Event Experience in 2020 – An Interns Story

Getting some real live event experience this year! Can many event students of 2020 say that?

As event managers, organisers, suppliers and even students enter any new year, there is always a great level of excitement. What can we tick off this year? How many events will we be involved in and how many people will be part of the events we deliver? What new innovations will we learn?

In a recent blog, Admire Events spoke about the opportunity to increase their team in October to finally deliver an event that had gone through a fair bit of re-design, but still had to forge ahead. And, as avid advocates for the industry and its future, and having had a previous relationship with ICMS, what better way to share that experience than with an enthusiastic Event Management student.

“At Admire Events we loved having Carlissa Eves, ICMS student, as part of the team – it was fantastic to be able to have her involved with a variety of duties.” said Alison Jack, Director at Admire Events

Admire Events Interview their Intern…

How did being on the team benefit you?

Admire Events were keen to hear about Carlissa’s experience with their team, but also interested to know what her expectations of 2020 were initially. So, we asked her directly – here’s what she had to say.

“I had my year planned out with an internship with The Giants. Being my second year, I was looking forward to the ICMS industry training, stability and growth that I should have been experiencing. But COVID-19 put a quick stop to that when sporting events were cancelled.” says Carlissa.

Like we are sure many students in the field did, Carlissa felt a sense of panic. No placement, no experience to gain and no one hiring! All she could do was focus on studies and be hopeful that things would work out. And they did.

Learning about events – COVID style

Adapting to remote learning was also a bit of a challenge. While face-to-face learning was preferred (as we are sure most events students would prefer), Carlissa was still determined to get the most of out the course that she could. She got creative with her learning doing loads of online research.  And ICMS were quick to ensure that their students would continue to be engaged in the best way possible too. Offering an extensive variety of complementary subjects such as marketing, business and human resources to various unique event classes, allowed students to understand many different perspectives of the totality of running events.

It wasn’t just remote learning that was the challenge either.  Maintaining focus and finding an adaptable routine were some issues, but isn’t events all about experience and making connections? And that is what was now missing. Industry connections and uni friends are all a very important part of the student cycle, and again this had been taken away. Maintaining positive mental health also entered the list of challenges.

Interning – at a real-live event

So, when the opportunity to get “real-live event experience” with a team presented itself, it was like hitting the jackpot!

“The fact that there was a company going ahead with an event no matter what was happening with COVID-19 was inspirational to me”, says Carlissa. “The team were all welcoming and understanding, taking time out of their day and routines to assist me if I needed help.”

“To be a part of one of the only larger events to take place during this time was a great achievement for anyone involved as I understood it was not easy to plan an event not knowing the exact environment you would actually be working in.”

Carlissa was excited about being able to expand her skills beyond online and work with a different type of event. Plus, she got to temperature check the NSW Governor!

Attending the event also allowed Carlissa to get an idea of what future events could look like with the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions and provided that “connection to industry” that was missing so much for all event professionals throughout the year.

“Being able to attend an event like this during such a tough time is unreal and I have been so grateful to have the opportunity to be able to grow my skills and connections”.

Looking “forward” to a career in events

So, as “veterans” in the event industry, the team at Admire Events asked Carlissa her thoughts on the difference her future career could hold in comparison to what ours have been to date.  “It’s definitely hard to picture my career at the moment, but I’m being positive and hope the event world grows and adapts. It’s a creative industry and maybe it’s a bit of a challenge, but there is always a way”.

Admire Events couldn’t agree more! It’s been great to have Carlissa work with us and educate us on what knowledge and ideas are being imparted to future event managers. It’s also been super exciting to work as a team on the ground together, greeting guests and suppliers, and to feel some of that sparkle again – isn’t that what working in events is all about?

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Learn about: The Bachelor of Event Management

Learn about: The Work Integrated Learning Program

Photo credit: Oneill Photographics