#racheltravisano

I was off from my internship for one week while I was on a family vacation.  Whenever I got back, I had lots to get caught up on!  I responded to so many event inquiries.  I set up appointments with clients to do site visits, and answered to all of the emails and voicemails.  I had to cover the switchboard for a few hours the one day while the usual receptionist was on vacation.  I answered questions about the upcoming One Direction concert, Steelers training camp, and various other things.  I also transferred all of the calls to the correct lines, and informed my coworkers when their appointments had arrived.  

Once The Rolling Stones concert was over, it was time for me to get caught up and put everything away. Monday morning I answered so many phone calls while my supervisors were in a meeting at Stage AE.  People called regarding lost and found items from the concert, ticket issues, etc.  I took an inventory of all the iPads, radios, scanners, pagers, and push buttons from all of the concierge bins and put everything back on their chargers.  I organized each of the clubs bin and filled them with new materials for the One Direction concert in August.  I continued compiling a list of local nonprofits that might be interested in holding an event at Heinz Field.  

Friday was our employee appreciation luncheon at Stage AE.  The other interns and I helped the HR Manager a few hours before the luncheon started.  We set up games, prizes, ripped raffle tickets, and made sure everything was ready to go.  During the event I handed out raffle tickets to employees as they entered.  There was corn hole, trivia, a wing eating contest, lots of good prizes, and of course great food.  It was so nice spending the beautiful afternoon outside with my coworkers. After the luncheon, we set up for a wedding that would be on Saturday.  

We took all of the bride’s decorations from the office to the club and started setting everything up.  

This past week at Heinz Field was so busy, and there was lots to do to prepare for The Rolling Stones on 6/20.  We wanted to make sure everyone attending the concert was aware of the NFL clear bag policy that was in effect for the concert.  I divided the cards that had info about the clear bag policy into bags that would be taken to all the hotels in Pittsburgh.  I also did some research in the office for where we could purchase pins for special holidays in the upcoming season.  I looked up ideas for centerpieces to put on the concierge desks on game day too.  We handed out the first volume of our newsletter on Saturday to all employees in the stadium.  I wrote two of the articles; one about the Kenny Chesney concert, and one about Taylor Swift. I arrived at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday for The Rolling Stones and got started right away.  The other interns and I took balloons to various wristband tables around the stadium.  We got together the bins for the club supervisors and made sure everything was set in the clubs.  I took down all of the curtains in the alcoves that were hanging from the event the night before.  The changeover in the clubs is so quick, so we always have to make sure the specific details are right for each specific event.  

The doors opened at 6:00 p.m. and the show started at 8:00 p.m. with the opener Awolnation. 

There wasn’t one specific demographic at the concert.  People of all ages attended.  The Rolling Stones put on an amazing show, and the 56,000 fans loved it. 

I worked in the office this week Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Monday I got to meet the other Corporate Events intern that will be working on opposite days.  I helped show her what I had learned so far and some tips to keep in mind when doing various tasks.  We updated the list of club attendants, and added in the new hires and took off the people that are not returning.  Each person is assigned a locker for game day.  We made locker cards for all the attendants, and assigned the new hires specific lockers.  We also created game day folders for the club managers.  Each manager has a folder for each event.  I made labels for all of the concerts, Pitt games, and Steeler games, and put them on each of the folders.  Now they are ready to go for the first concert, and can put all of their information about that event in the folder.  

City Theatre was having their annual gala event in the East Club, and I got to observe set up.  There was a birthday party theme, and the decorations were spectacular.  

I also helped organize all of the table numbers that Aramark uses, and put them in numerical order.  There are so many details that go into an event, and it is important that nothing gets forgotten about.  Wednesday I answered the phone in the office while the managers were in a meeting.  I helped answer questions about the Kenny Chesney concert, the price of parking for Taylor Swift, where club attendants should enter for training, etc.  The phones are always ringing, as Heinz Field is a very busy venue!  

Wednesday night was PRIDE training for all new and returning employees.  I helped set up the tables in the West Club and greeted employees as they entered.  While training was in session, the other interns and I pulled uniforms for the employees that were in attendance that night.  We helped distribute the uniforms after training. Friday I organized the club attendant’s name tags and made sure each attendant was accounted for.  Although the first pre season game isn’t until August, we need to have everything ready for the Kenny Chesney concert May 30th.  I also helped clear out the storage closets, so there would be space to store props and equipment for the private event being held on Sunday.  

I officially started in the offices as the Corporate Events intern at Heinz Field.  I already feel like I am getting the hang of things, and I absolutely love the internship so far!  On my first day I arrived at 10:00 am.  I will be in the offices Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, and at events and concerts.  I started off by reading through information about the event space and FAQ clients will have.  The clubs are responsible for booking the spaces (East Club, West Club, North Club, Press Box, etc.) for various events.  Companies hold meetings in these spaces, high schools use them for their proms, people get married in the clubs, and non profits hold their galas there. They are so versatile and can be used for any type of event.  I familiarized myself with the prices to rent the spaces and the food and beverage minimum prices.  I also made sure I kept note of the capacities of each space so I could recommend the appropriate space to clients interested in holding their event at Heinz Field.  

I checked the club email account, and created forms for people requesting information about the space. Everything in the email is documented such as the type of event it is, the date, time, number of guests, budget, what type of dinner, and if they want to do a site visit.  I returned the emails and attached certain documents for them to review including the event space pricing, the audio visual pricing, the Aramark menu, and photos of the space I recommended.  I checked the voicemails and answered the phone in the office.  I am now comfortable with the information I am relaying to clients.  

The American Ireland Fund Gala was my first event I got to be a apart of as the special events club intern at Heinz field. It was on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, in the East Club. It was a huge production and so amazing to see everything come together in time. I arrived at 2:30 pm as they were finishing setting up and putting the finishing touches on everything. Since the Ireland Fund raises money for schools and students in Ireland, they elaborated on the theme by using old books. When guests first got on the elevator there was Irish music playing and torn book pages posted all over the walls. it was very whimsical. The Gala also honored the chancellor of Pitt and CMU. They added a college theme by having a college style pub in one section with pool tables and ping pong tables.  The tables with appetizers and desserts were covered in book pages and beautiful floral arrangements. The club was transformed into "Ireland" with a little bakery, pub, butcher shop, etc. Theresa Kauffman was the event coordinator for this specific event. They start planning it a year in advance. I helped set up table arrangements, and assisted with the set design. For this type of gala, the most important things are the details. We had to make sure everything was perfect and nothing was out of place. When the event started, I handed out programs as the guests entered. It was really cool getting to see every single person that was attending, including the Rooney's. We handed out favors to guests on their way out and assisted with general clean up. It was so exciting to be a part of such a huge Gala. I can't wait to see what the next event I work will be!