First week, Personality Test, and Auction

This week I started as an intern at Perfect Productions. From now until May I will be here every Tuesday and Thursday learning about the company, industry, and planning. Over the past few weeks I had been able to come in and get a little bit of a head start by meeting with the previous interns to start work on the Bachelor & Bachelorette Auction we will be having in April, so on Tuesday I met with Jillian, the other intern, and caught her up to speed. We then met with Brian and Elissa to get a basic overview of what would be expected of us in the next few months. In our meeting with then, they gave us further information on what had been accomplished on the event up to that point. They also gave us our handbook and explained different tasks we would be responsible for each week.

The first thing we had to do after our meeting with them was take the DISC personality test. The test includes a series of phrases and we had to say which were most like us, and which were least like us in each set. After completing all 28 sets, the tally at the end tells you what is most like you. According to this, I fell in to the Compliance category. Most of what it says about me seems to be true. By taking this test I was able to have characteristics about myself that I may not have noticed, brought to my attention which was interesting to me, and a little scary when I thought about how accurate certain parts were. I am an analytical person who is often times very careful and precise in what I do. I also tend to have high standards. A weakness though, is that I do need clear-cut boundaries for actions and relationships. I think doing this test was a great way to start off so that I could not only learn more about myself, but also compare myself to everyone else in the office and see how we will work together.

After taking the test, our focus for the rest of Tuesday and all of today has been on the Bachelor & Bachelorette Auction, "Buy a Date & Be the Change". Together Jillian and I are responsible for everything related to the event. It is a fund raising event with a portion of the proceeds going to the Petit Family Foundation. We will be having it at the Zen Bar in Plainville, CT on April 22nd. Tuesday we went to Zen Bar to meet with the owner and go over some details of the event. Getting the date finalized on Tuesday was really important because now we can move forward with fliers, applications, donations, etc. Without the date, everything had been a standstill. Today we finished up most of the paperwork we need in order to get applicants and sponsors for the event and are making alot of phone calls.

I can't believe how fast Tuesday and Today have gone by. I feel like I have already learned so much in just the few things we have taken on, from how to properly set up and word a professional letter, to how to make a phone call and sound professional, to the importance of double and triple checking documents. There is a lot of work to be done and I look forward to the next couple of months and seeing how our event turns out.

Introduction

After four years of college and only three more months to go until graduation, I have finally found the perfect internship. I know how common it is for a little girl to have a moment where she realizes she wants to grow up and become a wedding planner or an event planner. Of course, I was one of those little girls. Throughout my college experience I have taken every leadership opportunity possible and every time I find myself being heavily involved in the planning and executing of events. When I had just two years of college and leadership planning under my belt, my mother gave me my dream task: plan her wedding to my step-father. After eight months of endless vendor phone calls, color coordination decisions, meal tasting and trips to florists, I had finally helped her put together her second wedding, but by far the most perfect wedding for her. It was after the wedding was over that I realized if I could get a foot in the door with event planning, this would be my perfect fit as well as my dream job.

After tirelessly searching for an internship, I came across Perfect Productions and knew it was the right fit. I was thrilled when I was offered an internship for this spring semester; my final semester of college.

Being a public relations major at Quinnipiac University I have been able to explore different aspects of PR, as well as other marketing and communication departments. Having taken courses in Non-Profit PR, Internet Marketing, Business-to-Business Marketing, MK & PR campaigns and Services PR & Marketing, I have had the opportunity to create my own non-profit organization from scratch and complete all of the necessary PR and marketing, as well as take a corporation like Elvis Presley Enterprises and create an entirely new public relations and marketing campaign.

The internship program at Perfect Productions is structured perfectly so that each week we are relating what we're learning through the analysis of case studies to the projects that we are working on. As well, there will be daily blogs regarding my experiences. While I am confident that my past experiences and classes will benefit me during my time at Perfect Productions, I am beyond excited to take on the challenges and learn everything that I can.

I look forward to the next three months and all that it's going to offer.

