Augustine Golf Course PR and Markerting #3

July:

Wow the summer has come to an end! As I finish my internship and close a chapter in my life by leaving Virginia and moving down to my new home in North Carolina. I look back at this summer and at everything that I accomplished with my internship and all the things that I learned.

This last month was filled with a wedding on every Saturday with tournaments during the weeks, so Tracey and I had our handfuls. But we kept our heads on while we finished up last minute details when it came to weddings and crazy nervous brides.

The middle of July I helped Tracey plan two more weddings and which seems to be a fun Sweet 16. Tracey brought me in on this meeting especially so I could help the girl find things that she liked by having a girl somewhat closer to her age then her mother to understand what she was looking for. So I knew what she wanted when it came to bright colors and fun décor ideas. Although I won’t be able to see the Sweet 16 through since it’s at the end of August and I will be back at school with all of you! It was exciting to be a big help in what this girl wanted and to give her great ideas. She really made me feel old planning her Sweet 16 when I'll be 21 in August! I know the event will be executed perfectly.

Before I left Tracey and I sat down and updated the books I created so they include:

• Floor plans
• Menus
• Bar menus
• And information details

The end came to a closing and I finished my last wedding at Augustine Golf Course. It’s very sad to leave such a great staff that I got along with so well and some of my now good friends. Tracey and I had a great summer full of laughs and nice long talks about life as we worked.

Tracey is leaving Augustine Golf Course to further working in the wedding business by looking to open her own company with her good friend Heather who is a wonderful wedding cake maker. They will be an unstoppable team with their great ideas and crazy personalities. Tracey offered me a job working in the Marketing and PR for the company when I graduate when she gets it up and running, so the trio will be back together ready to make the venue great!

I said my last goodbye to the best summer job I've had the past 2 season, maybe one day I'll go back but until then that chapter is closed! 

Augustine Golf Course PR and Marketing #2

The fact that I have to think all the way back to June just blows my mind because I feel like we were just there! It came and went so fast.

Work in June:

The start of June was great! With the increase of tournaments and summer weddings start opening up Tracey and I got busier and busier. When not working on Sales and Marketing, I helped Tracey with the little things around the course. 

She just acquired a new position at the course being the Head of Food and Beverage Department. Her job now entails being in charge of the whole kitchen plus staff along with now booking and dealing with special events that people would like to be held at the course. She does the job of three people, and without a doubt she does a fantastic job with what little background she has in it.

 She was the reason why I loved coming to work every day and still hung around after I was off the clock. Being able to come to a job that you like to do is great. The joke around the course is that I’m Tracey’s “mini me”, and honestly I took pride in that because I knew that I could never do as good as a job as she does. If someone had a question or needed help and couldn’t find her they came to me, and I was able to redirect them on what to do. I learned that all from her. Working with her and knowing what she likes and how she likes it done is the key to a good work environment and knowing what needs to be done without being told or asking what to do.

When it came to promoting Tracey put me right to work making flyers to put on the websites and all over the club house promoting Happy Hours and Brunch which occurred all the time!  

Among not only doing busy work on the computer, we had multiple meetings with brides that I was able to sit in and Tracey asked my opinion on certain details and what we should do in regards to making things up to the bride’s expectations. We were able to go above and beyond what the brides wanted because we wanted to make her day as special as possible.

With all the crazy on having to get every thing down for wedding without missing certain times and what needed to be done when on the day of, Tracey and I got created. We came up with binders that I put together check list and filling in the details of the weddings. The list containing items like:

·      When the wedding is

·      # of people attending

·      Who was catering/what is the meal/what time is served

·      Champagne toast/ are we providing

·      What time are vendors coming

·      What color linens/are we providing

And so much more but I won’t bore you with the details. So much goes into wedding and I was able create those pages so the staff know what they should be doing at all times so they don’t have to be directed constantly. Honestly, the book was a success I made two copies each containing tall the information needed for the big day!

I was lucky enough to not go through all the details and set up for each wedding and events, but I was able to work them too. I was able to see everything come together from the beginning to end which made it all worth it to me to see all the hard work come to life.  Along with working with some great friends along the way!

Up next the final month July!

Augustine Golf Course PR and Marketing #1

So I have some catching up to do since my internship just got finalized! 

