Acknowledgements and Future Plans

It seems like just this past week that I stepped into the Wingteam LLC office for the first time nervous but ready to undergo a three month long internship. Fast foreward three months and here I currently stand. It has been one of the most beneficial and positive experiences that have been shared on both sides. I have added more tools to the toolbox and cannot wait to build something great! The extensive knowledge of Yvette Ponte and Dave Wiggs and their passion to ensure that Wingteam will continually develop, grow, and succeed is quite motivating. I cherish the work relationship that we have had and will definitely keep in close contact in the future to use as a reliable resource for knowledge and understanding. I would also like to thank my friend and co-worker Kimberly Hayden as it's been a great experience working alongside her as well. I feel that it is hard to find a business, relationship, friend etc. that is not only accountable, but shares the same common goal to simply succeed through dedication and hard work.
After graduation, I will be taking a couple trips over the summer and I'm almost tempted to say i'll be living a nomadic life with no fixed destination until November where I will be making the biggest move of my life. I will be moving to the North Island of New Zealand for at least one year for a graduate hospitality internship with a company called internoptions.
There I will be taking another internship with plans for employment with a particular resort in the north island after my one year internship placement has ceased. Thanks again Wingteam for your help and support and look foreward to seeing whats in store for the both of us!

Executing Managerial Decisions As a Rookie

When I took the internship offer with Wingteam I never would have imagined that I would have the ability to hire event staff for the variety of different events that we do around the nation. Some of these event staff are older than me and already have an established career in a relative field and simply looking for side work. For myself "the intern" this could pose as intimidating seeing that I have never hired anyone for anything in my entire life. My supervisor walked me through the blueprint as to what to look for when hiring staff members, what questions to like, and close them on their punctuality. As a rookie in the field, what was most beneficial for me was to reflect upon my past experience as a front desk agent with the Four Seasons and deliver that same type of personable approach but only this time it will carry more status and value. Working at the Four Seasons, service and hospitality were the number one priority with the customer always being satisfied. The position that I am in with Wingteam means that our company needs to be satisfied with me looking for staff with hospitality and service that are held in high regard. The roles were reversed so as I thought about this, it made the hiring process easier for me.
I feel that it is this skill that I have aquired of hiring over 50 staff members for different events around the nation that has given me the tools to separate myself from the competition. Over the past months I have become very comfortable in dialing into what our company needs from our staff members depending upon the event. I would say that regardless of experience in dealing with a managerial decision, it's important to self reflect upon past experiences and understanding your strong points in order to succeed.

Attention To Detail

As I reach the end of my internship and review the past events that I have worked with regards to my supervisors midterm evaluation feedback I now understand the strongpoints and other factors that I need to work on in order to be where I need to be and have a successful transition from the student/intern position where I currently stand into a professional in the field. I will use an example of an event where I had to hire four different people for a corporate team building event in Boston, MA. This particular organization (our client) is Impact4Good and they specialize in corporate team building events that help improve the quality of life for NPO's such as Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA. As I monitor my skills from the beginning of my internship till where I currently stand, I notice that my attention to detail has greatly improved, which has been a lagging skill that can always use improvement.
When I contacted our Boston staff two days prior to our event, our typical order of procedure includes an event sheet that portrays all the necessary information to make the event a success. "Start times, dress code, meeting place, etc." What was missing in the past event sheets that I decided to add to this one was a visual representation of where the location sits. I have included the same picture in this blog that I included in the event sheet to show exactly what I'm talking about. This simple initiative helped all our staff arrive on time and minimized questions to create for a fluid and successful event.

Working at the JW Mariott

One of the highlights I have had thus far is working at the JW Mariott Desert Ridge in Scottsdale, AZ. There were a variety of different independent destination management companies that helped put on a particular three day event for Loreal Matrix. Working among these various meeting professionals gave me insight to what it takes to put on this type of production. In addition, working this particular event allowed me to see how its important to be a multi faceted person when it comes to hospitality and serivce to different company cultures. For example, there was a particular event that I worked with Deloitte. This company structure and overall appearance was very different from Loreal Matrix, which specialize in latest hair trends and designs. Another eye opening experience that I had while working at the JW Mariott would be the continuous support of the hotel staff which almost acted as an extended Wingteam staff in terms of thier versatility.

