Top Tips To Become An Event Intern Pro
A key mission at my internship, Fusion Biz Co. is the importance of creating meaningful connections and building strong relationships within the community, and of course, what better way to do that than through the magic of events! But as magical as events are, there is a lot of hard work and effort that goes behind the scenes to make them come to life.
Throughout my internship experience with Fusion Biz Co. I have been lucky enough to be involved with a number of events. As a new intern I have worked through the ins and outs of event work, and upon reflecting on my experience I have learnt some valuable lessons for event planning and management which I would recommend to any public relations student.
Here are my top tips on how to run an event like a pro!
Tip #1: Make your checklist your best friend
There are always so many things to think about when planning an event, and when it’s all in your head, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. This is why a checklist will become your new best friend! It can be as simple as finding a nice template online (or using the one we received from Public Relations Techniques) and listing down all your reminders and everything that needs doing. Don’t forget! A checklist doesn’t have to be made for during the event – it can be just as helpful in the few days before. For my first event my checklist listed everything I needed to do, from the pre-event email I sent out to guests, to printing out and putting together the nametags. Have everything you need to remember in the palm of your hand, so you are able to enjoy the event knowing you wont forget something. After all – who wouldn’t want a little peace of mind?
Tip #3: In saying so… prepare to troubleshoot
No matter how organised and prepared you may be, there is always the chance of something not quite going to plan. I experienced this first-hand while interning at an event when the microphone had cut out during a speakers segment – yikes! These are times when you have to move fast, think on your feet and stay calm.
Tip #2: Use the power of social media
Think back to Public Relations Techniques when we focused on the concept and importance of new media and with reference to digital & social media – well it most certainly still applies! When you’re at your event, try to find a split moment to utilise social media. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat are all effective tools to spread awareness of your event and engage with your audience. Instagram Lives are a new way to attract viewers – especially now that 82% of users prefer watching live videos to social posts (Vimeo 2020). This is an easy tool I used during the event at my internship, that allowed Fusion Biz Co. to update and engage with their followers.
Tip #4 : Ask for feedback
You’ll probably be exhausted and happy at the end of an event, but remember – it doesn’t end there! It’s important to debrief and determine the successes of the event, and what better way to find out than by the people who attended it? There are different ways to collect feedback post-event, such as through social media, feedback cards, email follow ups and surveys. At my internship with Fusion Biz Co. one of my tasks after an event, was to gather information and data on the feedback of attendees. I did this through a Survey Monkey which I created and then linked in a follow up email to guests. This valuable information is what will help you know what went well and where might need improvement. Take all feedback on board and learn from mistakes – because why wouldn’t you want to make your next event even better than the first one?
Tip #5: Take time to enjoy
During the organised chaos of an event it can be easy to get caught up in all the tasks and happenings of the event. But remember to just STOP – and breathe! Take it all in. Remember where you are and appreciate the moment. Event work can be a stressful job but it’s important to stay calm and collected, follow procedure and enjoy the incredible experience!
Natalya 🙂
References:
Vimeo. 2020. “47 Must-Know Live Video Streaming Statistics [UPDATE]”. https://livestream.com/blog/62-must-know-stats-live-video-streaming
Thrown in the deep end – swim to survive
After completing three years of my bachelor degree and two years expertising in the field of public relations and marketing, I still don’t think there is much that could have prepared me for my first ever internship.
I have been lucky enough to land an internship opportunity with an event company, Fusion Biz Co. After a couple meetings and discussion about my role within the company, I thought I had a fairly decent idea of what my responsibilities were and what I was to expect. How wrong was I.
My first official working day happened to begin only a couple weeks prior to a major sales event Fusion Biz Co. were hosting, with two of Australia’s most renowned sales trainers and speakers – Annette and Petar Lackovic. With over 70 attendees already purchased tickets, located in a high fly riverfront venue in East Perth – I was introduced to my first project and yes – I was nervous to say the least.
I had hit the ground running. My first few meetings were ‘crash courses’ on the procedures and tasks required for the management of these Fusion events. Tasks including prior, during and after the event were run through. With little time to waste I began studying the ins and outs of what made a Fusion event come to life. And before I knew it, the tasks began to roll in. From liaising with the venue manager about the seating plan and dietary requirements, to Bcc’ing over 70 attendees a pre event email – it was all new, and for me, a major responsibility.