My name is Caroline Spignesi I’m going to be a senior in college at Bloomsburg University this coming fall and I’m very excited to see what is in store for me! I am a Mass Communication Major with a Minor in Marketing. As some of you know I used to in Virginia, so I was lucky enough to do my internship at Augustine Golf Course in my neighborhood before we moved down to Charlotte, North Carolina this past week! I was the first intern that the company has ever had, so they are excited to try it out!

Oh the month of May! Finals week came and went nice and smoothly, thankfully! As a finished up at school I had another task on my hands which was to go pack up my apartment and drive all the way back to Virginia to start my internship! After being home for couple weeks I went into work to start my first day!

End of May:

As I went into work that day I went in not wearing my normal summer uniform from past summers, but now I was in business casual wearing my flowered sundress ready to see what was in store for me.

That day went into to Tracey’s office my (my boss) and she went over everything that we were going to being this summer in Sales and Marketing along with a little PR. My job every day entitled updating all of the social media pages about events that would be happening that week at the clubhouse, tournament updates and specials for wedding bookings! We wanted to get our company out there as much as possible in the community because Augustine has the opportunity to be something great!

That day Tracey informed me of a Bridal party that would be happening in the coming weekend and I was going to help set it up and sit in on the meeting for the final details of it to get any final request to be made.

My first event went great! We had it on the porch with a mimosa and wine bar along with a buffet breakfast. The event was only 50 people, but I was able to jump right in with Tracey and we set up the whole thing. Everything went super smoothly and the bride said the service and set up was excellent. She said that she was going to pass our name along for future events. That was our goal at Augustine to go above and beyond for everyone so they will return and bring their friends and families in for other events.

 As the work for the summer keeps coming in I’m excited to see what is next for me with this internship!

Penn Highlands- The End

Things have been calm at the hospital since my last blog.

I worked on collecting information and organizing it for a website for our plastic surgeon. It took a few days to understand how the information needed to be set up, but it will be pretty cool to be able to look at the website when it's finished and say that I wrote some of the copy for it

Our biggest fundraiser for hospice is the annual Chili Bowl. I created a news release, radio commercial and took a picture to help promote the event. I also got to tour the radio station while the lady in charge of hospice recorded an interview.

I also got to work with the graphic designer and create two other brochures. And also made a list of posts that can be shared on the Penn Highlands Facebook at later dates.

I wrote a news release for the volunteer coordinator to tell the community what the volunteers at the hospital do and also to inform them that we are in need of volunteers.

My final article for my internship was about BBQ Safety. I worked with the hospital dietitian and created the article. It was fun because after I wrote the article I made my boyfriend and my brother pose by the grill so that I could include a picture with the article.

Since I’ve been finished with my internship for a few weeks I’ve been reflecting on my time spent at Penn Highlands. I truly believe that my Williamsport Crosscutter internship falling through was the best thing that could have happened for me. I loved every minute of my internship and I learned so much. I really enjoyed getting to work with people who work in different departments of the hospital. Not only did I learn about PR stuff I also got to interact and learn about different things that happen in the hospital. Amy taught me a lot about how to write for a paper and about AP format. This internship has me extremely excited to graduate in May and pursue a career in public relations. 

CBS Radio- 94.1 WIP SportsRadio #3

Wow did this summer go quickly... How is it already August!

As I begin to wrap up my time at WIP, it is really sinking in... I am going to be a senior and graduate this year!

Since the last time I posted on the blog I have explored and learned many new things about the entertainment industry and my own personal interests and plans after graduation.

Some of the new tasks and things that I have done are:

• Going to local stores and collecting magazines. Once we compile niche market magazines (ex: Runners, Tattoo Life, Wedding, etc.) we flip through and record the different companies that advertise in that magazine and begin to cold call them. 
• Analyze digital case study's for various clients. 
• Attend promotions meetings where we discuss the broadcasts for the coming months
• Created spreadsheets for multiple companies with the airtime, rating, and duration
• Analyze and edit orders: take the original copy/order, match it with the airtime, compare duration, and create a spreadsheet with all extra and missed commercials.
• Cold call various leads/business prospects

Each person that I work with/shadow teaches me something new. Everyone does things differently and has various methods to their madness. The sales industry is really about finding your own personal touch and applying that to your work. Along with working with WIP staff, I have met and interacted with the staff of the multiple radio stations within the CBS radio network. Connections, connections, connections!

