Written by: James Rice, RESP Outreach Intern

Going into March, now with my responsibilities made more clear, my internship primarily focused upon organising the event itself and invites. Before this, I had no idea how much planning has to go into event management and outreach, even for a relatively small space such as the research suite at the CRC.

Front of ‘Postcard 2’, designed by James Rice.

While liaising with the team, we confirmed speakers for the event, their schedule, and a guest list made up of colleagues, volunteers, and interviewers for the RESP. We also decided that I would be the best fit as the Master of Ceremonies to lead the event, guide guests, and ensure that the event ran as scheduled. On top of all of this I continued to produce draft iterations of my proposed postcards for outreach using

Front of ‘Postcard 2’, designed by James Rice.

‘Canva’.

As someone with little experience working in design, this online tool was incredibly helpful, allowing me to make significant changes often within literally seconds. This was especially useful as I was able to share my designs with the team, allowing them to make their own adjustments or suggestions with their own copies of my work.

As the month progressed, several designs for my Oral History document, as well as a signage sheet for the launch event were circulated. Alongside this, Rebekah shared with us an updated logo for the RESP that we could apply to our designs going forward. As such, further iterations for two postcard designs were produced, as well as another two video tutorials. Through feedback, I was able to edit my designs to be consistent with font, while we agreed that making my tutorial videos shorter would be ideal.

Updated RESP Logo Design, by Rebekah Day.

Signage for the Animal Encounters in the RESP Archive on-line exhibition.

While I would continue playing with designs and video editing, I was still concerned with the practical elements of running a launch event in the CRC space. This involved discussions with engagement officer, Bianca, on using equipment such as laptops and Ipads on the day. Additionally, I confirmed that the Research Suite would be booked and cleaned on the day itself, while a catering order was made that met a variety of dietary needs. With this, and the confirmation of the room capacity for the event sorted, I was left with finalising the text for Eventbrite and the invites ready to be sent the following month.

For me, March represented a big step toward meeting my goals for my internship by making a large amount of progress on the ideas that I pitched at the end of January. I had begun to feel far more confident with my responsibilities, and knew exactly how and what to deliver for the RESP.