This week I had my final day of work at The Cellar and I finished up my internship on Wednesday.
Monday I went into the office to work with the sales and marketing director. We had two couples scheduled to come for a venue tour and sales meeting at 10:30 and 2:00. I was able to help with both of these tours. These two couples provided me with different outlooks on options an event planner can offer for weddings other than the traditional ceremony and reception. The second couple was really only planning on having a wedding for their family. They wanted something simple like a brunch or a cocktail style reception. They didn’t want anything elaborate or formal, so during our sales meeting, we were able to present them with all the options One Atlantic had to offer for them, along with all the pricing and details. The third couple wanted an intimate ceremony with only 20 of their immediate family present. We were able to show the couple how the ceremony would be set up for an intimate ceremony, along with providing them with vendors for floral arrangements and photography to capture their day.
Later that day, I helped with the marketing budget. I created formulas in an Excel spreadsheet that calculated our projected and actual expenditure on each form of marketing for each month. This helped me see how to create a budget, the importance of it, and it provided me with insight on which forms of media are important for marketing in the event industry.
One Atlantic has also been featured in magazines like The Knot and Brides. One of my jobs while interning at One Atlantic was to archive our pages from these magazines to be used in the future as marketing materials to show to potential couples. Using the prints from the magazines, allows the sales team so show what types of high end events One Atlantic can provide and execute.
Wednesday was my final day at One Atlantic and it was really bittersweet. The last event I worked was the Atlantic City Air Show. The Air Show is favorite of many in Atlantic City. For about four hours, planes and helicopters performed aerial acrobats in the sky over the Atlantic Ocean. Some of the highlights of the Air Show included the Army Golden Knights and the Air Force Thunderbirds. One Atlantic pre sold tickets to various companies and also individuals to watch the Air Show from our floor to ceiling windows. We honestly provided the best view of all of Atlantic City between our windows and private terrace. Along with a spectacular view, we also had a lunch buffet for all the guests. It included a mashed potato bar (my personal favorite), panini station, pasta, Mediterranean station, along with a variety of salads. Executing this event required a ton of organization. The planner had to send out all the tickets ahead of time so guests would be allowed up into our venue. They also had to create a system to keep the separate companies bar tabs in order. They decided on wrist bands so we had 5 different wristbands to help our bartenders out.
I am happy that I enjoyed my internship so much and had a great experience with it, but I’m sad to see it come to and end. With all this being said, I am also extremely excited to go back home and then later head up to school. At my internship, I learned tons of valuable information about the event industry. I learned how very stressful and high paced the environment can be, but the most important thing is to try to prepare yourself for the unexpected because you cannot anticipate everything. I learned all about coordinating and orchestrating the kitchen with the event. I also learned all about banquet management and sales and marketing. I had a great experience at One Atlantic doing my internship and I am looking forward to furthering my career in the event industry after graduation this upcoming May.
Tonight my parents are coming and we’re going out to dinner to a restaurant I have been wanting to go to in Atlantic City, then tomorrow morning we’ll be packing up the remainder of my apartment and heading back to the 717. I am so lucky and blessed that I was able to have this experience all summer.
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