I have also spent more time in the studio since my last post. Getting to know the talent and promotions staff was fun and a whole different world then the sales department. They also let me sit in on some recordings and play around with the equipment.

Through the various experiences, events, calls, meetings, and conversations I have had this summer I have learned a lot about myself and the things that I am looking for in a job when I graduate.

This has overall been a really amazing experience and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I have learned about the power of following up with people and personal contact / relations.

I have only positives to share about my internship experience!

CBS Radio: XTU/AMP The End.

As this summer draws to a close I can’t help but think about how fast these past 3 and a half months went. It feels like yesterday was my first day at the station and now it’s ending. This summer has been one of the best summers I have ever had, and I couldn’t be more thankful/grateful for this opportunity. 

Normally, I would write about all of the events and different things I have gotten to experience since the last time I blogged, but, since this is the last blog post I wanted to use this as more of a reflection post instead.

Looking back on the past three and a half months, I have learned so much.

I learned the ins and outs of the promotions department. This was done by assisting our promotions directors, Colleen, Brittny, and Special K (Carrie) with various tasks throughout the day (promo days.)

I learned how to work different events in different atmospheres (bars, concerts, restaurants and so on) which really helped prepare me for the real world and all that it has to offer.

I learned about Sales/Marketing, and how to promote the station in different ways. A prime example of this would be AMP radio – Philly’s new hit music 96.5 - you should tune in (: 

This is a brand new station, formerly known as Wired 96.5 so throughout this whole summer rebranding was taking place; it was our job to promote the station in various ways to get people to listen. We did this by going out to different places in the free ice cream truck and doing shore tours, and others events  which consisted to informing others about who we are, what we do and encouraging them to listen!

It is safe to say that I learned a lot but the most important lesson, I think I have said this before and now I’m going to say it again:

How to successfully represent your brand – and give a positive experience to listeners and fans – THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. We represented these two stations; it was our job to make sure that our listeners new and old were happy.  It may seem obvious that this is important, but I really mean it. Based on my experience, I sometimes got a little bit too caught up in making sure that I was doing my job right that I forgot I was being watched by others, and when event goers don’t think you are having fun, they may lose interest, which is what we don’t want.

Throughout the course of this summer, I got to work not only alongside the full time employees of AMP/XTU (Radio Jocks, my bosses, and Street-Teamers) I got to work alongside five other interns in which I have been lucky enough to gain friendships with, and I hope that those friendships lasts. 

This internship was everything I wanted it to be and more. There were good days and bad, but the good days ALWAYS outweighed the bad.

Once this ends I will be heading back to Bloom for SENIOR YEAR. Crazy right? I am definitely going to look into getting another internship for next summer or the spring, but for now I am going to enjoy my final weeks as a CBS radio intern!

All good things must come to an end and there is nothing else to say. This truly was one of the best summers I have ever had, and I will forever be grateful.

Here is a flipagram that I made recapping my experience, there will probably be way more pictures added within the next few weeks but for now, here it is! hopefully it works (:

http://flipagram.com/f/Zi7TVOtiEY

 

 

 

 

The Social Station- Round 3

This summer really has flown by. I can't believe that just a few short months ago I was packing up all of my business casual clothes to take home for my new internship. The whole experience was new, exciting, but extremely terrifying at the same time. I had no idea what I was walking in to but ended up loving every minute of it.

My internship with The Social Station was a perfect learning experience for an almost graduate like myself. The founder and owner is a Bloomsburg Alumni and was always eager to help me make connections. The fact that we could talk about things from outside of work despite our slight age gap was very comforting. He always made sure we had a clean and relaxing work environment to produce the best content for our clients. Hopefully this internship will flourish into a full time paid position upon graduation.

(This is Alex, my boss. We reminisce about his college days at Bloom!)

When my 120 required hours were up I had to have a sit down with my boss about what came next. A part of me was hoping he would take me on as a paid intern, or just as part time help. Unfortunately being a small business, they were not able to take me on as a paid employee. Not working for the whole summer greatly took a toll on me (and my bank account) so I offered to help out when I could for the remainder of the summer. My login is still active and I go on time to time to respond to reviews or add content to our client's media pages. I am also kept in the loop on company events and new clients being added.

