Tuesday, May 5, 2009

My Last Day

Yesterday was my last day at Wingteam. I was so excited that it finally came to an end. I felt closer to feeling accomplished. Vanessa and I had last minute questions regarding our final paper and our supplier diversity project. We also gave Yvette our updates from past projects and expressed our interest in the continuation of on-call hire.

There was a sense of reflief among all of us. We had completed the internship and took away new relationships and new basic skills and knowledge of the industry. The interns and I decided to buy a gift for Yvette as a token of appreciation. Eventhough we all interned with Wingteam, we all had various experiences that taught us about ourselves and the industry.

As I reflect on my experience, I am not sure if I would change it even if I could. The connection with the other interns would never had existed. I would not have realized that sales is not my thing. And, I would not have learned what it takes to be a small business owner.

Congratulation to all of us who made it to the end!

You can visit Wingteam at www.mywingteam.com .

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Cardinals Game

On January 3rd, I was hired to work with Gameday Management Group for the Cardinals game. My area of focus was transportation. After the pre-con meeting, we were assigned to work in partners. My responsibilities were to direct fans to the shuttles, make them aware of bus/stadium rules, count the number of individuals loading the bus, and keep a log of bus departure times and the number of fans on the bus.

Fans were excited! Some fans tried to sneak their beers on the bus. Many of the ladies got upset at us, because we returned them to their vehicles to leave their big purses behind. The stadium has this rule that states a ladies' purse has to be within 12 inches tall and wide. I handled these grumbles by stating that it'd be best to be on the safe side rather than having to come back. We greeted and transported way over 600 fans. There were fans complimenting our good and fast service. I recall one fan stated that other stadiums need to take a look at how we organize and execute our transportation system for these types of events.

After transporting the fans to the stadium, we all headed over to the brown lot for our break. It was so boring waiting for everyone to get out. I didn't bring any reading material. We couldn't go to the restaurants around the Jobing.com Arena. However, we did get to enjoy a couple of slices of cold pizza. We simply sat in the cold weather hoping for the time to fly by.

Soon we were gathered once again for a briefing. We were told to quickly load as many people onto the bus at the same time. In order to make loading a smooth process, we had to pay attention to the staff in front of us. Once they signaled to stop allowing individuals from boarding, everyone was to do the same and close the doors so that the bus can be on its merry way. The purpose of this was to have all busses leave at the same time and have 6 new busses line up at the same time. The same amount of people, if not even more, were taken back to their vehicles in less than an hour. We then began to break down the barriers and grouped them together.

It was a long night, and I was ready to go home. My feet were killing me and I was a bit cold. It was great to learn some of the logistics invovled in transportation. I would never had guessed one would save time by loading at the same time. We were no longer concerned with filling up the busses. Although this strategy may not be the greenest, fans were happy to make it to their vehicles fast.

Medical Dinner

The second week of February mostly consisted of organizing papers. My days are a little bit slower now that I have just finished my big project with Driver Provider. However, I did take on a small project which helped to make the week a little more educational.

On February 12th, I assisted a meeting planner with a medical dinner she was organizing at a restaurant in Phoenix close to the Arizona Biltmore. We had about 40 professionals attend the dinner. My responsibility was to check in those who had RSVP'd and write the names of the walk-ins on the waiting list. Some lady did not want to wait for 30 minutes to find out whether or not she would be able to attend the dinner, so she left unsatisfied. Prior to opening up registration, I helped place materials on the chairs. There was an instance where we were trying to figure out how to prevent people from sitting at the booths. I suggested to put a placard on the table that read "Reserved." I also collected Speaker Evaluation Forms.

It was a pretty long 4 hours, but easy money. I happened to bump into some nurse practitioners that I used to work with at a cardiologist's office. At the end of my shift, I received a free meal and dessert. Plus, I made one new contact in the audio and visual field. I hope that I get to work more of these medical dinners!

1st of Week of April May Have Brought Me Good Luck!

So during the end of March and beginning of April, I was given the opportunity to set my basic office work aside and do something that would be beneficial to me. The owner gave me time to do a career search. She knew she had nothing lined up for me. So, she hoped that by giving me time to search for career opportunities I would have a position established by the time my internship came to an end.

Of course I was excited to shift my task onto my career search. I wanted my career path to involve community relations, meetings/events and/or sustainability. I targeted professionals I already knew, used MPI's website, and did a little research on the internet.

Looking for a career was time-consuming. Many of the positions I came across required at least 2-3 years of experience. Plus, many were out of state. Relocating was my last resort, but if I had to do it then I would. I polished my resume, with the help of professionals, and submitted to a few companies such as CompTIA. The worst part of a job search is waiting.

