Jia Wen Gan

Major: Event Management
Company/Organization: Iowa State University
Company/Organization website: Iowa State University
Destination: AMES, Iowa
Timeframe: Spring 2022
Advisor/Coordinator Email: briaj

Responsibilities

Since the first day of my internship, I have helped my manager and supervisor plan and access different events, such as weddings, fundraising events, and conference events. My manager always helps me train on the set up of various events, and I will also attend the event planning meeting once or twice a month. I learn and perform in all departmental positions, such as serving, bartending, and setting up.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment during my internship experience is I get to plan and set up a conference meeting for the bank. It was a conference meeting for a bank. All the employees from the bank came to Gateway Hotel and Conference Center for the conference meeting. I got the chance to plan the event with the manager, and I was involved in everything for the conference event, such as setting up before the event started. I served all the customers during the event as well. After the event ended, I helped to tear down the event and cleaned the event hall.

Learning experience

One of the greatest lessons that I have learned from my internship experience is how to adapt to new people and a new working environment. I learned how to talk to different people at my workplace, and I also learned how to get used to working in different environments quickly. The second greatest lesson that I have learned from my internship experience is being punctual. It is important to be punctual as an event planner because the whole team is waiting for you. If the event planner is late for an event, the event cannot proceed, and the whole event will delay because of you.

What advice would you give?

The advice that I will give for future students in my major is don't be afraid to ask questions. During the event internship, it is important to ask questions about the event because there are many things to cover in an event, and it is impossible to know or remember everything. Therefore, asking questions is very important to get things done faster and easier.

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