As the days passed prior to the event – keeping in mind it being only over a short period of time, I had learnt so much. From what seems like the simplest of things such as asking for help even when I am slightly unsure, to learning the importance of excellent organisational skills, these were all skills that I had learnt on the job and what I have later used throughout my internship experience.
The day of the big event had quickly arrived, when I was soon faced with an entirely different experience of being “thrown in the deep end”. This involved problem solving and troubleshooting, all while completing my required tasks and maintaining excellent interpersonal skills.
Something to note about my internship experience, is that Fusion Biz Co. is a small business owned and run by its founder. Although this has allowed me to develop a closer relationship with my boss, it also means that during events she is often busy mingling with guests etc, therefore making me responsible for managing the tasks on the day – often on my own. Despite this being an incredible responsibility and opportunity to develop more skills, as an intern this can be very overwhelming and challenging, which indeed it was. Despite this, I was lucky enough to have been thoroughly prepared and equipped with all the tools and knowledge I needed in order to manage the event.
In saying this, no matter how much preparation I could make, there will always be things that don’t go exactly to plan or require on the spot critical thinking. Particularly as my first ever internship, even the smallest of things could be a huge stress. A key challenge that I experienced during this event was the responsibility of making ‘on the spot’ decisions. I remember being particularly overwhelmed when people were coming to me, asking questions about the event and how I wanted things to run. Examples of this, even with something as simple as the venue staff asking me when I wanted the buffet food to be packed away or when a guest asked if I could increase the room temperature because she was feeling cold. These were all decisions and situations that were on me and depended on how I handled them. But as the event went on I began to gain more confidence and trust in myself and the skills and techniques I had learnt, not only from my placement but also during my time at university, which in turn allowed me to actually enjoy the event and appreciate the experience even more.
Here is a quick photo I took on the day of the event (mind the poor quality – it was certainly a busy day!).
Natalya 🙂
What They Don’t Tell You About Your First Internship
As most would know, all organisations are different – making all internships very different. And as nice as it would be, there is unfortunately no handbook on “how to be the perfect intern”. In saying this, there are ways to prepare you and get the most out of your experience.
So here are what you wish someone had told you before your first internship – you can thank me later!
Prepare to do the”busy” work
In most cases when applying for your internship, you’ll find in the job description something along the lines of “perform other duties where assigned”. Now this can range from administrative work, data entry, to running errands – even for those coffee runs. So don’t go into your internship expecting to be at the forefront doing all the substantive jobs, because the reality is, no matter how high your uni marks are, there’s a high chance you won’t be getting out of doing some sort of administrative tasks. In saying this, don’t just look at these jobs just as menial tasks, but take it as an opportunity to gain perspective of the organisation as a whole. It will be these simpler tasks that can help you shine, especially as the newbie – so do your best in everything you do!
Don’t be afraid to ask questions
From my personal experience, this was one of the first and most important lessons I learnt. Remember that you aren’t expected to know it all. That’s the whole point of the internship – is to learn on the job. Unfortunately your supervisor isn’t a psychic (although that would be really cool), so it is your responsibility to ask those questions you’re not sure about. From what may seem like the “silly questions” such as how to turn on the printer, to those harder hitting questions. By doing this you are clearing up any potential confusion and preventing future errors. Trust me – you’ll be doing yourself a favour!
To help with this it is greatly beneficial to find yourself a mentor. Whether it’s your designated supervisor or just the person near your desk – there’s always someone there to help you. In saying this, who says you can’t have more than more mentors? More the merrier, right? Right! Search for people that are willing to help and ask them for their insight and advice on certain tasks and projects. These will be the people that have direct experience and expertise, being the important connections and relationships you’ll make at your placement, and maybe even for the future.
Interning isn’t glamorous as it seems on the TV shows
People may often envy the glamorous lifestyles of interns that are sometimes portrayed in the TV shows and movies. However this can be slightly deceiving, particularly if you are new to the game. Although it can be fun and there may be many perks like the occasional freebie or VIP event pass, the truth is that there is a lot of hours and hard work put into a project or event behind the scenes – often making it anything but glamorous!
So as an intern you’ve got a long road ahead of you if you’re hoping for that glamorous side of the industry – but it’ll be all worth the hard work.
Don’t forget – it’s okay to make mistakes!
Lastly, but certainly not least, is that it is okay to make mistakes. If you’re going to make mistakes in your career – now’s the time! You’ll be working hard to do your best, but remember that the whole purpose of the internship is to learn. Mistakes will be expected by your supervisor, so don’t be afraid to make them or not know how to do certain tasks. Ask questions and receive feedback on where you went wrong so you know for next time. Treat every failure as a learning opportunity!
