Being that this is my very first blog, it took me some time to figure out where to start and where to go once I did start. After a few tries and complete blanks, I will start here… 

I have accepted an internship position at Event and Conference Services for Saint Vincent College over the summer. Through this blog I will take you with me through the fun, the stress, the events, the people I meet and everything in between. So far, I have gone through a few weeks of training during the spring semester, was lucky enough to work graduation, have officially made it past my first month on the job and was part of a huge event. My job includes a multitude of tasks including registration, set up and preparation for events, office tasks, social media, this blog and, at the end of the summer, planning an event under a supervisor. 

This month, we hosted an event called “The New Evangelization and Higher Education.” This event was a series of speakers and sessions spreading the vision of Pope Francis, which hosted more than 200 people. The New Evangelization was a three-day-long event, which provided housing if needed, as well as meals and speaking sessions. The event was a huge success and went extremely smooth. 

The days leading up to the event were a bit stressful. We had a lot to prepare for our guests, making last-minute touches, as well as room set-ups for each banquet and meeting room in the Fred Rogers Center. A major part to this event was the lodging arrangements. The Events Office was receiving calls as late as the day of the event to register for housing on campus. Once we had all of the registrants, room assignments were made. My coworkers and I had to check all of the keys and IDs in the building and every one of the rooms being stayed in (which was a lot). We also had to make sure that the guests’ IDs were activated for meals through catering. After we got lodging situated, we made packets with the keys and IDs in them, as well as a lanyard, WiFi codes and passwords and maps for each of the guests. These were to be given to guests when they checked in to their dorm. We provided our guests with snack bags, gift bags, name tags and a multitude of other goodies. 

Once the preparation was complete, the first day of the event, a Monday, was very long. We all worked about 15 hours that day. It was long, wearing and, by the end, I think that all of us were sore. We registered guests for the event, hosted dinner and speakers, checked them into their dorms and got them anything they needed. But the next two days went smoothly. The guests raved about how nice the event was and how great of a time they had. I even made some friends doing check-in. All-in-all, though the event was a lot of work, long hours and hard on the feet, it was nice to see a great outcome.

I’m excited for the rest of the summer.