Writing a professional letter

Kate and I were given the task to write a letter of approval for a fund raising event we will be hosting. We wrote the letter together and first submitted it to Elissa, Brian and Amanda. Once they went over the letter we wrote we had a meeting with them and they talked to us about what a proper professional business letter should consist of and what it should look like. This was the first time both Kate or I have written a letter in the business field so it took some practice and critiquing from them to help us understand how the letter should look. We learned that the letter needs to include specifics about the event and a background about our company and what we do. We also needed to add information about Elissa and ourselves. The revised letter had more of a professional flow and gave a better idea about what the event would entail. It was more to the point and someone who was not planning the event would have an idea of what exactly we are trying to plan. We also learned that writing the letter we needed to address the letter to the entire company and not just a single member of that specific foundation. Seeing the revised letter really put in perspective how important a single letter can be to not only our company but also to the company we are sending it to. It shows who we are and that letter will be what represents us before we communicate with the foundation as a whole in any other way.

Stuff in my toolbox

Part of my time here at Perfect Productions is working on assignments in my binder. One of these assignments is that I am stuck on a deserted island and I have to run an event. If all I had was the set up event and my toolbox, what would I bring in my toolbox so that I could fix any problem that arises during the event. Many of the things I would have in my toolbox correspond with different types of events.
For every event no matter what it is there are always the basic necessities that you would need. For my basics I would choose a first aid kit in case anything small goes wrong that can be easily dealt with. Also I would have walkie talkies for everyone working the party, that way we can all be in contact with each other if necessary at any time. I would definitely need to have my planner and notebook with all of the information to go with that event, and the phone numbers of people I would need to be in contact with who are attending the event. Pen, pencil, and a black sharpie are very important to write anything down in my planner. Having almost all the necessities of an office in my toolbox will be helpful if anything seems to go wrong like scissors, double sided tape, glue, safety pins, and a sewing kit. Anything can go wrong from the decorations being ripped or falling, to a broken heel or ripped dress or suit.

Some things I have thought of only pertain to a few choice events. I would need floral tape and floral pins. If anything were to go wrong with a bride bouquet or the boutonnieres on the wedding party I would be able to fix them. I would bring a calligraphy pen for a fancy wedding or gala in case something with name tags, or place settings were wrong. Every persons name is not going to be perfect and some people were bringing someone they weren’t planning on or depending on the event someone may have just come. Also, ribbon has so many different uses. I would bring ribbon the same color as the event to fix many things, it may fix the bouquet again, it may fix a dress, and it may fix part of a table setting or a piece of decoration. With a wedding it is important that everyone looks good. I would need to have an extra of almost anything a bride would need, including hair supplies like a curling iron and hairspray, along with make up and deodorant and everything to earring backs. If the bride can remember anything its how beautiful she was and how she felt that day.

A couple other things I would bring for me, or anyone at the event that needed it are deodorant, mints, feminine products, medicine like Advil and Excedrine headache, eye drops, nose spray in case of a bloody nose, hand sanitizer, a lint roller, bobby pins, a contact kit for those who have contacts and they needed to clean it or even for me if anything were to go wrong with mine, and tissues. These are all items that more people would need during an event at anytime if something were to go wrong with a person rather than the whole event.

When thinking about business I would bring a few extra things to network, and market a little. If someone is impressed with the event it is likely they will think to go to you for their next event they need planned. I would always bring business cards, if someone is impressed I would want them to know that I did it and I would be more than happy to plan their next event. I would also bring a camera, that way I can make a book or some kind of poster to show new clients that come into the office so they can see what kind of events I have done.

There are many things I would need to have with me to fix an event or make it run smoothly, however these are just a few. There are many things I could fix with these items, but not everything can be fixed in an event. Some things may go wrong that you can not fix with just the things you brought, but for little mishaps, these items will help to fix the problem and help the event run smoothly.

Tool Box assignment

As an intern I was given an assignment to complete that would force me to think outside the box. I was given the toolbox project to help me understand what is important for event planners to bring with them to any event. These items were to be thought of as if i were on a deserted island and all that was with me was what I brought in my toolbox. A few things I would bring are.

