After fighting off a cold and then swamped with school work I was very happy today to get in my community to be a part of spreading some holiday cheer.
Volunteering for the Beach Village BIA I was lucky to visit the wonderful shops, restaurants and services that are offered in what I will always defend as the best area of Toronto. From meeting business owners to their furry four legged friends it was great to see the variety that is present along Queen St. East.
If you are in the Beach over the holiday be sure to check out which stores are participating in the "Spot the Nutcracker" contest and you could win a shopping spree at all the unique stores you visit along the way.
Please share if you are getting out in your own area to bring a smile to those around you! :)
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Policies, Procedures and People
A recent topic of discussion in my financial management class was that of policies and procedures. Although our focus was on financial policies and procedures, I couldn't help but think of the number of times I was in a situation where had proper consideration been given to creating policies and procedures for people much confusion could have been avoided.
As I have discussed communication previously I wanted to touch on the fact that taking the step of creating actual documentation of processes to follow and sharing it with the appropriate parties is by far the simplest way to decrease on event confusion. From my experience an area where this is often over looked is when it comes to people (volunteers specifically) on event.
The best part of policies and procedures is that they do not have to be neither fancy or include high level technical language. Simply answering the following questions gives you a great base to go from:
As I have discussed communication previously I wanted to touch on the fact that taking the step of creating actual documentation of processes to follow and sharing it with the appropriate parties is by far the simplest way to decrease on event confusion. From my experience an area where this is often over looked is when it comes to people (volunteers specifically) on event.
The best part of policies and procedures is that they do not have to be neither fancy or include high level technical language. Simply answering the following questions gives you a great base to go from:
- Who will play a role on event? (i.e. staff, volunteers, suppliers, etc.)
- What tasks are to be completed? (i.e. set-up, tear down, cleaning, crowd control, supplier management, etc.)
- What steps needs to be followed for successful completion of each task?
Once these questions are answered, align the person responsible with the tasks to be completed and assign a time line for completion of specific tasks. Taking this one step further and identifying for each individual what they should move on to upon completion of their task (if their shift on event is longer than what they were assigned) helps to keep them engaged and focused. If this document is accessible to everyone, expectations are clear and people can be managed and moved from one task to another as the event demands.
I recognize this is a very simple way to consider the management of individuals on event, but why make it more difficult than it needs to be? I am still building up my experience of course and would appreciate any input from those with more experience than I on what you have found to be successful in this area.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
A Toronto Beer Tour Birthday
This weekend I had the most fun taking my parents around the city to celebrate my father's birthday a bit belated (it was in September, but considering they have a busier social calendar then I do I was lucky to schedule them in at all I think!) As it was in honor of my father and he is a fan of trying different beers I planned a tour of the city stopping at a number of the wonderful breweries we are lucky to have around us!
Our day on Saturday started off on the 501 Queen Streetcar heading to The Beer Academy. I had the opportunity to try some of their offerings at a craft beer event held earlier in the fall and wanted to see what they had to offer at their Victoria St. headquarters. While a private booking kept us from the tour, we didn't feel we missed out too much as we each chose a flight to suit our tastes and we were still able to check out and appreciate the beautiful space. I was quite pleased as I got to sample their pumpkin beer, a fall must have in my books!
From The Beer Academy we continued our way down Queen St, and we were entertained by a humorous TTC driver which is always a great surprise! We found ourselves at Bellwoods Brewery, a place I had brought my parents previously so it was a guaranteed hit. We once again found ourselves enjoying our beer on the patio under the heaters as it was packed inside (as usual!) but it was still a wonderful stop and my dad got to pick up the amber ale he had missed out on buying last time around.
After finding the drinks had left us a bit on the hungry side I decided it was time to search out a memorable snack, something my parents had not yet experienced. I brought them to Hodo Kwaja for some walnut cakes which went perfectly with some hot tea and coffee to warm us up.
Adequately filled I continued in the pursuit of beer and bringing my parents to yet another new part of the city and this found us in the Junction, which of course meant Junction Craft Brewing. On our way here I had to convince my parents I knew where I was going as I led them into the industrial area that is the home to this brewery, but once we arrived they were quite pleased as again we chose a selection of beers to create flights.
The final stop of the day found as around the corner from Junction Craft Brewing at Indie Ale House where we tried some new selections with a bite to eat. I was in heaven as each item we ordered had goat cheese included and you can never go wrong with goat cheese. My dad was a little thrown we he went to take a drink of one particular beer and its' taste resembled that of a stiff rye and ginger.
All in the all the day was fantastic, and if you are travelling around the city you can never go wrong with the awesome $11 day passes that are good for 2 adults on the weekends! Planning this trip was also an excellent practice in flexibility for me. While I had planned the whole day on a schedule I was sure to have a couple extra options in my back pocket as well alterations to the plan. Luckily we did not need them and the day could not have gone smoother! If only I could make a living planning outings like this for anyone who wants to visit the city....now that I think of it, if you are looking to enjoy Toronto drop me a line and I could just create your own personalized experience!
Our day on Saturday started off on the 501 Queen Streetcar heading to The Beer Academy. I had the opportunity to try some of their offerings at a craft beer event held earlier in the fall and wanted to see what they had to offer at their Victoria St. headquarters. While a private booking kept us from the tour, we didn't feel we missed out too much as we each chose a flight to suit our tastes and we were still able to check out and appreciate the beautiful space. I was quite pleased as I got to sample their pumpkin beer, a fall must have in my books!
From The Beer Academy we continued our way down Queen St, and we were entertained by a humorous TTC driver which is always a great surprise! We found ourselves at Bellwoods Brewery, a place I had brought my parents previously so it was a guaranteed hit. We once again found ourselves enjoying our beer on the patio under the heaters as it was packed inside (as usual!) but it was still a wonderful stop and my dad got to pick up the amber ale he had missed out on buying last time around.
After finding the drinks had left us a bit on the hungry side I decided it was time to search out a memorable snack, something my parents had not yet experienced. I brought them to Hodo Kwaja for some walnut cakes which went perfectly with some hot tea and coffee to warm us up.
Adequately filled I continued in the pursuit of beer and bringing my parents to yet another new part of the city and this found us in the Junction, which of course meant Junction Craft Brewing. On our way here I had to convince my parents I knew where I was going as I led them into the industrial area that is the home to this brewery, but once we arrived they were quite pleased as again we chose a selection of beers to create flights.
The final stop of the day found as around the corner from Junction Craft Brewing at Indie Ale House where we tried some new selections with a bite to eat. I was in heaven as each item we ordered had goat cheese included and you can never go wrong with goat cheese. My dad was a little thrown we he went to take a drink of one particular beer and its' taste resembled that of a stiff rye and ginger.
All in the all the day was fantastic, and if you are travelling around the city you can never go wrong with the awesome $11 day passes that are good for 2 adults on the weekends! Planning this trip was also an excellent practice in flexibility for me. While I had planned the whole day on a schedule I was sure to have a couple extra options in my back pocket as well alterations to the plan. Luckily we did not need them and the day could not have gone smoother! If only I could make a living planning outings like this for anyone who wants to visit the city....now that I think of it, if you are looking to enjoy Toronto drop me a line and I could just create your own personalized experience!
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