Student Las Vegas charity event pipped at post in national awards
A Glasgow Caledonian University student-run themed charity event was highly commended by judges at the Scottish Events Awards.
The group of seven students, EXP Events, narrowly lost out in the Student Event of the Year category for their Las Vegas style night in aid of Ataxia UK, dubbed ‘Viva Las Vegas 2017’.
The event saw a five-a-side football venue transformed into a mock-Vegas casino, all the while operating under the small budget of £100. Over 100 guests attended the event, which raised £1,700 for Ataxia UK.
Ataxia is the name given to a group of neurological disorders that affect balance, coordination, and speech. Estimates from recent studies say there are at least 10,000 adults and around 500 children in the UK with a progressive Ataxia.
An official ambassador for the charity attended and made a speech, giving the background of Ataxia and informing them of the different means to which their fundraising efforts will be put to use.
A spokesperson for the students said: “We are delighted to have received the commendation and that our hard-work and enthusiasm in staging the event has been recognised.
“The mission of the Viva Las Vegas Event was to create a memorable experience, totally immersing our guests in a themed environment in order to raise awareness of the charity Ataxia UK.
“Despite there being around 11,000 sufferers of the condition throughout the UK, only 9% of the population have heard of the disorder. We found comfort in the knowledge that each of our guests left the event with a newfound understanding of the disability.
“Overall the event was highly successful and raised a large amount of money that will create a positive impact for the charity.”
The awards ceremony was held in Glasgow at the Grand Central Hotel on Wednesday evening, October 11.
EXP Events consisted of now third-year students studying either International Event Management or International Marketing. As part of the Event Delivery and Management module lead by GCU lecturers Jenny Flinn and Daniel Baxter last session they were tasked with staging their own event.
Project Manager: Lauren Marshall
Marketing & PR Managers: Sally Fraser & Victoria Sun
Finance Manager; Jessica Hornal
Event Operation Managers: Emma Ryan, Ewan Barker & Valerio Aloi