To me this was a great way to keep a foot in the door with the company. I would be able to have access to all of our clients, the social media platform, and make connections with my fellow coworkers. My boss, Alex, told me if I were to apply for a position after I graduate I would have an almost definite chance of receiving the job. I figured by keeping my stake in the company, I would further increase my chances of a great future with The Social Station.

Shortly after I started working for The Social Station at home instead of the office, I was offered a job with Sorrelli Jewelry. I'm currently employed as a part time sales and event coordinator. This position is perfect for me because I am learning so much about what goes into planning an event. The company sends me to Young Professionals Chamber of Commerce events which definitely help my networking skills. Without working for The Social Station, I would have never come across such a wonderful opportunity.

Overall I had a wonderful internship with The Social Station. I couldn't have asked for a better boss, coworker, and materials to work with. This summer was a perfect learning experience for me. It took me out of my comfort zone and gave me a taste of the real world. I have gained so much more insight on what it's like to have a full time job and have someone depend on you for your expertise. I will take everything I have gathered into my final year of school and come out on the other side with a great job and amazing experience. Positive vibes!

CBS Radio- 94.1 WIP SportsRadio #2

Hi everyone!

I hope all of your intern experiences have been going well and are learning as much as you can in the industry you are working in. It is crazy to think how quickly the summer is flying by...

Since my last time posting, not a whole ton has changed. Each week there are sales meetings on Monday and Tuesday where we all discuss the various goals, items to focus on, and new happenings in the office. Along with the weekly sales meetings, there are digital team meetings. At the digital team meetings I have attended, there have been many topics of conversation: 

• Media Digital Metrics- This page shows the numbers for things such as unique visits, total visits, total page views, mobile visits, average daily pencil impressions, and social media visits. The metrics are shown for CBS Philly.com, WOGL, WZMP, WXTU, Radio.com, and Eventful. 
• A map with the 24 major markets- The map shows the 7 major sponsors along with the various cities that CBS is apart of including Seattle, Los Angeles, Houston, Baltimore, New York, Boston, and many more. 
• The next document is the 24 major markets with the unique's, visits, and page views of all of markets websites. 
• The Power of CBS packet- this packet includes information such as CBS Multi-Market Platforms: How we Reach the Consumer- online, mobile, radio, events, TV. Under each category is the statistics and facts for the different forms of contact with the consumers. 
• CBS Tent-Pole Sponsorship's- all of the sponsors for CBS are broken up into Q1-Q4. Also included in this is the sponsorship takeovers, run-of-site, rich media, mobile web, mobile apps, video pre-roll, radio.com, podcasting, and vertical sponsors, auto display networks, auto lead generation network, local offers, social media, e-direct, CBS local+, and eventful.
• CBS Local Media Case Study
• CBS e-Direct Marketing- this packet contains a list of various likes, interests, behaviors, children, religion, insurance, income, pets, language, marital status, etc. All of this information assists in emailing accurate content to consumers. 
• CBS Local+ paperwork discusses the various reach extension options such as standard targeting, site re-targeting, search re-targeting, and behavioral targeting. It also talks about geo-fencing; how it works, why to use it, and what it is. 
• Eventful- the main focus with eventful is to connect brands to their target market. Within eventful there are 3 different forms of advertisement; dedicated email, newsletter sponsorship, and display banners. This form of marketing is new to CBS. 

Another type of marketing that I have learned about so far is called Measured Marketing, which is connected and ties into e-Direct. One job I did in relation to Measured Marketing is collecting the invoices and creating graphical representation of the numbers. 

There are hundreds and hundreds of clients within the CBS radio network and within WIP. I was assigned a job of locating all of the clients and sponsors and sorting them by county. The goal of this spreadsheet was to collect numerical representation to present to prospective clients about how many businesses we work with in a specific county. 

When a client signs a proposal with WIP, content they agreed upon must be created. I help and perform the creation process by writing catchy radio scripts. Also, conduct research for employees who are planning events or giveaway's to their sponsorship. For example, I had to find flights, hotels, restaurants, and Phillies game tickets for a prize given to a sponsorship of WIP. 

Connecting back to Eventful, a job I completed for this marketing tactic was sorting the many prospective clients into categories such as food and beverage, arts and entertainment, insurance, etc. to assist in accurate advertisements. 