The first thing I would bring is a planner I choose this because in order to stay on task and know what needs to be done when, you must have you event scheduled with exact times written down and when different things need to be done. The next thing that would be important would be a writing utensil such as a pen or pencil this is important because you will need to write down things as they come up or as they change from what you had previously planned. The event will not always flow smoothly and change is possible to occur no matter how organized you may be. I also thought that a first aid kit would be extremely important not only for the fact that someone may get hurt or need something from the kit but also because if your doing an event such as a wedding and the bride's shoes are giving her blisters a band aid would be the perfect way to help fix that.

I would also bring a sewing kit to fix any rips in clothes, to pin any dresses that may not fit properly or any of the table centerpieces that may need fixing such as a table cloth that is to long. Along with the sewing kit scissors, a ruler and safety pins will also be necessary for any last minute fixings that may need to be done. Another important item that I would bring is a watch or a clock. I would bring this becuase being an event planner means staying on a schedule and staying on time while you are doing the event.

The next thing to bring is a cell phone this is important because it is important to keep in touch with everyone who is involved with the event and keeping everyone on task throughout the planning process as well as when you are actually at the event. An extension cord will also be important in case something is brought to the event and needs a place to be plugged in or if there our outlets but the item you are using will not reach. I would bring a few of my business cards to help with the networking of my company and as a way to get my name out there to anyone else who plans on having a party they need planned. I feel that bobby pins, hair brushes and combs and hair spray are also very necessary because if you are doing a wedding and a bride or groom or anyone in the wedding party needs to fix their hair they will be all set. Tissues and hand sanitizer are also very important to have in your toolbox not only for health reasons but also if someone is crying at an event having tissues on hand are key.

These are just a few of the things I would keep in my toolbox while I am at an event.

Goals

As I have been working as an intern I have come up with a few different goals for myself while working at Perfect Productions.

I want to accomplish the understanding and the procedure of what it takes to plan a successful event. As I started my internship I was given tasks such as calling different vendors for quotes on prices for different things, this helped me to feel comfortable talking with people over the phone and learning the correct ways to talk to someone in a business setting. I need to ask questions when I don’t understand or when I need assistance with a task given to me. I was also given a task to plan an event along with the other two interns. We were given the event and it is up to us to plan the entire event and call stay in touch with one and other to make sure everyone is on the same page with the event. I must also stay in touch with my boss and the owner of the specific venue we are holding the event at. Because this event is being done to help raise money for a specific foundation we must also contact different restaurants and other vendors to help with donations. It is also my duty to come up with the décor for the event, creating centerpieces and the other décor needed for the event.A few different resources will be extremely necessary throughout the entire planning process. I will need the help from the other interns because we are working on this event together and we must all agree on the different things that are being put into the event such as the décor and who we are going to ask donations from. I also will need the help from my boss’s each of them are very easy to work with and are always eager to help whenever they can. The internet will also be crucial because I do need to look up different restaurants and vendors that can be used as donations. Calling different people is also very important because I have learned how it is so important for me to communicate with others and to keep everyone up to date on what we are doing and what we have been working on for the particular event. To accomplish this goal I will have to work carefully with everyone involved, if one small detail is left out the entire event can be changed, staying organized and on task is also detrimental to the event. Knowing exactly what needs to be done and when it needs to be done will show not only the person you are planning the event for how on task you are and how much you are really concerned with the quality of the event but in the long run it will also help you to know what the next step is in planning the event you may be working on.

My next goal is I want to be a part of the planning process and work through all of the obstacles event planners must go through for each event they plan. To accomplish this goal I will need to work hard not only with the other interns but also with my boss’s all of their extra support and assistance will be vital to the success of the event. When something seems to be going wrong while planning the event it will be very important to communicate with everyone involved with the event and making sure everyone is on the same page. The resources that will help me most with this goal are the people I am working with, whether it is the client, my co workers or vendors and different venues communication is crucial to success while planning events.If everyone is on the same page throughout the event and there are little to know conflicts about what is going on while we are planning the event I will know that I accomplished my goal. Also if I can work through the obstacles that may come with the planning process and fix any errors that may arise, leaving the client happy I will know my goal has been achieved.

