Event Planner at Heart

When May arrived, my biggest concern was just getting through finals week and finishing out the semester. As much as I wanted an internship, I figured it was not going to happen this summer. One day I noticed an advertisement by for one of our last PRSSA meeting speakers, Victoria A. Roberts. She was looking for a public relations intern and marketing intern. Intrigued, I inquired about it and set up an interview.

After a few hours, I was contacted and told I was one of a few interns selected. Initially, I assumed we would go into an office and work so many hours a week, but this was not the case. The interns had weekly meetings with Victoria instead where we would discuss social media statistics and client event updates. Although this was not what I expected, it turned out well.

One of my first tasks was to compile a document of biographies for all five interns. We were all part of a “company launch,” which released a new ad and revamped logo. I also created a press release to better introduce our company to the Baton Rouge area.

During the month of June, my boss created a social media calendar for each weekday. We were asked to create event tips, company service ideas, event design ideas or wedding fashion tips for Facebook and Twitter posts. In June, I was assigned to create event tips every Monday. These gave us all great writing experience.

On June 22, I was able to attend my first client consultation. This potential client was planning a wedding for next September. I enjoyed seeing this process firsthand. As the client’s preferences and ideas came to light, I quickly realized how much I liked the event planning industry.

Throughout the course of the summer, we were also assigned to do event market research. This entailed gathering a list of ceremony and reception venues in different areas across Louisiana. I also researched event design ideas for particular events we were planning.

In July, we received a new social media schedule. As my boss got busier, she realized she could not post these all herself. She put me in charge of submitting the posts daily.

This increased responsibility proved all my previous work in the summer had been appreciated and noticed. On July 5, I attended a client consultation meeting for a Lafayette wedding at the end of November. After this consultation, I met Victoria at a rental company for this particular event. I also was able to document Victoria’s radio show appearance on July 16 through photos and videos.

Since the end of high school, I have wanted to work in public and media relations for a professional baseball or basketball team. My summer internship with VAR Events opened my eyes to a different industry. I’m thankful for this invaluable experience and everything I learned along the way. I found that I truly am an event planner at heart. Last week, I was invited to continue on with VAR as an intern this fall. I have accepted her offer and look forward to working with Victoria on upcoming events!

VAR Events Owner and Designer Victoria A. Roberts waits before “The Take Over” with AYE L.I.F.E radio on July 16.