Natalya 🙂
Intern to Employee
This post marks the end of my internship with Savvy Creations PR. Over the past few days, I have been preparing myself for my departure. A few moments after I sent in my thank you and farewell email to go out on, I received a phone call offering a permanent job!
As I loved the organisation I was interning for, I wasn’t just in search for university credit and experience, but a job at the end. So, I was thrilled to be given the chance to join the team at Savvy Creations PR as an employee.
I deem this result a fusion of hard work and luck. Luck, as I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Savvy Creations was searching for an employee at the same time I was finishing my internship. And, I was lucky to suit the description of what they were looking for. And hard work as they considered me for my dedication, enthusiasm and proficiencies utilised throughout my time with them.
As I’m sure a lot of you will be finishing your internships soon, you will be wondering how to make the transition from intern to employee. So, I asked my employer what traits of mine stood out for her and made her choose me over my fellow interns. And, here are those traits you need to present to make your case.
Show you’re hungry for work
Well first of all to go from intern to employee you’ll need to do more than just deliver the standard work required. If you finish all your tasks early ask is there anything extra you can do? Or perhaps if you’ve been asked to make a social media posts, venture out from the standard platform you’ve been using and create something totally different. Are you always creating regular images on Canva? Give biteable a try and make a bomb video! Take the lead and go above and beyond expectations.
Display your willingness to jump in the deep end and give things a go
I know this goes against everything you’ve been told. As interns we are repeatedly told to ask questions. And, ask again. And ask some more. However, after speaking to my employer sometimes asking too many questions can show your lack of proficiency. By all means asks questions. It is still important to ask for help if you are unsure about something. You’re an intern, you’re not expected to know everything. But, on some occasions there is no need to ask for assistance and be spoon fed. Have a go at researching the answer yourself or learn how to use a new platform as you go. By taking matters into your own hands, you’ll portray your ability to bring value to the company and wow your employer.
Solicit feedback from your boss
Don’t limit your learning by avoiding feedback. Let your boss know that you want to get the most out of this internship. Ask them to please give you constructive criticism, as this will be the only way for you to learn and improve yourself.
Develop relationships within the company
You should develop relationships with your colleagues. Prove to them that you’re not (in most cases) a young student and that they can treat you as an equal working-class woman (or man or so on!). Take an interest into their lives. Ask how their weekend was or if they have a busy week ahead. Don’t give the impression that you are merely there to work and don’t care about their lives. However, there is a fine line between keeping it professional and not getting too personal. Once you find this appropriate niche, embrace it.
Show your gratitude for the opportunity to intern with them
As your internship is winding down, be prepared to have a discussion with your boss or send an email regarding your future with the company. Your supervisor is not always going to make the effort to check in with you, so you need to take matters into your own hands. The conversation could go two ways. With one discussing possible employment for you at the firm or the other just highlighting what you’ve learnt and will take away from your internship. Either way, it is important to thank your boss for the support and guidance and for the opportunity they have given you. Showing gratefulness always leaves a positive impression.
So, next time you are at your internship, keep the above traits in mind. And, if you don’t get offered a job, do not worry, you still gained valuable skills, useful networks, improved your resume and gained experience. Which all increase your chances of landing that dream job you’ve been wanting!
The R Word
I’ve been thinking about Serena Williams a lot.
And let me first say, I don’t really think about her too often. Where five years of junior tennis failed to instil in me a love of the sport (or any kind of proficiency at it), I developed a healthy respect for Serena, and Venus, and any player who could consistently serve a tennis ball powerfully across the net with all the strength my noodle arms could never muster. But that still didn’t mean I thought about her very much during my normal everyday life.
No, the reason I’ve been thinking about Serena lately is due to the recent sexism and racism scandals she is surrounded by. The clearly different treatment of her from her non-black, non-female tennis peers when it comes to policing her outfits, to declaring her standing up for herself in her recent match against against Naomi Osaka a ‘temper tantrum’.
It struck a chord with me because I too have experienced racism and sexism in the workplace, and even while searching for an internship for this unit. I was discriminated against because of my name.
Let me explain.
I’d left a message at a firm enquiring about internships and accidentally signed off as Tilly, my nickname amongst close friends. I received a follow up call from the Director who was very interested – they had a lot of work cropping up in the next few months and could use an extra hand. We talked for a good ten or fifteen minutes about my experience and background in digital marketing, the kinds of tasks I’d done and the experience I had (copywriting yes, website design no).
