Experiential Agency Achievement Unlocked: Intern

When I imagined being an intern, I thought that I would be working in a big building, sitting at a desk in a field of cubicles, fetching coffee, doing a ton of little tasks, and being referred to as “intern.” I am so happy that working at Pro Motion is the exact opposite. They don’t even call me an intern; my title here is “Project Coordinator.” Fancy right?

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Honestly, I have gone on a coffee run or two for the whole office, but mainly initiated by myself and my need for caffeine. I have learned so much more than just about what our Chief Marketing Manager, Brian, gets every time he orders Starbucks (Venti Quad Blonde Peppermint Mocha with Coconut Milk). Here are some of the many things I have learned:

Google is My Best Friend

One thing I will never understand is how people researched anything before Google. Google has become my good friend when researching information on vendors, events, numbers, and other data. I have learned how to refine my searches to get the best information and use Google Maps to plan out tour schedules.

Spreadsheets

We have spreadsheets for everything. We use spreadsheets so much that I have started to use it in my daily life. Before working at Pro Motion! I would have said that I had experience with Excel and Google Sheets, but now I am a professional. Need all the vendor information in one place? I can make a spreadsheet for you. Color code, highlight, categorize, and make it all make sense.

Difference of Visions

When you do a project for school, you don’t get the feedback from the brand. You just go with it and assume everything you come up with is exactly what they want. Working alongside clients has been a great benefit by showing me how to see the end goal from both sides (ours and theirs), and know how to communicate and adapt so that our visions of success overlap. Working together to develop the perfect event has taught me a lot.

The Development of a Tour Schedule

Planning the stops for a tour is like planning a very long road trip, except 200 times more intense. There are many factors to be considered. You need to consider every detail between the starting point and the ending point, including how to get to each of those places in an order that makes the most sense geographically. The tour team will have to travel for a long time, and making sure that the distances between the stops are as short as possible is key. You also have to think about how each stop fits with the brand and what the client wants.

Planning Ahead

When researching and calling vendors and different event locations, there are many different questions that need to be asked. I have become much better at gathering all of my questions and predicting future questions before I call a vendor. Having one conversation where you get all of your questions knocked out is much better than having to call multiple times whenever you think of something else.

Production: Planning to Producing

I have been able to go with the team to our fabrication/design guys and see how planning the look of different structures and elements happens. I also was able to go to the warehouse and see how the different parts of an event footprint look when they’re set up. It is important to see and understand the different stages of planning and production that lead up to the final product.

My Love for Experiential Marketing

My degree did not have a class dedicated to experiential marketing, nor did we talk too much about it in class. I have learned about what experiential marketing exactly is and the different aspects that make it up. Experiential is more than just getting a consumer to buy or try a product. It is about connecting and building a relationship with the consumer. The memories made during the different events is what makes that brand stand out over others. I am drawn to this fact about experiential. I love being part of creating an event for a brand where the consumer is having fun while having full exposure to the brand.

The hands-on experience I am having at Pro Motion! is one that I will never forget. I love the people I work with, the different things that I get to do, the people I get to talk with, and what I get to learn. I have learned valuable information and lessons that I can use for the rest of my career!