Reflection written by using Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

For this project I wanted to develop an environmental friendly and socially responsible transportation plan. I was very curious to do this for complex festival, which is a two day techno festival close to my hometown.  It takes place in Maastricht and attracts 15.000 visitors each day. The objectives for this event were to have less cars and emission by having an organised bus travel and to create a safer solution for visitors to get home after the events, so they won't drive under influence. I collaborated/wroked this out for Volgas tours a travel transport company who organise travel buses to events from Zuid -Limburg, but not yet for this event. I sent out a pre-event survey to get a better understanding of attendees travel behaviour and interest.

Starting this I was very enthusiastic about the idea because this is a gap that I saw from my ownand friends experiences. The survey interested me the most and gave me great results. I did experience time pressure not because of a specific date but because I wamted to deliver something useful and helpful. I wanted to prove that I am efficient and create a networking moment that can be helpfull in the future. It was actually really nice to see that the research aligned with real industry challenges and could genuinely make a difference.

One thing that I really liked about this was in fact the relevance of in in real life. I reached my SMART goal by creating a researched plan that connects the event sector to ethical issues. Especially looking closer into safety, the environment and community. By working with Volgas tours I added authenticity to my document and was able to help and inspire someone. The survey added valuable and known but still shocking facts like the number of people driving under influence. I could have reached out to complex festival which could have provided better and more serious insights specific to the event. Besides that I  kind of slightly shifted my research focus while working. The ethically responisbility interested me more and became more logical to work out due to feasibility and data limitation as well as not really finfing electric touring busses realistic for this transport.

This project showed me great insights as a future events manager. With different challenges in the sector such as transportation planning. Because who will feel responsible for deaths if the people used at your event? It gave me logical and ethical responsibility insights.  I discovered how significantly drug use at festivals can impact road safety. Substances like MDMA, cannabis, and cocaine can stay in the bloodstream long after the effects wear off, increasing legal risks and impairing driving abilities (Drugs en Uitgaan, n.d.; NOS, 2017). So many survey participants mentioned driving back under influence showing that someone needs to step up to offer an alternative. By organising a bus transportation option there is less emission than the attendees coming by car and it is also responsible. This plan shows professional standards by balancing environmental sustainability with public safety. The potential collaboration that can happen between Volgas Tours and Complex Festival can lead to shared value.  Financial f benefits and brand awareness for Volgas tours and reputational positivity for Complex, lastly a safer and greener options for attendees.

For me this project was a success. I reached my goal and aligned it with professional ethics and challenges in the sector. I do think that a interview with complex could have added to the success. Perhaps even interviews with attendees could of made the data more valuable and qualitative. I reached my goal in the timeframe and delivered something insightful to a company in the event sector.

In the future I would probably start sooner to have more time to incorporate their research. Despite these few limitations and regrets, this project has strengthened my skills in ethical analysis, and research application and socially thinking . I now have a clearer vision and understanding of how event organisers/companies can actively contribute to sustainability and social responsibility in practical and mostly impactful ways.