Finally I hope to see the behind the scenes work at events and what makes an event flow smoothly every step of the way. With the event that was given to me and the other interns to complete I am seeing how much work really goes into planning an event, even though the person you are planning it for only sees the outcome minus all of the stress and hectic schedules that must be followed. I will be coming back to my internship site for the actually event to see how all of the work prior pays off. The resources I will use are my co workers and the help from everyone in the office; I will also have to work closely with the venue director who will help largely with the setting up of the event and also working with us as a partner throughout the event. I will also have to call different vendors for donations and finding quotes on different items needed for the event. I will know if I accomplished this goal because if while I am at the event and everyone knows exactly what they need to be doing and when they need to do it, everything will be running smoothly and even if it is hectic while planning the event, the outcome and the happiness of the clients are really the only thing that matters.

Communication and Organization

Right now Margie and I are working on a business class bachelor and bachelorette fund raising auction. It is really our event to roll with however Margie and I will be leaving on Friday. Next week another intern, Nicole, starts and she will take over for us while we are at school. Throughout the last week we have kept in contact with Nicole through email and phone calls so that there is no gap when we leave and she comes. Nicole even came in to meet with us on Friday so she could see everything we had done and even help us out with fixing what we had done as well as ideas on how to move forward.

Meeting with Nicole was a good thing for all three of us. We got to go over everything we have done and make that perfect so we can all agree, and work on some new things all together while she was in the office. After Margie and I leave we will still be involved with the event, we are just switching roles. Nicole will be here in the office and keeping in contact with us to get our input. We will all meet together again at the event to make sure it all runs smoothly.

Planning an event like this can be tricky but everything will work out great as long as we can communicate with each other well and often. I know I will still want to be very involved in every aspect of the event while I am at school, just as Nicole wants to be a part of it now. With us leaving Nicole needs to know everything that we have worked on so far so we need to tell her when we make new decisions or do something new, as well as keep everything in the office about the event organized and safe and easy for Nicole to pick up when she arrives.

Margie and I were so excited when we got this event and were very happy that we were going to get to continue with it. We will work as much as we can on this auction before we leave, and get to see it through which is a great learning experience and we all get to see and learn the importance of communication in all businesses. Even just this morning we had a meeting with Brian to let him know everything that we did for the last week while he was gone. He told us just how important it was to keep everything we had organized and clear so he or anyone else could find what they needed.

Communication and Organization are some of the most important things when planning and event with a team. You may understand where something is and what was going on in you head, but anyone else is not going to know where anything is and what you have done so far so they don't need to do it.

Rose Meanings

For an event Perfect Productions put on this weekend I was asked to look up the meaning of different rose colors. Many people don't know that each color has their own special meaning. Even the different shades of colors can mean different things. Some people may know the meanings of the popular and usual roses, however there are some funky ones out there that are not as well known.

Red roses most commonly mean love, beauty, courage and respect, "I Love You", and passion. A single red rose means "I love you" and if the red is very dark or burgundy then it means unconscious beauty.

Pink roses generally mean perfect happiness. However dark pink roses mean appreciation, gratitude, and thank you, when Light Pink is a sign of admiration, sympathy, gentleness, grace, gladness, joy, sweetness.
White roses are a sign of purity, innocence, silence, secrecy, reverence, humility. They are often found on grave stones and at funerals because of their solemn meaning. However found at a wedding white roses mean happy love.

Yellow roses mean joy, gladness, friendship, delight, and promise of a new beginning. If this yellow rose is tipped with red then it means friendship and falling in love. Even having different color tips can mean something else.

