Robertson Scholar Supports Doors Open Days 2021
Erin Coyle shares how she got to grips with exhibition installation, CMS software and marketing materials.
'Being in my third year at university with no work experience yet in my chosen field of event management and COVID-19 impacting everything around the world, I was panicked. I was sure I would not gain any valuable experience to help me start my career in event management before I finished university. However, being a Robertson Trust Scholar, I was so lucky that an internship was part of our third-year agreement with the team, and they found me various internships I would be interested in and helped me apply. Many appealed to me however the Scottish Civic Trust stood out against the rest with what experience they offered, and I really liked their purpose and work as it tied in with one of my subjects, Hospitality and Tourism Management.'
All in a day's work
'My role was specifically to help out with the Doors Open Day festival assisting Godsal and Laura. With Godsal, we worked more on the event and organising side of things, whereas with Laura, we were focused on digital and the website. I worked both independently and as a team which was a great experience for me, and I always had the support there when I needed it. I got to do such a wide variety of stuff which I enjoyed; each day was quite different, so I feel I gained experience in so many different things. I worked a lot with the coordinators, meeting them through our catch up Zoom meetings, and I packaged and posted their marketing materials to distribute to their sites. With Laura, I was taught how to use Umbraco, which SCT uses to manage their website and is a vital skill for my future and employability prospects. I helped upload the programmes for the areas for both the digital and in-person events and was an extra contact for the coordinators if they required any assistance or changes made to their programmes on the website.'
Launch event
'I really enjoyed seeing an event through from the planning phase to execution. In terms of the planning, I created and sent out the event invites and organized the catering for the day, creating a form for the attendees to submit their preferences. In the lead up to the launch event, I travelled down to Irvine a couple of times to help set up the exhibition. Over a couple of days, we painted the doors that were part of the exhibition and set these up, which was I really enjoyed and was something different. Seeing the effort and work that goes in by Godsal, Susan and Erin to keep everything running smoothly and on time was eye-opening for me, and I was proud to take part in such a special, successful event.'
Looking ahead
'I am so thankful I was accepted for this internship; I have learned so many skills I can take forward into my future, and it has made me strongly consider applying for roles in this sector. I got to see how businesses have adapted to working from home, but it was also great to get into the office for the last weeks of my internship and meet everyone!'
Thank you to Erin Coyle for all of her hard work and enthusiasm, we loved having you as part of our team!