Hello! My name is Amanda Hall, and I was the Events Services Intern this summer at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. I am a rising senior at Virginia Tech studying Hospitality and Tourism Management, and I will be graduating December of 2019.
My experience with the Events Services team has been very educational! As the intern, I was given opportunities to shadow the coordinators and interact with both clients and patrons. Being able to work a variety of events, including meetings, dance competitions, and consumer shows, showed me the broad reach of this industry.
I even had the chance to be guided through coordinating an event—a Mental Health First Aid Training offered by the city. This involved working in Ungerboeck, our database system, communicating internally between our departments, and communicating externally with the client. It was a great success, and I am so grateful for this opportunity to learn!
I was also able to use my love for technical writing to assist in updating the building’s Emergency Action Plan and create content for the Event Coordinator Guide.
One of the most interesting parts of my summer was being able to learn more about the Convention and Visitors Bureau as a whole. Having grown up in Virginia Beach, I understand the impact tourism has on our city fiscally, environmentally, and culturally. To have had a supporting role in the well-being of my hometown this summer was an incredibly special experience!