Things felt like they were going well! I really ‘clicked’ with the Director over the phone, and was asked to come in for an interview. Then, when the phone call was wrapping the Director asked to take down my name.
Suddenly, there were a lot more questions: how good was my writing? My written and verbal communication? How long had I been in Australia? Did I go to school here? And some more. You see, this is my name:
Thilini Gunaratne
Or, my full legal name:
Thilini Hashanthi Niunhella Appuhamilage Don Gunaratne
(Fun fact – I get an extra page on my passport to fill all of it in!)
A not so fun fact is the subtle racism that it tends to attract on a near daily basis. These questions were born specifically out of my name. Nothing in our previous conversation really raised a question about my communication skills, but just having a foreign sounding name did. And that is still racism.
And sure, it’s not the racism of America, where politicians are trying to build walls and police are shooting people just for being a different race. But even though there’s no loss of life here, being discriminated against in job searching is systematic, and has very real socioeconomic consequences.
It’s difficult to see something that’s hidden – especially when legislation dictates racial discrimination in hiring illegal. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still happen, and happen often.
Just think of Agnok Lueth, a Sudanese-Australian and Swinebourne University biomedicine graduate with rich work experience, volunteering and the ability to speak three languages – a model job applicant in anyone’s eyes. After 1,000 applications under his real name with no response, he started submitting his resume under his name and the alias Daniel McClean and found only the white Anglosaxon name received callbacks.
It might not seem like a big deal, but it’s by no means an isolated case – it’s been proven time and time again, globally. Resume racism is real, and the research proves it. An ANU study found that an applicant with a Chinese name will need to apply to 68% more jobs than a white applicant to receive their first callback. When minority candidates need to apply for more jobs in order to receive the same number of interviews – the same number of opportunities? That’s racism.
Entrenched discrimination in hiring like this is what leads to an ongoing race wage gap – a gap that hasn’t changed in 35 years.
Is this the future I have to look forward to as a graduate in Australia? Or even throughout my career?
Sadly, it looks like it. A recent study found that corporate boardrooms do not reflect the diversity of Australia. In a country where 73% of the population claims a British heritage boardroom members claim 96%, which really doesn’t bode well for my boss lady CEO dreams.
Because at the end of the day, what if it wasn’t a phone call where I could quickly mediate those concerns with a quick, ‘oh yes I’ve been here all my life, I grew up in Kalgoorlie! My english is great, my last degree is in law so you’d hope I was good with language! Oh I went to an academically selective school so my English is definitely okay!’
What if my resume landed on a desk and I wasn’t there to defend myself, and one look at my name got me culled?
I’ve tried to see things from an alternate perspective. PR is a communication heavy field, so you want to ensure that anyone working for you has exemplary skills in the English language. But that’s not exactly signified by a name is it? After all, I’ve met some international students with a much better grasp of grammar and syntax than me, and some very Australian students who could barely string a sentence together.
And it’s not just racism – it’s sexism too. Did you know that Taylor Swift’s stockbroker parents purposefully chose a gender neutral name for her so that “when she grew up and applied for jobs in the male-dominated finance industry no one would know if she were male or female.” So good luck to you if you’re both a minority and female.
The next question is what can we even do about it? I’ve thought about a lot of things, from legally changing my name – which sounds extreme but it’s been done before for this exact reason, moving to somewhere a little more racially accepting, changing my name on my resume but not legally, or even adding a photo to my resume to showcase how ‘western’ I look.
The saddening thing is none of us should have to do this, and the only thing that would really solve the problem is for society to change. Demanding change, getting loud and making noise about an issue which deserves outrage. But even that is a risk – you could be seen as a liability and never being hired in your field again, no matter if you’re a fresh grad with no experience or credibility, or Colin Kaepernick.
To be honest, I have sincere doubts that anyone is still reading – that the minute this blog turned racial, a lot of people clicked away. And that’s fair enough. It’s an uncomfortable topic, and most people would rather believe that Australia is not as racist as border wall building, EU leaving rest of the world. But just because it’s not fun to think about, but that doesn’t stop it being a reality for the 30% of Australian’s who identify as ethnically diverse.
Anyone that knows me knows that I like to try to be positive, and I definitely try to look for the best in all situations. Today, I just can’t.
Are you in my situation? What would you do to manage this issue?
If you’re not in my situation, did you know about resume racism before? What kind of conversations can you have with the people you know to raise awareness about this issue? What can you do to help?