Internship: Events by Social Graces

Events by Social Graces; this is a wonderful business that was created by two young women. These women I have gotten to know very well over my course of my internship as they were my supervisors. I have grown to love this business and what they had created of it. It amazes me that in just four years they are able to have so many clients and events to prepare for the years coming. Throughout this semester I have gained some incredible knowledge about the event planning business along with what it takes to create one’s own business. Within this paper my personal performance goals that I had stated in the beginning of the semester will be evaluated along with what I learned through my period with Events by Social Graces.

What I Learned

As a Public Relations major there were many aspects of this internship that dealt with many topics that I have previously learned in my communication classes. First off I meet with multiple clients throughout my time with Social Graces. Dealing with clients and other professionals is a huge part of a Public Relations major. Working with clients and other corporations was probably one of my favorite parts about the internship. Networking and being able to be in contact with people is probably a piece of advice I had heard from each one of my classes this semester. Two great networking opportunities was when I helped out with the 417 magazine shoot and working the Big Cedar wedding. I was able to meet with some of the employees who worked for 417 and who was setting up the shoot and I learned what they do specifically. For that shoot the employees of 417 worked with models who could pose as brides and made sure that the overall look of the shoot was what they wanted. In this case the look was a vintage bride, meaning that during the fitting the models tried on many dresses some with lace and others that were very simple and plan as they would wear back in the day. Though being able to prepare for the shoot was very fun, there were many behind the scenes activities that needed to be done prior to the actual shoot and even the fittings. I was in contact with multiple models keeping them on track of when their fittings were and where they needed to be at what time. I was also in contact with bridal shops and tux shops. It was important to gain as much information specifically on the dress shops, so we knew that they would have some styles we were looking for in stock. It was a great opportunity to work alongside 417 for the day.

Big Cedar Lodge was the other great networking opportunity as I meet with so many people who worked there that helped us plan for this extravagant wedding. Big Cedar is a well-known business that does extremely well. It is right on Table Rock Lake and attracts many visitors. At first I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but I couldn’t help to be so excited about working with the many people to make this wedding look amazing. I was able to talk a lot with the actual wedding/event planner that plans all the events at Big Cedar. She without a doubt has a very busy schedule, but she enjoys every minute of it. For this particular wedding we worked the hardest because it was for a couple who was from out of town, LA, to be exact and they wanted a night that they could remember. The reception was at the actual resort and lodge this made me nervous since it is a popular place to travel too how private was it going to be. Although it may be a popular site to visit we were able to make the reception very private and beautiful. On the other hand the actual wedding was at Integrity Hills which is owned by Big Cedar but is separated from the lodge. Both the chapel and the reception hall were on top of a hill overlooking an amazing view of the lake. The overall feeling of this wedding was awesome, I was very proud of myself and my supervisor for pulling off such a beautiful wedding.

Though networking wasn’t the only thing that I learned from this internship, I also learned a lot about myself. It has taken me a very long time to realize what I had actually wanted to do with my major and after I was offered this position with Events by Social Graces I thought this sounds like fun and I can’t wait to see what I do with it. Throughout the semester I found myself wanting to be working instead of doing other things. I have finally realized what I want to do as my next journey begins in a few short months. However, it would be fun to start my own business it is not realistic for a college graduate to do that right away. Thinking long and hard of what I can do to put the many skills that I had learned through my course of the internship to good use. As I began to look around for career options that had to deal with event planning I came across working in a hospital. While researching more about hospitals I came to really liking the idea of working at a children’s hospital and working in their planning department. With my passion for volunteering and my love for planning I feel as if applying to hospitals or something along those lines will be a perfect match for myself in the beginning.

Communication Theory

Continuing along, a theory that I found most affective through my process was organizational information theory. This theory is based upon the information an organization develops in order for them to do well. It was very important to gather as much information from the client so that we could develop a great end result for that certain event. Organizational information theory also discusses that sustaining a perspective is important because then one can develop clear objectives to the people. When first gaining a client it is crucial for them to read and sign a contract from Social Graces, these contracts outline what each package entails and what they will be getting for their money. So dealing with the contracts as well as stating a clear objective of what the event may look like and giving the client a vision both deal with the communications theory of organizational information.

Performance Objectives

In the beginning of the semester I had written out some performance objectives that I would have liked to completed by the end of my internship, these included: I would like to see myself by the end of the internship achieve the confidence of working with clients and achieving their visions for events. Though the planning and envisioning creative ideas is the fun part of the internship I am also looking forward to gaining more knowledge about the company itself and improving their blogs on their personal website. Lastly a goal that I look forward to achieving is figuring out the rights and wrongs of creating one’s own business.

Even though the majority of my performance objectives were very general, I would like to think that I accomplished way more than I could ever imagine. The very first objective listed about becoming more confident while talking to clients or other professionals was greatly achieved. I have found myself to be most confident about my skills this semester than I have ever. Becca, my main supervisor had really helped me out with this, because she would put me in situations that would help myself gain the confidence I needed to talk to other professionals. Since the semester felt like it flew by one objective that I didn’t fully achieve was helping with their blogs, after the many events packed into the past four months, the blogs were the last thing on our minds. I did finish up the semester internship going through recent pictures and DIY to help the blog out but didn’t get the chance to put them out on the site. However, I will be helping Events by Social Graces out for a couple more weeks, so then hopefully I will be able to accomplish that goal. The last objective listed is knowing the rights and wrongs about starting a business. Thinking about this objective in the beginning it was one of my important ones, after working with this company for a semester a hearing about how the business got started, it definitely scares me. I know that this is not the right work for me just yet, and starting a business is very unrealistic at the moment. I do however hope that one day I am fortunate enough to open my own business and take all of her advice into consideration when doing so.

The Business: Communication, Public Image

Events by Social Graces is a small business that is run by two women and usually an intern, therefore it makes communicating very easy. Between myself and my supervisors it was always very easy to get a hold of them if I had a question about work. This communication would take place either via phone or via email, either way the response was quick and effective. When it came to communicating with the clients or other businesses outside their own that was all done via email and occasionally the phone. I have yet to see a problem with the way the business handles their communication skills thus far.

As for their public image I believe that it reflects a very positive image. The very first thing that Becca asked me when I went in for an interview was how did I find out about this business, I told her that I simple typed in “event planning in Springfield Missouri” and Events by Social Graces was one of the top choices I searched through many of the other websites but I honestly liked the look of Social Graces the best. I strongly believe that many of her other clients who choose to use her business think the exact same thing that I did.

Overall both their communication skills and their public image are very positive, and used effectively.

Conclusion

This has been one of my favorite semesters yet. I really have felt that I have grown up and taken on many responsibilities. From helping create an amazing event to a beautiful wedding on the lake, I really have felt that I have done it all when it comes to learning the ropes about the event planning business. However, I know that this is not the case and I still have plenty that I can learn. Events by Social Graces has given me the opportunity to expand on and open many other doors for myself in the near future. It has given me the confidence I needed to work in the real world, and the responsibilities of a professional. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me and Social Graces lead me to finding my true passion.