One more day!

There is only 1 day left of my internship, I can't believe it! This semester has gone by fast and I cant believe that it's that time for graduation. Best wishes to everyone with any finals that they might have!

This week has just flown by! Today I have to sit in on a conference call with a meeting planner and conduct some interviews for the final report! Tomorrow should also go by fast, I have my out-processing for my internship and my new employee in-processing at the same time; then I will get all my business cards, name badge etc. Should be pretty exciting. I can't beleive I start my new job on Monday!

About my new job- I am a Convention Services and Housing Assistant. I just found out that all my benefits (medical, dental, vision..) kick in after just 30 days and I also get 2 weeks paid vacation as well as 12 days of personal time off paid. Pretty good deal :) I do have to sit back at my 'intern' desk for the first week as they are changing the cube set up where I will be and it wont be ready until May 15.

This should be a busy next few months, we have 10 groups between now and next March! I highly recomend interning at the GPCVB, you gain many contacts, you learn a lot of applicable skills, and the office is just a delight! So if you know anyone who needs a fall internship, tell them to apply at the GPCVB!

Last few days as an intern...

This week has started off great! Monday we had a meeting with a potential client, the Arizona Sereno Soccer Club. They hold 3 tournaments a year and are looking for a new housing service for their tournaments. I created a mock reservation website with photos and everything to present to their committee as well as talked them through many different things. The photo is a preview of part of the webpage I created :)

Today we had another sales presentation. Representatives from Castles N' Coasters, Comfort Suites Goodyear, and Wrigley Mansion all came out with goodies and great information about what they have to offer. Castles N' Coasters gave us each 2 free rounds of miniature golf, Comfort Suites brought us breakfast and gave us eco-grocery bags and also raffled of 2 weekend stays in their suites on their property, and Wrigley Mansion gave us free drink coupons. All in all a pretty sweet deal!

Friday is my last day as an intern, I cant believe how fast the last 14 weeks have gone by!

Whats to come...

So I have 8 days left as an intern at the GPCVB and will begin in my position as Convention Services and Housing Coordinator on Monday, May 4. Yes I am jumping right into it! Seems a little crazy to not have a break but we were able to work out something that allows me time off this month and a week in July, which to me is even better than waiting until after graduation to begin my career. Everyone in the bureau has been so welcoming and excited for me to become a part of the team!

Back to what I'm doing at work...

Last week was really fun! We share our office with the Greater Phoenix Sports Commision and were able to help them bring back the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame Ceremony. It has been many years since there were able to hold this ceremony and I would have to say it was a success! It was held at the Phoenician and there were games (basketball, golf putting, pitching, football...) and a silent auction before the ceremony. They offered free beer and wine as well as some really good appetizers! There were so many sports figures that attended, it was awesome to be able to meet and interact with them! After the pre-ceremony festivities we were able to attend the induction where Bob Horner and Al McCoy and a few others were honored. It was such a great experience. The picture above is of the inductees at the ceremony!

For now I am gradually being trained on some of my new tasks that come along with my position while still maintaining the work I have always done. As for the rest of this week, I have 3 meetings and we are meeting with potential clients Friday.

Very excited!

I'm very excited to share the news, after 3 weeks of interviews my internship has paid off! I have been offered a job at the the GPCVB as a housing coordinator and I gladly accepted! I am so thrilled to become a part of the Convention Services team here at the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau, and look forward to the future.

The process was very formal and there were 5 other canidates interviewed. I had to go through interviews with my Director Jan Thomas, my Vice President Marc Garcia, and finally the President and CEO Steve Moore.

I have enjoyed being an intern here and look forward to whats to come!

Good Luck!

Slowing down

As my final weeks at the CVB are wrapping up, the conventions have finally started to slow down.

Since last week I have been under new management and we have had to do a lot of clean up. There were many things that werent being done by the previous manager that were needed for records. These things were very important and it just goes to show why she is no longer the manager. So my week has mainly consisted of filing, faxing, and entering data that should've been done months ago. Although it has kept me busy during what normally is a very slow time.

Only 12 days left as an intern and a month until graduation!

Transistions

The past few weeks at the GPCVB have been interesting to say the least. Starting with 2 weeks ago, my manager Lisa was out "sick" for a whole week. She missed my site visit with Sara so I had to do that by myself and I also had to deal with all her emails and calls coming in. After a few days I learned that Lisa wasn't really all that sick, but trying to avoid dealing with a problem that's a result of her overlooking some things. Needless to say after a week of absence and lack of work ethic upon her return, Lisa was let go from the bureau.

So now here I am, in my final few weeks of my internship, and it completely get flipped upside down. Luckily 4 of our groups have just came and gone and now we only have 2 groups, so there wasn't much to worry about. I am between 2 supervisors, the old Housing Manager and the new. This is taught me many lessons. One, pay attention to detail and make no room for mistakes. Two, be flexible to how other people work- everyone has different ways they go about their business. Three, make sure YOUR bases are covered, come to find out I have been very helpful with this transition of positions and this experience was like a test and I passed.

Looking ahead, I see this controversy as a blessing in disguise. I was able to not only prove to my superiors that I am a hard worker, but that I'm dedicated and want to help whenever possible. I have 3 weeks left as an intern and although at the beginning of last week I was nervous of what was to come, I am very happy now and it couldn't have worked out any better.