Rachel Saalsaa

Responsibilities

My responsibilities at Oakwood Occasions ranged from a large variety of things. My responsibilities were taking inventory, running errands, shopping for event materials, handling money, working events via setup/take down, calculate payroll, post event filing/bookkeeping, contacting vendors for present/future events and payments via phone and emails, and attending networking conferences. I am grateful for having such a large range of responsibilities because I have learned a great deal about events.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment from my experience at Oakwood Occasions would have to be the well rounded education I received from doing day to day responsibilities. By interning at a small event company I was able to learn how to do anything from payroll to contacting clients to taking inventory. Having a large variety of experiences from weddings to festivals has prepared me for my future career in events.

Learning experience

The greatest lessons I learned through my experience would be that successful event companies can be ran from inside your home and you always have to think on your feet in the moment. Issues in this field can arise at any minute but it is about how the event coordinator carries themselves and how fast they are able to solve the issue that changes the outcome.

What advice would you give?

If the internship does not meet your expectations do not get discouraged. Unexpected occurrences are learning lessons and make you a stronger candidate for other opportunities. That being said, keep pushing through the rough patches because you will learn a lot about yourself as well as knowledge about your intended career field.