Importance of Branding A Company

As the weeks continually pass, they seem to move faster and faster while I am mastering my internship with Wingteam Event Staffing Services. Let's stop for a moment... Let's think of any brand name that sticks with us. Perhaps it is the UPS commercial with a simple white background and brown marker to symbolize the company for easy recognition. Maybe it is Subway and their non stop message portraying the infamous 5 Dollar Footlong. Ok thanks Subway, we get it! The message is simple, proper branding of an organization creates name recognition and familiarization among the public, "specifically, target market." Over time, the successful marketing of a product or service while increasing clients to the product or service, correlates directly to economic numbers. Within the Wingteam organization, we have a simple branding logo portraying three women with clipboards and the tagline, "Smiley People With Clipboards." Our competition of event staffing may have more successful marketing and branding outlets due to name recognition and longevity of the organization.
This past paragraph has just been part of my reflection and observations over the past weeks as I analyze our brand of wingteam versus our competition.

A graphic design comparison between Wingteam LLC and a competitor:

Fusion Event Staffing

http://www.fusioneventstaffing.com/?gclid=CMbzjYrJ1aACFRJWagodrBkutg

Wingteam Event Staffing Services

http://mywingteam.com/

Practice Makes Perfect

Aside from academics, it has always been the love of sports that I have been familiar with my entire life. It was either football, basketball, or baseball depending on the season of the year. One of the most important, perhaps even cliche piece of advice that is interrelated between athletics, academics, and profession is the saying, "practice makes perfect." As my internship with Wingteam continues to blossom and take it's own shape, the same can be said with my skills and functions as a Sales and Marketing Intern. The more events I continue to control, the more hires and managerial situations I am placed in, the more fluid and avid my skills are. I am beginning to see the benefits of repetition play in the field of this particular profession. Now, throwing a football over and over would not necessarily sculpt my skills to hire event staff, but it is the same exact principle that should be understood. For example, over the weekend I had the opportunity to hire five event staff for an event taking place in Miami, FL. It was an assignment I was given the same day from my boss. From past experiences of making larger quantities of hires for different events, I was able to enable five qualified hires without any doubt, mistakes, or questions. It was after the five hires I made that it became evident my work skills have been improving. A positive sign and future outlook for my relationship with my co-workers, boss, and Wingteam itself.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.

Professionalism

As I have mentioned in a previous blog, part of my responsibility as a sales and marketing intern with Wingteam is to interview and hire staff for a variety of different events we have across the nation. I now have a heightened sense of professionalism and all of it's counterparts that come with the word. For example, professionalism is not just how you visually present yourself whether it is a unwrinkled suit and polished shoes or freshly pressed khakis and a button down. Professionalism exceeds this standard. It extends to your verbiage, what you say and how you say it. Professionalism will reveal your character and what you stand for. Even the way you shake a persons hand can reveal certain aspects of yourself. I receive many resumes for the variety of different events that we do and it when it comes to the initial phone call upon new hires, I am sculpting my skills to seek that certain type of professional. A couple of websites that I monitor are:

http://www.mpiweb.org/Home.aspx

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Phoenix-AZ/Wingteam-Event-Staffing-Services/48575776755?ref=ts


Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.

Business Ownership/ Entrepreneurship

After over a month into my internship with Wingteam LLC, I am beginning to understand the value and importance of being a business owner. They way it breaks down is as follows: Graduate from college and latch on to a company with a decent salary and get ready to climb the biggest ladder of your life... Let's fast forward 40 years from now and after countless weeks working 40+ hours a week, it's time to begin your LIFE! Now this statement may sound a little extreme and over-exaggerated but still carries some points of truth to some extend. Now, on the other hand, I feel never has there been a better time for our future leaders of the US to strike up innovation, creativity, and resourcefulness for the option of creating your own business. Working with Wingteam has opened my eyes to the benefits and advantages owning a business can offer. One initial advantage with owning your own business would be the abilities for tax write offs. What's even more intriguing for me is to set your own hours and you are your own boss. One website that I am affiliated with is:

WWW.ECOCLUB.COM

This particular organization showcases many job opportunities and business ventures that are among the field of ecotourism and sustainability. This website also stands as a forum for many like-minded individuals to discuss a variety of different topics within ecotourism.

The more I continue to work with Wingteam, the more I see the exciting possibilities of a future I am in control of. In other words, I see a viable option to my career as working for myself, rather then someone else.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.

Adaptability

Throughout the past month as my internship is beginning to evolve and become more and more comfortable, I have realized the importance of being acceptive of change and constantly adapting to a new environment. In the field of event planning, we deal with a variety of different organizations ranging from your stereotypical corporate groups with fitted suits and black briefcases to your hair stylists with sleeves of tattoos and wide variety of colors on their head. With this being said, I have not only been mindful, but tailored a process to adapt accordingly to each group at hand as they all have different cultures and backgrounds.
The degree is adaptability will ultimately measure the success of service and hospitality outcomes for the event itself. The more events we continue to plan and execute, the more comfortable I am suiting different needs for our clients and have a new appreciation of the often times overlooked profession of meeting planning.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.

