Five Down, Five To Go: An insight into the real world (toughen up princess)

Five Down, Five To Go: An insight into the real world (toughen up princess)

This week I have reached the half way mark of my internship at an events company. With five more weeks to go, I will reflect back on the work I have done so far.

Week one was very nerve-wracking. Working with people with completely different personalities has taken some time to adjust to (something which I am still doing). The work I completed in week one included a press release on celebrity chef, Anna Polyviou for the De Lish expo as well as annotating and making notes on one of the clients websites.

The second week differed greatly and research was my sole task. I first had to research professional assistant office trends for 2016 and compile a blog post of how far that profession has come. I learnt early on the importance of asking questions as my first attempt apparently did not match the idea of my director. I’m glad I made this mistake early and have been sure to clarify any confusion BEFORE I start tasks. I’ve learnt that those who are in charge are often very busy and unfortunately can’t dedicate their time to properly teaching you, like a tutor or teacher would. I new level of independence was gained in my second week.

My third week involved emailing similar events to the De Lish expo nationally and internationally in order to find out how much they charged their exhibitors. I worked on this task for 3 days and think I know about every food event around Australia now.

The next week I was asked to proof read a registration site for any errors such as spelling mistakes as well as making sure the site functioned as it should have. I was then asked to make a call sheet with a set list of questions to keep in the office for when my directors were at meetings and the role was left for interns to answer the phone.

My fourth week involved researching exhibitors that would be at the famous Margaret River Gourmet Escape that would also fit in at an event such as De Lish. These were complied into an excel spreadsheet as always. On the Friday I was then asked to write a press release on the celebrity chefs that would be at the expo as well as mentioning the changing Perth dessert scene and how alike we have become to Melbourne’s foodie scene. I enjoyed this task.

This week I have been asked to make a ‘how to” research list for the other inters in order to make sure we are conducting the right researching methods. The importance of correct documentation in excel spreadsheets was emphasized and therefore my list features the information that is vital to be included. This includes personal emails as well as full names and correct contact details.

All in all, I frequently tell myself that the experience of this internship will be priceless when it 

comes for applying for future PR related jobs. I am always reminded about the amount of hard work that goes into running a successful events company.