You may be surprised to know that working in Special Events involves quite a bit more than glamorous parties and high profile events. A lot of prep work goes into the events themselves, of course, but there is an endless array seemingly minute background details that contribute to the overall support and function of museum events. Many of these tasks lay groundwork for future events, are important because they make sure our information is current, or they improve the department. These jobs are usually time consuming but are not urgent or vital to the success or fail of any specific event. Stephanie and Katy have so much on their plates with important and pressing responsibilities that a lot of my internship focuses on completing background research/tasks for them. Through this, I have the opportunity to see how many levels of work and how much accumulated knowledge goes into creating successful events. I think that one of the reasons that the Special Events department functions so well is because of this emphasis on building a strong foundation of supporting information.

I finished creating a list of potential new clients, and am now working on a list of restaurant recommendations to give to clients who are unfamiliar with Austin and want to go out to lunch or dinner. Writing all of the little blurbs about Austin’s best restaurants is fun and I am relishing the opportunity show my voice through my writing!