was not addressed quickly? Was it set too high and was unreasonable? Now that those problems are identified, brainstorm ideas on how to solve them, or alternatives that would have been more effective.

Another valuable place to obtain an evaluation is from the people participating in your event. Speak to people during the event and have them share their reactions. Since they are the people who you are designing the event for, what they say and whether or not they enjoyed it should concern you a great deal. Listen closely to what they think, especially of the small details. It’s a lot easier for them to examine the small details because they were actually experiencing it.

The knowledge you gain in this reflective process is valuable in creating future events and initiatives that are more effective. By analyzing past actions, you are able to determine what worked and what didn’t. Having this experience makes you a better leader and more prepared for the future.

So now the question is: what’s next? What problem will you try to solve, and how will you do it? Let us know about your next big idea, and we’ll work with you to achieve it!