One main statement has been repeated over and over again to me and all of the employees... "You need to know it, to sell it". The point behind every meeting and every packet of information that is created and shared with all employees is to continue knowledge growth and motivation, If you are confident in yourself and the brand you are selling, you will make a sale. 

I really like the work environment at CBS and the people I work for/with. So far, I have had a great experience!

XTU/AMP part 2

The last time I posted on this blog was a little over a month ago now!! Crazy to think how fast time is flying I cant believe it is almost July!!

Since the 31st Anniversary Show, things have slowed down a bit at the office, but not enough that there is no work to be done! Since then I have been learning a lot and experiencing different things.


So here is what I have been up to:



After the Anniversary show I got to work some events where the radio station was a sponsor for Alex's Lemonade Stand and Relay for Life- at those events we were giving away Dierks Bentley tickets and FREE ice cream, (who doesn't love free ice cream? )and for those who know me know I love volunteering for non-profits, and I love their work. It was really fun to go out and experience different events and meeting different people.

The next week I got to work a T-Mobile event where we were also giving away a pair of Dierks Bentley tickets.



Then, I got to work the Taylor Swift concert, also for those who know me know that I she is my favorite artist in the industry, I was basically fan-girling on the inside all day. My job this day was to first head out into the parking lots and take picture of fans waiting for the show to start, which I love doing, it is great to see how excited people get when you walk over to them with a camera. I then got to stand at the tent and work take entries for a contest that we were having, which was pretty fun. Two of our wonderful employees made this awesome map that we were trying to get to Taylor but didn't work out :( it was worth a shot though! I also got to watch the show after we were done, so I saw it two nights and one night for free - definitely wasn't disappointed!

The following week I didn't have any events really since I was turning 21, I basically had the whole week off, so not that much going on that week. But my birthday was really fun!!!



After finally returning back to work, I had promo day and then my first bar event at Woody's. This was an AMP radio event, where every week we go there on Wednesday night for AMP'D Wednesdays, this is when we promote our station, give away some things and fun with the crowd. It was a really good time.



I then had off until Saturday, where I got to go to an event called Yacht Stock River Jam, it was a huge benefit held at the West End Yacht Club that raised money for a child with cancer. The only setback of this day was that It was pouring raining all day long, but we stuck it out (even when people were packing up) until our time slot was done, one thing I learned was even when things don't go the way they are supposed to do - you make it fun and the best situation it can possibly be.



I was off until Wednesday, where I had my promo day, but was told I was going on an event with AMP were we were setting up a free phone charging station to help out some people who couldn't charge their devices, due to those terrible storms we got the night before. Everyone who came was super appreciative and loved that we were there to help!!

 

Leading up to right now, last night I got to work the Dierks Bentley concert - it was such a great day. After setting up our station, we went out bannering, just like we did at the Anniversary show, we had to make them look perfect to make our station look good. Then I got to head to the parking lots and upgrade some fans to better seats - the one I remember most was this young girls 18th birthday and we upgraded and surprised her with Maddie and Tae meet and greets! Seeing her reaction was priceless, and it really made me happy. All of the hard work is worth it when seeing reacti-

ons and how happy people get when they get surprised by us or even get their picture taken. After that I was at the tent for the remainder of the night, interacting with fans and listeners and we were giving away some meet and greets - which was a really fun time watching that happen. After that we broke down our set and got to go watch some of the show, and Dierks never disappoints! It was a great day!

On Wednesday I get to go out in the Ice Cream Truck with AMP radio, and give away some free ice cream, and like I said earlier - who doesn't love free ice cream???

I think the coolest part about this internship is going to so many different places to participate in events that we are a sponsor for, it really helps make this whole experience real.

So with some things I learned within the past few weeks since starting:

• Always, always, always take initiative. This is definitely one of my weaker points and something I still need to work on within the next two months. Employers in the real world wont guide you step by step on what needs to be done, so it is important to always be ready to go when needed but also to step up and do thing without being asked.
•  Don't be afraid to ask questions, I feel like this is a common misconception especially with interns, but I learned that it is better to be unsure and ask, then do a task, and complete it wrong.
• And, like I wrote in the last post, have fun!! Honestly, making the best of every situation instead of standing around being cranky isn't a good time at all!
  

These next two months are going to fly by - and I'm having such a great time I don't think I want it to end!