You’re considering an event planning internship. What will you gain from it?

Yhh As an event planning and event management Intern, 10% you can learn in the office and the remaining 90% you have to learn on the field. The actual field, the market where you have to deal with your clients, vendors, public, government, environment and of course other stakeholders. And this market has infinite potential to make you, break you, guide you, train you, groom you, highlight you and also to teach you invaluable lessons which you can never learn in school or university.

In my view, pursuing an internship offers a multitude of valuable benefits: - Practical Experience - Networking Opportunities - Skill Development - Personal Growth - Industry Insights & Connections - Resume Enhancement & Portfolio Building

There are things that must be learned “on the job” such as problem solving and handling unseen challenges. You can learn all of the strategies, systems, best practices in a book or course; but an internship throws you in the deep end of real events. Internships allow you to ask questions that you wouldn’t even know to ask outside of real time. Developing your problem solving skills while assuring your client that you can handle the situation is something an intern can only learn by doing alongside a seasoned professional while coordinating a retreat or event. If I were looking to hire an event assistant, I’d take internship experience over education every time. Both would be gold!

An event planning internship is like a crash course in real-world party wizardry. You’ll learn to juggle tasks, nail down budgets, and charm clients. It’s not just about throwing awesome events; it’s a chance to dive into a world where every detail matters and creativity rules. Plus, you’ll make connections that could open doors in the future!

If you have a good mentor you will gain so much but practical experience is key. Event planning is one of those skills that you simply need all the experience you can get to master it.

It is never too early to start building relationships with your suppliers. Having photographers, florists, and sound technicians you can trust and who know your taste and style of work saves a lot of time, energy, and possibly even money in the future.

This is more important than anything else. Your success is only as big as your thinking, so push for as much personal growth as possible. Think of the tasks that make you uncomfortable and ask to do those tasks and be clear you have a fear and need support through it.

Never underestimate the power of a portfolio. Having some detailed information about what you did, what the result was, and what you learned from the experience will not only help you obtain your academic credit, but also provide you valuable information to include in resumes or talk about in future job interviews.

What you get out of it depends purely on you and nobody else. I have had interns who wasted my time because they did not know how and where they wanted to grow. Then, other interns knew what they wanted to grow, and I helped them grow in those areas, and I took them far beyond that even. Be clear and open about what you want to achieve with your internship. It is better to be upfront, this way, you will find the right place for you.