Well It's True, I Hate Math

Wingteam
Ok so here's the thing... I always joke with people when they ask me if I enjoy math, I'll usually respond: "You know, I'm more of a shapes and colors type of guy." They'll chuckle and I'll try to change the topic as quickly as possible. As mentioned in my other blog post, It takes a certain type of person with a certain type of personality for the tourism industry. More specifically speaking, the MICE segment of tourism. I had the opportunity to work Wednesday to Monday with a lead from Deloitte at the Scottsdale Conference Center and Resort. It was an impressive sight to see as I mimicked the work ethic of a professional with 20+ experience in the field. Here I am, a young hot shot thinking he's too cool and can handle anything that is thrown at him, well young child, guess again. This particular person had a knack for organizing and executing different plans and layouts to make everything more efficient. Now, as for myself, I am a neat freak. I enjoy having things a certain way, a certain distance apart... So on and so fourth. Having said that, he was the exact same way so when It came down to organizing welcome packets, distributing materials, or any other task I had, we tended to headbutt a little bit but It could have been worse. One of the main reasons why I feel so comfortable in this particular internship is the variety of like-minded people I am privileged to work with. We are all shapes and color type of personalities. I feel that were the type growing up that decided to take things apart for no particular reason, stacked crayola markers on top of each other for no particular reason until it collapsed. Oh well, were a different breed, but I love it!


Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.

So This Is Real Life

WINGTEAM
So... What do you want to be when you grow up? What a question to ask at any age. Whether your six years old and say an astronaut or fireman, or sixty years old and still don't have an answer to that question. Could it be that we want to stay forever young? That were scared of the unknown and want to never grow up and live in never never land and fight off pirates and Captain Hook? Well, maybe not as far fetched as that last sentence, but let's make one thing clear. From my standpoint, I feel that asking that question is the equivalent of asking, "So... What's that single occupation your going to be stuck with for the rest of your life?" There's never just one thing I aspire to be when I "grow up." There are countless things to discover and learn, but here's the kicker, which is quite simple: One step at a time.
With Wingteam, I finally get to apply my 16 years of classroom knowledge into the field. There are many dimensions of the tourism industries and Wingteam falls under the 'MICE' category. Meeting, Incentives, Conventions, and Expositions. We are an event staffing company that simply makes sure every single aspect of a MICE runs as efficient and smooth as possible with high regards to hospitality and service. It is an excellent industry for a certain type of person. One of the main differences that I've experienced as I am making the transition from student to professional, is the responsibility of 'real life' scenarios.
Here's a story:
Just the other day, I was working from the Scottsdale office for an event that we were working at the Sheraton Marina in San Diego. I hired a total of 7 people for which we only needed 6. (1 backup.) Night falls for the event and I stay in close contact with our lead contact as our staff begin to arrive. Only six people show up and our person that is MIA does not answer any emails, phone calls, or text messages that we sent out. That is fire number 1. The second fire occurred when it came to my attention that there was no public parking for our staff and it would cost $4.00 per hour which, by the end of the night would be an expense of $120.00 out of our pocket. Our final fire of the night came when I received a text message from one of our staff members saying she left the event unexpectedly because it was simply, "To crazy for her." The moral of these three "fires" is to show right of the bat, within three weeks of the start of my internship, I am experiencing a variety of different managerial decisions and responsibilities. It is a great power to have, but can be quite nerve wrecking and stressful at times.


Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.

Classroom To The Field

WINGTEAM Event Staffing Services
Well, I think it is safe to say that all good things must come to an end. At least for some this may be. As for myself, there has never been a more exciting time in my life. School is over! Well, sort of. In terms of classroom lectures, powerpoint upon powerpoint, midterm and final exams, school is over in every sense of the word. This Is It! No, not the Michael Jackson movie, but our final chapter at ASU. I decided to do my internship with Wingteam Event Staffing Services based in North Scottsdale, AZ. This particular decision was made after my original plan to pursue an internship overseas fell through due to an issue of timing and paperwork.
Nonetheless, I found overwhelming excitement and opportunities that Wingteam has to offer. It was sort of like flipping a coin in terms of what to expect. Heads meant that it was going to be 14 weeks of excel spreadsheets, filling, and making sure the coffee pot was full at all times. Luckily for me, It was tails. Wingteam has approximately 12 events this semester to keep me more than busy with empowering work. As a sales and marketing intern, I am not only responsible for creating excel grids and accounting data, I have the privilege of interviewing and employing event staff which is a first for me and almost unheard of duty for an intern. This is where the word trustworthy and accountability come into play. I trust my boss Yvette Ponte and Dave Wiggs just as they put their trust in myself. Together, with these two vital character traits, I feel it will make for one successful final semester at ASU.


Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.