Sydney Richardson

Major: Hospitality Management
Minor/option/emphasis: Event Management
Company/Organization: Aspen Meadows Resort
Company/Organization website: https://www.aspenmeadows.com/
Destination: Aspen, Colorado
Timeframe: Summer
Advisor/Coordinator Email: rmcclain@iastate.edu

Responsibilities

My responsibilities have varied depending on the department I have been assigned to for the day. These duties included breakfast services, banquet services, room service, as well as conference services. Within breakfast services, I was required to complete a set-up of the breakfast buffet and room, serve guests, as well as maintain cleanliness and the stock. While working banquet services, my responsibilities have included setting up for the event, passing wine and food, properly serving guests, as well as tearing down and reseting rooms for the next event that will be held there. If I was assigned to room service for the day, I would take orders and bring them to guests, drive around the Aspen Meadows campus and find used trays from guests, deliver amenities, as well as help out where I was needed in other departments. When assigned to conference services, my responsibilities included setting up coffee and food hubs, quickly cleaning rooms while groups took breaks, setting up spaces properly in preparation for events, along with communicating with others to make sure conferences are running smoothly throughout the Aspen Meadows Resort campus.

Accomplishments

I feel that I have accomplished many things throughout my summer here at Aspen Meadows. I have built my skills and knowledge of events by gaining experience through setting up, designing, and executing them. One of the big accomplishments I have had so far is building my skills in designing and making sure event spaces look aesthetically pleasant. It is a very common problem to have to fit many tables in a small room, or a large amount of food in a small space. It has been important for me to make sure these spaces still look nice while also accomplishing my job. Another major accomplishment I have from this summer is being able to properly read and understand a BEO. Understanding the BEO is something that has become crucial to properly executing events. I can read a BEO and know many things, including the group that is coming in, along with the number of attendees, the space the event will be held in, the time and date of the event, as well as contact information for both the outside group and who I can contact on the Aspen Meadows campus for questions.

What advice would you give?

My advice to future students is to get out of your comfort zone. I would not be having the same great summer if I had not stepped out of my comfort zone and did something that was scary for me. Moving to a new state and starting a new job was something that made me nervous, but I am glad that I did it. I have made new friends and professional connections that I would never of had. It is important to push yourself in order to grow and experience new things.

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