Grace Edwards

Responsibilities

Some responsibilities I was given during my internship included coordinating logistics with clients and vendors for events, communicating details with clients via phone and email, and designing floor plans that fit the client's needs. I also assisted in planning a variety of events like weddings, corporate parties, galas, and more.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment during my experience was working closely with a client hosting a non-profit fundraiser. I met with them multiple times in the months prior to the event to work out spacing, beverage questions, and all the fine details. On the day of the event, Prairie Moon's event manager needed to be away, so the other intern and I handled the entire evening on our own. The night was a great success, and our client was very happy with how everything went.

Learning experience

The greatest lesson I learned from my internship experience at Prairie Moon Winery was that participating hands-on is the best way to learn. The first event I ever worked with was a small wedding, and I was thrown into it, not knowing what to do. The event manager walked me through every detail of the night, and by the next event, I was doing the tasks independently. By the time I had worked at the winery for two months, I felt comfortable enough to work a smaller event all on my own. Working hands-on during the event is critical to feeling comfortable doing it individually.

What advice would you give?

A piece of advice for future students in Event Management is to reach out to companies you're interested in working with, even if they don't advertise positions or internships. More companies than you would think in corporate event management in their day-to-day activities. Another way to do this is to find event management alumni from Iowa State on LinkedIn and reach out to them for opportunities or even to make connections. Taking it one step further than Cyhire or Indeed opens the door to so many opportunities.