As for non well know roses they all have their own separate meanings as well. Orange can be a sign for passion, desire, enthusiasm, and fascination. A lighter orange or peach means serenity and modesty. Purple or lavender flowers mean love at first sight and enchantment. Blue roses are a sign of unattainable or impossible, and black flowers mean death and farewell.

All different kinds of roses have different meanings, some colors not well known at all. In fact some of these roses are not seen very often in everyday life. Not many other flowers have meanings for each of the colors, so roses have become even more popular to give to others.

Open your mouth!

Today we had a meeting with Brian and Amanda to discuss what we have been working on while Brian and Elissa were out of the office last week. I learned how important it is to open my mouth especially in this business. If there are questions that need to be answered the only way they will be is if I ask. Both Brian and Amanda stressed the importance of sticking up for ourselves, if we just sit back and watch everything that goes on we aren't making a name for ourselves or getting anywhere. This business is all about networking which is what I have learned from this internship, the only way to network is to open your mouth and talk to people. If you don't then you will be sorry in the long run when you either don't have the vendor you could have if you made a phone call like someone at another company may have done. Its competition and to compete with other companies and other people you need to make a name for not only yourself but also for your entire company. If questions are not asked then how will you find an answer? It is much easier for you to ask and continue working on tasks than to not ask and sit and wait around while you could be working on the things that need to get done. This meeting was extremely beneficial because I now know that questions do come up and its okay to ask them. It shows that you want to learn and you want to get things done, rather than just letting the questions pile up so you can't work on the important things that need to be done. Not only was it beneficial for this internship it was also very helpful to hear this for my own life. Hearing Amanda and Brian continue to stress the importance of asking questions and making a name for myself helps me understand that I can't just watch I have to learn to take actions into my own hands and do what needs to be done.

Apples to Apples

Today in the office we did a team building activity as a part of the FISH philosophy. Part of FISH is getting the whole office together to do an activity of some kind, or doing something new to become closer in the office and even get to know each other a little more. Today Margie and I presented Amanda and Brian with the game Apples to Apples. Anyone who has played Apples to Apples knows how fun and hilarious it can be, but not a lot of people take the time to think of how good the game is for other purposes. Apples to Apples was a creative way to bring our office together and to have fun.

In the FISH philosophy there is a part that is called "Be Here Now". This means that all people should be together and take the time to be involved in something other than work. Today we are the only four in the office and we all sat down together at a table to engage in playing the game. Even though we only played for a little while it broke up the day and got me really in the mood to get back to work. In apples to apples everyone is involved at all times, whether playing a card or judging a group of cards. Most of them are funny, and you can really get to know the poeple around you playing it. It can be a great ice breaker when meeting new people as well. During orientation my first week of college I played with a bunch of girls on my floor, we laughed, got to know each other and everyone's personalities. It was a great way to get involved.

Another part of FISH is to "focus on one person at a time" and that can also be seen when playing this game. One person judges everyone's cards which means everyone is focusing on the judge and what hes going to pick, as well as the judge is focusing on each and every card to pick the best one that suits the word and their personality.

Apples to Apples has nothing to do with what our company does, but that it what was so great about it. Its Monday noon time and everyone is a little slow. To break up the day and play fifteen minutes of a game that made us laugh and get to know each other was awesome. We had a lot of fun and I already feel closer with my co workers. We are all in good moods now and are ready to go on with a productive day and rest of the week.

Today it was just Amanda and I in the office and we went over some of the things I have done for the bachelor and bachelorette auction. I learned some very important and extremely necessary tips for writing a business letter and when making fliers for different events. My task was to write a letter to the Petit Family Foundation asking them for approval for us to hold the event and have donations given to their foundation, before I was able to send the letter in Amanda, Elissa and Brian were sent the letter so that they could check it and make sure it met the standards of the company. This was such an excellent project because I had to keep in mind what the company stands for and how I would be representing Perfect Productions in this letter. Today Amanda went over the letter with me and talked to me about how when writing a business letter its important to have a letter header, and how the set up of a professional business letter should look, with the companies address at the top and the company that the letter concerns below it. Once Amanda taught me the correct way and seeing how much more professional it looked compared to the rough draft i did i was surprised how one small change would be so important.
The next thing I did today was create a flier for fund raising event. This was another task that I learned from. I created a flier previously this week but knew it wouldn't suffice. When Amanda showed me different examples of fliers they had used in the past I could see a huge difference from the one I initially made. I spent a lot of time trying different formats out to see which would look best for this particular event. Once I found a template that I liked I worked on adding all of the information and logistics that coincide with the event. For example the time of the event, the date, the location and of course what the event is and what it is benefiting.

