Art|Tech Nights offer words of wisdom and exciting opportunities for Westmont.
Art | Tech Nights represent an opportunity for CATLab students to network and connect with professionals from across the field of higher employment. Featuring keynote addresses from a speaker in the art field and a speaker in the tech field, the Art | Tech Nights also serve as a connection point between the CATLab, Westmont, and the Santa Barbara community at large. These events, organized solely by CATLab students for the local community, are a testament to the professionalism and excellence that our workforce strives for.
In light of the great undertaking of organizing an event as big as Art | Tech Nights, CATLab members utilize their collective skills in order to ensure the success of each event. Said undertaking consists of students and staff working together to book speakers who are qualified and successful in their respective fields, selecting locations suitable and professional enough to service the event, and the actual organization and planning of the activities of the event. The planning for these highly professional events begins months in advance, ensuring that the showcase exceeds the highest of standards.
Students begin by securing a venue for the Art | Tech Night to come, meeting with and negotiating with property owners for the use of their space. Then comes an important step: spreading awareness. The creative team builds marketing materials and sends them out to the community at large, providing a preview of the event to come. Following this, all of the event is carefully planned, from the smallest of details to the largest of goals. With minimal assistance from Westmont’s events department, CATLab students rely on each other to harness their collective talents when running an Art | Tech Night. Does the event require a musical act to serve as background ambiance? Does a backdrop need to be constructed for photo opportunities? Is there a caterer willing to service an event for over a hundred individuals? If so, CATLab students are the people doing much of the legwork. They are the ones constructing the stages, shaking hands with community members and leaders, serving food and drink, and organizing professional events on par with excellence. Everything, from the food at the snack bar to the color of balloons at the portrait photography station, is considered, discussed, and selected by the CATLab team.
Finally, the day of the event arrives. CATLab members work together to transport and set up materials for the showcase, spending hours making sure the Art | Tech Night runs as smoothly as possible. Errands are run, furniture is set up, food and drinks are transported, and excitement builds as the event grows closer by the minute. After all is up and running, CATLab students finally get the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their labor as community members gather, converse, and enjoy each other in the space that students spent so long creating.
Although the students at the CATLab have worked hard the entire summer, the Art | Tech Nights allow students to demonstrate their talents and professionalism to the greater community. Meanwhile, everyone who attends enjoys an evening of music, networking, and unique insights that come from bringing together the artistic and the technical.
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