Internships at ADI- Straight from the Interns Themselves:

As an intern...

I expected to get the overall feeling of the workplace and gain experience and knowledge about event planning and procedures. I would find out soon after, that I would be learning much more than just that. ADI plans and directs many different events all around the world and do so in one small office.

While my duties started out as normal for an intern; filing papers, gathering information, setting up documents and answering phones, they were soon put to the test when I was awarded the opportunity to go to a large event at the Boca Raton in Florida. This event would cater to nearly 300 people as part of an incentive program.

My work load would soon become three times as much as before which made me excited because I love to delegate and tackle big work loads. I had to gather the information on every person and print out their itineraries including travel schedules and file them alphabetically. I had to do so because of the potential need for this information while on site at Boca Raton. If one of our guests needed their information for their plans or flight schedule we would have a spare copy. Every one of these itineraries were hand delivered by myself from Phoenix to Florida in a very large, and very heavy, accordion briefcase.

Besides just gathering information and itineraries, I also had the privilege of contacting certain people to finalize their plans. This was a more personable part of the pre-event experience because I was interacting with actual participants for the event. It gave me a chance to showcase my interpersonal skills over the phone.

I was fortunate to get this opportunity because it allowed me to get a feel of what the trip directors and everybody at the ADI team do as a full time profession. I was able to see the amount of dedication and professionalism needed to be presented in order to get the event to go off without a hitch. Also, I was able to network and see all of my hard work pay off in the end. I am happy to announce that the event was a success and I was praised by many for my hard work, responsibility and overall great attitude.

- Martha Navarro, Intern at ADI Meetings and Events 2010

Learning the Industry

Since I started my internship with ADI Meetings and Events I have learned and accomplished so much. I love being a part of the ADI team in every way. It has been very challenging in many different ways, but I have enjoyed every second of being there in the past three weeks. We have been preparing for an incentive travel program to Costa Rica in which I depart for on Tuesday, February 8th. I have been working with the Program Manager to prepare all the necessities of an incentive travel program of this type and it has been a truly enriching experience. I have aided in putting together tour programs, air itineraries, welcome packets, information booklets, client reports, tour confirmations, client binders, rooming lists, contact information, air manifests, master reports and much more. In addition I have gotten to learn how to perform certain excel functions such as mail merges, sorting tools and filtering options. I have also been able to sit in on some industry vendor meetings with the sales team including representatives from places such as the Bally's and Paris hotels in Las Vegas and the San Diego CVB.

The ADI team has really taken me under their wing and made a point to make me feel comfortable and enhance my knowledge of the industry. They have presented me with opportunities I never could have imagined to have at this point in my academic or professional career. I have been given a large amount of responsibility in my time with ADI and I really appreciate their confidence in me. Every single member of the ADI team has welcomed me with open arms and given me a platform to learn something in all aspects of the business. I could not have been given a better position at this point in my life. In addition to working on the Cost Rica incentive program, I got to jump in and help with registration for one of the largest trade shows in the country. I also got to see the production and planning of this event play out and it was an exhilarating experience. I have seen a little bit of everything so far in my short time with ADI. I've seen a little bit of accounting, sales, marketing, production, planning and event execution. I was also given the opportunity to review a hotel contract with the Sales Manager as she pointed out areas of concern specific to the client and how to go about negotiating those things with the hotel. I had never experienced contract negotiation on this side of the industry and it was a wonderful learning experience for me.

I cannot express my appreciation and immense gratitude for how openly all of these professionals have given up their time to teach and show me things. This company is truly one with talent and integrity. They believe in educating their employees in a way that enhances each individual's fullest potential and rewarding their hard work and accomplishments at every opportunity. I could not be luckier to be in this experience right now and I cannot wait to see what is to come in my future weeks with ADI.

-Margaret Plocica, Intern at ADI Meetings and Events spring 2011, current Sales Account Manager.