Both of these different things really helped me see how by changing one simple task it can make a huge difference to the way people view your company. Taking a little extra time to make a letter or a flier or anything else you may send out is something I have learned to be extremely important.

Setting the perfect menu

As an intern at Perfect Productions one of my assignments is to create a themed menu. This assignment is one that is both fun and exciting, also I would think that nobody's menus will be the same. The first step in creating a themed menu is to first have a theme for the party or event. Depending on the size of the event the amount of options that will be served is crucial to those details. Once the theme of the event is set and the portions are instilled, it is important to then decide how many courses will be served. If its a small get together are they serving only hors'dourves or is it a full four course dinner? Once that is decided you can then pick the foods and drinks that will be served. The menu should relate to the theme and have foods that can be in relation to what theme is going on for the entire event. Creating an event that has a menu and a theme that are coincided with one and another can really make the whole event much more exciting and fun for not only the guests but also the person who is planning the event. It gives the planner a chance to use creativity and their own personal style to create an event that everyone will love.

How to Write a Engagement Announcment

There are a few certain things that need to be included into an engagement announcement.

First there needs to be the names of those who are getting married, and their parent's names. It is important to put where the parents live because then people reading the newspaper will know why. Also putting where the ones getting married are living at the moment. A picture of the couple would be a great touch, and readers will like to see.

Having a little biographical blurb about the bride and groom is a good thing because it lets the reader get to know a little bit about their lives and how the couple met. In this section there will be the schools they attended, and what their current occupations are. It will let the reader know what the bride and groom have done with their lives. Most people will want to know where they will live and what they plan on doing after the wedding as well.

Giving the details of the wedding can be very important. Maybe if an old friend saw this and wanted to go to the ceremony to congratulate the couple they would be able to know where and when it is. If you give everyone the date and time of the wedding then you would also need to add in what people should wear. Not all weddings are the same attire, and it is important to know what to wear.

If the town is small there are some other important details to add. The officiant's name, names of the family members in the wedding, names of those in the wedding parties, and where the reception is. All of these are interesting to people who know the family well.

An engagement announcement is really to ones own discretion, however there are some important things that need to be involved. They should not be too long, and too intense so no one wants to read it. However it needs to be informative, and not leave the reader with questions to ask.

Importance of networking

Today I went to a guest speaker at the Chamber of Commerce in Bristol Ct. The guest speaker was Kathy McAfee and she spoke about women in business. It was very interesting and I feel that I learned so much from her. As I was listening to her speak about the importance of networking I was also able to relate to what she was explaining to us because as I have been working at Perfect Productions Amanda has also explained to us how important networking is. One of the most beneficial things I learned from Kathy was when you are networking you are representing yourself and what you and your business has to offer. I also learned how important it is to get comfortable and know I can be myself when networking, to have conversations with the people you are networking with and find commonalities between you and the person you are working with. When talking to people who may be future clients it is important to “perfect your pitch” and in doing this you make an initial name for yourself and that is what people will remember from you. When starting presentation to clients ask them a question that relates to your company for example, “Do you want your wedding to be one everyone will remember?” By doing this it creates a way for the people to become engaged and you catch their attention. I also learned that by giving someone a proper handshake can really make or break the connection you have with that person. Giving a firm handshake shows how you feel about yourself and your self confidence; giving someone a weak handshake can send off a timid impression of yourself. I learned so much from this and I now know how important it is to be myself when I am talking to people and not be afraid to talk to people.

