A new experience at the Truist Atlanta Open

After the fantastic experience at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com, I became very excited and passionate about working in live events. I did enjoy working at the tennis tournament; it was extremely tiring but also incredibly satisfying. I wanted to experience another event.

During the last week of my internship in Delray Beach, I had to drop something at the house of one of the tournament managers. While explaining to the manager how fantastic the internship was, she asked me if I wanted to join her at the Truist Atlanta Open the following summer. Initially, I thought it would have been a great opportunity, but I was still looking at the options for my year post-graduation.

A few weeks after, after reviewing my plans, I decided I would have liked to work at the Tennis Open in Atlanta. Through multiple conversations with the manager and the Atlanta staff, while in Italy in July, I booked my flight, and I was ready for an early comeback to the United States.

How did the experience go in Atlanta? As expected, it has been very different from Delray Beach. This time I was coming just for the tournament and was not planning the entire event. Nonetheless, the internship at the Truist Atlanta Open was another growing experience that shaped me both professionally and personally. I will describe my internship at the Open, focusing on two main aspects:

• Networking: as a people person, when it comes to a job, I strongly look for a friendly and nice environment to build new connections & friendships. This aspect was just amazing at the Truist Atlanta Open. It was fantastic to get to know individuals from another state, very different from South Florida. I met everyone from the tournament staff, and they kindly welcomed me to their office. The students I was mainly working with, the Ambassadors from Mercer University, and our supervisor from Colombia (happy I had someone I could speak Spanish with) were incredible. I created positive relationships with them, and we still talk sometimes. I got to know people from other departments (volunteers, sponsorships, partnerships, event departments, etc.). I shared my story with them, and they shared mine with me. As an Italian coming from overseas, it is amazing to learn about other individuals’ backgrounds and unique cultures. Now next time I will go to Atlanta, I will have a lot of people to meet with, and I also have more people who can visit me in South Florida as well. Isn’t that just amazing!?
• Job Tasks: I am a learner and a curious person with the tendecy to ask a lot of questions. I am always excited to try something new, and I believe it is very important to work in a role I enjoy and have the opportunity to learn. It is critical to understand what career to pursue and it is the role as well that when it comes to interview matter, apart from your attitude. As an Event Coordinator & Suite Ambassador (it was a very tiring job... I could never sit for a moment), I have been able to work at a different department and develop new skills. I was in charge of daily tasks regarding event setup such as suites, grounds, guest services tent, and the Inner Circle Lounge was ready to welcome fans to the site. As an Ambassador, I worked in the Truist Suite, the title sponsor area, and assisted VIP guests coming to the suites. It was also nice to get to know them and learn about their careers & lives. I also helped my outstanding supervisor with tasks, and we also developed a positive connection.

In conclusion, what I do enjoy about events is that you work hard, giving everything to make that event happen for days, and you feel exhausted but satisfied to successfully seeing it happening. You also work with people you have never met before for a week, two weeks, or more, and you spend the entire day with them, making connections that last for life. That is what I love about events. The Truist Atlanta Open was another fruitful experience in my professional and personal career, and I am looking forward to working at other events in the upcoming year as well!