Halfway There

Hello everyone,

This post just reminds me of this song. Listen to this clip while you read below.

When I think of halfway there, this song reverberates through my head, though I don't know if the song provides any more parallels than that. This week represents the halfway point of my senior year, which incorporates a mixture of emotions. I wouldn't say I'm living on a prayer, rather that I'm living the dream. College makes you think, dream and desire more. You aren't asked to settle, but look beyond the average and seek the extraordinary. Oddly enough that leads students to seek life beyond these gates, which is where my emotion lies. Three and a half years at Mercyhurst have changed how I define myself. It's difficult to move away from the place that has created that definition, however because of it it's hard not to seek more. Luckily, it's only halfway there and not graduation day, because I still have four months to enjoy Mercy World (Mercy World - slag term, the world that is Mercyhurst).

The last week threw me on my butt. I'm just finally getting back with the swing as I am recovering from the flu and strep simultaneously. I have been to the doctor twice in the last week and all I can say is that the nurses at the Cohen Health Center are incredible. They are just so caring and sweet. I feel better just thinking about it!

Jan. 26, 2013 | 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. | Harbor View Miniature Golf

Finally, two week countdown until the Frozen Putt-A-Thon. I love this whole learning thing. We have been working on this since our first meeting in August and have seen our fair share of disappointment, but I am proud of our group not letting that get them down! Click the link above for more information and click to join our Facebook event.

That's all I have for you! Enjoy the second half of your January. Remember, the days only get longer from here! :-)

Thanks for reading,
Joe

Industry Articles

Hello everyone,

Happy New Year! I hope your first full week back is going swell. I'm excited to get back into the swing of things as there are many exciting activities ahead. This post is the first in a series that is actually a requirement of my Professional Development class. We have been asked to seek and post articles related to our areas of interest, so for the next several weeks I will be posting them here!

The first article was written by Chad Emerson and aligns perfectly with the book I'm reading, "The Disney Way." Emerson interviewed Vicki Johnson, the Director of Worldwide Sales and Travel Ops PR at Disney Destinations. She talks of her experiences moving to the Disney team and how great leaders inspire her, and all the other employees, to do great things. You can see a copy of the article here.

Thanks for reading, 

Joe   

Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone,

Merry Christmas! In a time of such volatility, rush and hostility may your Christmas season be capped with memories and time with family and friends. From me, the Ambassadors, RA's and the rest of the Mercyhurst family, again, Merry Christmas!

Thanks for reading,
Joe

The IAAPA Report

Hello everyone,

I've hyped it for weeks and now it's finally here, the IAAPA Report. To give you some back story, as a communication major Mercyhurst prepares us with some many tools and skills, but it leaves you free to apply those tools and skills to what ever subject or interest you want. There are thousands of communication majors who graduate ever year, but how many of them have a concentration in amusement parks? That's what I was thinking too.

IAAPA is the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions and acts as the trade organization that pulls all aspects of amusement parks, theme parks, waterparks, family entertainment centers, zoos, aquariums, casinos and museums together. Every year the association holds three expos, the Asian Attractions Expo, the European Attractions Expo and the Attractions Expo held in the U.S. This is the largest expo with 25,000 attendees, nine miles of show floor aisles and more than $47 million in economic stimulus to the Orlando area. It is the largest convention held in Orlando, which has one of the largest convention centers in the world.

I have had the pleasure for the last two years of attending the Attractions Expo in Orlando, Fl. as a Show Ambassador. The job of the Show Ambassadors is to assist in the execution of the show. Of the 2,000 applicant, only 25 were selected. For eight days the ambassadors volunteer more than 100 hours of service and have the time of their life, which completely doesn't make sense.

This year I had the tremendous opportunity to assist in the public relations execution of the show, particularly in the form of social media. My buddy Samantha and I spent the week covering the expo on twitter by sending hundreds of tweets and gaining more than 700 followers in that one week alone. I got to see almost every aspect of the show and interacted with media from Orlando and around the world as they rushed to get all the excitement of another IAAPA Attractions Expo. 

IAAPA is a very sentimental and emotional thing for me. People ask me about IAAPA and immediately I am filled with a sense of emotion. The people, the subject matter and the learning that occurs is simply overpowering. I encourage you all to look for a passion and stick with it. Because of my lack of ability to fully express my feels for IAAPA, I leave you now with my picture showcase.

Amusement park visits:

 The show floor:

 The Show Ambassadors:

Another year of learning, fun and exhaustion in the books. It was an amazing experience and I am bless to have had it.

Thanks for reading,
Joe

The Sprint

Hello everyone,

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving festivities and are well on your way to enjoying the holidays. This is an extremely busy time of year for all of us at Mercyhurst becuase not only are we just starting a new term, but we are also celebrating the holidays with events such as Breakfast with Santa, Chrisgiving and parties alike. However, next year will be a little different as students will be just about to have finals as we are switching from trimesters to semesters, but we're excited to see how the changes work out. There is always something going on around here!

I'm sorry that I have been so distant in the last couple weeks, but I assure you that I have many great updates coming soon, including a great trip report on my adventures in Florida at the IAAPA Attractions Expo. Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading,
Joe