We are also working on a fund raising auction to help benefit the Petit Family Foundation; it is going to be a bachelor and bachelorette auction. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to get the event ready, I have learned a lot about how important it is to keep contacting everyone involved and to make sure everyone is on the same page with what is put into the event. I am very excited to continue to work on this specific event, with local restaurants, store’s and radio stations involved with it.

Easy and inexpensive scrap booking tips!

This week Margie and I got started on a project to make a scrapbook of former events Perfect Productions has done, almost as a portfolio. Scrap booking is easy and most of the things around your house can create a great scrapbook page, or little things can be used to make the page more special.

When creating a scrapbook for a baby, the best way to make it personal and special is to have the baby's hand prints or foot prints. When looking back in years seeing the hand or footprints will be an inexpensive special touch.

Most households have at least one Hawaiian lei that is not being used. Either left over from a birthday party, or Halloween it is underused and taking up space. To cut down on the clutter, you can cut it up and make it a border for a scrapbook page of a vacation, that birthday party, or the Halloween it is left over from even. This gives the page a little extra depth, color, and creativity while cutting down on clutter not used in your house with no cost to you.

One of the best scrap booking tricks I can give you is to save as much as you can from vacations, birthdays, holidays, and family parties. These can be used as great decor on a scrapbook page! If you keep each event for a page in a folder then nothing gets lost, and you will be able to go back and quickly make a page! I went to Florida on vacation with my family, and I saved EVERYTHING. When I came home to make my scrap book it took very little time and was a fun way to remember the vacation. My pages were full of pictures, Disney and Sea World Tickets, and even score cards from my putt putt games. When looking back on it I'll remember those days at the parks and when I finally beat my brother in mini golf! They are special to me, and tell a story of how my vacation was. The only purchases I had to even make were letter stickers and glue!

Scrap booking is easy and can be very affordable. Some scrap books you see will be full of stickers and other accessories that add up in expenses. Maybe pick a couple pages to have special stickers from the store, or 3d accessories, like a big milestone in your life. The best part about a scrapbook is to tell a story of your experience, and to be able to look back and remember. If you take your own things, you will save money and it will be more homemade and genuinely special to you!

What I have been working on.

As I have been interning here at Perfect Productions I have learned how important communication is to a company and how working together with everyone involved in the company is the only way things will get done on time and correctly.
So far this week I have contacted different travel destinations and updated our supply of brochures from each of those different places. This was a great learning experience for myself and it taught me to have confidence talking with people over the phone. I was also asked to contact a vendor about a product Perfect Productions is going to use in a future event for a centerpiece. Doing this task taught me that I would have to call more than just one vendor to get prices and availability of different products. It also taught me how it doesn’t take only one phone call to a company to answer all of the questions that you need to be answered, and being persistent is important in this industry. I learned that communicating with Elissa and Amanda about this particular product is also very important because they both know exactly what they want and what they need, this is another aspect of how important communication is. The next task I was given was to sort pictures, newspaper articles, tickets, invitations and other items that were important to particular events and get them put into organized piles in relevance to each event. Once Elissa looks over all of the piles I will then be working on scrapbooking everything so that Perfect Productions has their own copy and so that interested clients come to the company for assistance in planning an event they have something to look at as an example of what previous events were planned by Perfect Productions.
Today I was asked to make photo copies of different purchase orders, hole punch them and put the original back in the binder and give the copy to Amanda who then filled them away. I then had to separate bank statements and but them into individual piles according to the account number. While I was making the photo copies of the purchase orders I learned that we were doing it to help organize what had been bought and the amounts of money that had been spent. This helps keep everything balanced.
I have been learning so much already about organization, working with others and how to complete tasks when assigned. I am having so much fun working in the office with people who care so much about their job and how the business is run. Although, it is a serious job and things must get done and they must get done right, everyone is very nice and knows how to have fun and make you laugh.

Learning Goals

My internship with Perfect Productions is very short so it is especially important for me to have certain goals to strive for so I can stay focused and learn as much as possible. I have come up with a couple goals to grow in the hospitality industry and also in myself.

