Hi all,
Two weeks after finishing my placement, report writing has started and just like most of students graduating this semester, I cannot wait till its over.
As I’ve already finished my placement this blog will not have any new exciting placement adventures in it, but will sum up everything I’ve done throughout my two month internship.
My internship was working on a project with Curtin University for the Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN). A team of three student interns and one supervisor were in charge of organising the ACEN National Conference 2010 which was held at Curtin University from September 28 till October 1.
As mentioned in previous blogs, some of the jobs that we were assigned included liaising with caterers, organising conference dinners and producing the conference booklet which was my main responsibility.
One of the main things that I have learnt working on the ACEN conference is – and as corny as it may sound – the importance of attention to detail, I’ve said this in previous blogs and I say it again now because it is amazing how much damage the smallest mistake can do and how much time it takes to fix. Working on this conference also reminded me of the importance of time management when working in events as there is always deadlines that have to be met whether it is with graphic designers (in regards to the booklet), caterers, printers or with the venue hire and I’m sure this will also be the case once we graduate.
Another thing that this conference reminded me of and that people should keep in mind is how demanding working in events can be, and how much time and effort event management consumes. However, producing as successful event makes the final result always worth all the effort put in which makes event management truly rewarding.
That said, and as much as I have enjoyed working on the ACEN conference with a great team of dedicated, passionate and productive interns under the supervision of Dr. Jim Elliott whom without this conference would not have happened, I do not think that I would want to go on to work in event management solely, or maybe not work in organising and running educational conferences.
At the end of the day, my internship was thoroughly enjoyed, gave me an in-depth look at events, conferences and the education industry. I also met a lot of great people, gained invaluable experience, prepared myself that little bit more for the real world and I also managed to squeeze in a little unit called Public Relations Placement 393.
And here we are now, a month away from graduating, writing up our very final university reports, crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. The job hunt is intensifying and I think I have had enough of uni and am finally ready to go out there and take the most out of every opportunity the world throws my way.
It has been a great semester with PR393, and a great three and a half years at Curtin packed with great people, friends, and memories that we will forever cherish.
Good luck to all of you in the final few weeks of your uni experience and all the best for the future.
Many Thanks,
Issa Maimoun.