First off I would like to get over my fear of calling people on the phone. I know it’s not scary; however I am still hesitant to do it. In my three days here I have already made many phone calls to receive brochures to show clients so they can decide where they would like to travel. I have also made phone calls to companies in which we are trying to buy one of their products. I had to call to find all the information about the product and shipping so that we will know the exact price, and when it will get to us. After I got into the mode of calling people it got easier, but then next morning it was just as nerve racking to call that first person. I am going to need to call vendors and get to know their information to develop a vendors list while I’m here, and if I am scared I will not be able to do as well as I want. I hope to get over my fear of that first call and to have fun with all of them from the beginning.

I want to learn a ton about marketing and networking because it is so important to hospitality. We need to get our name out there and make contacts so that our client base will expand. I feel these are very important and it would be a good skill for me to have. On Friday morning I will be going to my first “business after hours” event to network and get new business cards from others in the industry. I am so far not very good at networking and I am excited to learn more about it and how to act, this way I actually get a chance to. If I can be good at networking then I can move onto become better at marketing a company. Marketing is another skill I know very little about but it important because since there are so many event companies out there, you need something that will draw in a client. You must reel in the client in the first couple minutes to keep them interested and ultimately become a client of your company. A big part of getting a companies name out there is the internet. This is a very good example. We are letting everyone know what is going on in our company and it gets people interested. Also if we put good ideas up here a person can try at home and they like it, the next time they have a party there is a good chance that person will come to our company. Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and other online networking sites are great marketing tools to get to know the company, and also the people who work there.

What I’m most excited and interested in learning is what it takes to be an event planner. I am only a freshman in college and I have a rare opportunity to learn what it takes when I still have so much to learn in classes. I want to learn all aspects of what preparation goes into an event, and how events are run after all is settled. Also I would like to learn about what happens with money and the accounting part of the company. I have learned so far that it is important to have everything organized and to keep everything, and keep it safe. We don’t want anything to be lost or out of place. Another thing about organization is everything kept from events. Yesterday we got to organize everything into which event they came from, this way a scrapbook or portfolio in a way can be made to show future clients, which is another way of appealing to the customer. It will catch their attention and the client can see what we do and how good we are at it. This is more likely to get the customer than sitting around explaining what we can do and what we have done.

However, my major goal is to be a good intern and help out as much as I can. The more I can do in the office, they more I am going to learn about this lifestyle, and the more prepared I’ll be to find a job after graduation.

About Me

Today is my first day interning at Perfect Productions. My name is Kate, and I am a freshman at Endicott College in Beverly Massachusetts. I am Majoring in Hospitality Management focusing in event planning. So far I have not learned much about event planning specifically, however the next three weeks I am excited to learn all I can. So far my experience has been learning about the company and what I will be doing here. During my three weeks here I will be blogging about things I have learned, done, or researched about in the industry. While I am here I will be able to expand my contact list, talk to venders and venues, and be able to have my first office experience. I am most excited about helping out with events, and being able to market the company. Today is just the first day, so most of my work will be small. I will be sorting a wine list for future clients, going through information from trade shows, and calling magazines to recieve their newest issue to replace our outdated ones, along with other housekeeping issue around the office. I am looking forward to learning and sharing in the next three weeks.

About me

My name is Margie Driscoll and I am a sophomore at Endicott College. Throughout our four years at Endicott we are required to complete two 120 hour internships and one semester long internships. For my second 120 hour internship I am working with Perfect Productions in Farmington Connecticut. It is the first day and I have already learned a lot about how important time management and attention to detail will be as I continue to learn the information needed to become a successful event planner. Today I have been given tasks to do such as a DISC personality training analysis, sorting wine pamphlets for future clients, also I will be working with the other intern to complete tasks given to us throughout the office such as cutting envelopes and calling different magazines to receive their newest additions. I am really looking forward to the next three weeks here at Perfect Productions and I am excited to learn more about the event industry.