But that 1st week of April may have paid off. Few days ago on May 1st, I received an e-mail from the Suns organization. Although I was not asked to come in for an interview, I was asked to forward my resume so that I can be directed to the right individual for a career opportunity. I was so excited to hear from my contact, because it took a couple of e-mails and a phone call to get some kind of response. So, I am crossing my fingers and will continue to be persistent until I hear a "no" for an answer. In the meantime, you can check out a list of NBA career opportunities by clicking on http://nbateamjobs.teamworkonline.com/teamwork/r.cfm?i=23099 . Or to learn about the Suns Sales Symposium go to http://www.nbatvaffilates.com/media/suns/Sales__Service_Symposium.pdf .

Easy Solution Provides Quick Responses

On March 16th, I had received great responses from an e-mail I had sent out last week regarding the Impact 4 Good-New Jersey project. The owner was running into some challenges with a job posting on Craigslist. She was not getting anyone to respond to it. The event was a week away, and she still needed four more individuals to hire. I overheard her concern, and suggested she post the job on MPI's website or contact the President of the New Jersey chapter. She liked the idea and immediately signed me up for the task.

I got on my computer, retrieved the job description from Craigslist, and sent out an e-mail to the President of the New Jersey chapter of MPI. I also went ahead and posted the job on MPI's website. It was free of charge since the job was temporary/seasonal/part time.

Soon after, I received an e-mail from the President of the New Jersey chapter informing me she had forwarded it to her members and many were interested in helping us out. It was amazing to see the immediacy of the association. Being a part of an association has its benefits.

Unfortunately, I had to let them know that we fully staffed our event over the weekend, but were appreciative of their immediate responses. I also added that they'd be the first ones to be considered in the future when more New Jersey projects came our way.

It's funny how when your mind is occupied with so much other stuff we tend to overlook the resources we have within our reach. Sometimes when you overly subscribed to associations, software programs, etc., you begin to disassociate yourself from them and neglect what you once thought would help your business grow. Sometimes being a part of everything can hurt you, while being actively involved in selected few can make you prosper.

2 weeks later...NJ Paychecks

It was a pretty interesting end of the week (March 27th). The New Jersey on-site staff completed their work hours and now it is time to pay them. Some were missing time sheets and some were missing information on their time sheets. Now, I had to go through e-mails and make phone calls to obtain the information.

Upon my search, I came across a displeased e-mail from one of the on-site staff. She had complained to the owner about not receiving her paycheck in a timely manner. On Wingteam's timesheet it states that one would get paid within 72 hours. In many cases it never happens, because the owner has to wait to receive a check from the client, have the bank clear the check, and then has to have one of the interns issue the checks and mail them out. After reading the e-mail, I got the impression that the on-site staff may have believed she was not getting paid. I understood her frustration as the timesheet does say within 72 hours and her expectations were not met. Some were pleased that I called to follow up, and others were confused as to why we hadn't received the information. In a professional manner, I gave them possible reasons as to why we didn't get the timesheets and asked if they could send it again at a specific e-mail address. Although some dreaded resubmitting the timesheet, they understood and complied.

Anyway, after gathering the timesheets I issued the checks. It was a neat task, because I got to do a tiny aspect of bookkeeping. I made sure the checks were written out correctly, the notes were detailed out on the staff list and check book, and the thank-you cards were personalized. I hate to say this, but I am thinking about a career change.

New Jersey Project

It's been a little quite around the office. Wingteam seems to be getting business outside of Arizona, but seems like the opportunities here are limited. I am curious to find out why. It's a disadvantage for us interns, because if we are not able to work on-site events then we are not being exposed to various industries or enhancing our skills like we had hoped for.

This week (2nd week of March) in the office I administered a tiny project. My project was called Impact 4 Good-New Jersey. Wingteam was contracted to staff a teambuilding event in Parsippany, NJ. The teambuilding will not only build relationships, but also educate the participants on green practices.

My main duty was to compile the candidates into an excel spreadsheet. It included the name of the project, the date, the location, the name of the on-site lead person, the names and phone numbers of the on-site staff, and short descriptions of their qualifications. I retrieved the information from their resumes. Majority of the resumes were about 3 pages long. Some had interesting employment history on it. For example, one girl had experience working some MTV events. Others were entertainers or project managers. My task was to condense everyone's information into one nice sheet, so that I could hand it over to the lead person and keep one for our records. In one binder I created dividers to put the excel sheet, resumes, and timesheets in.

It was a pretty simple task. It was better than adding contacts to Constant Contacts and sending out an electronic version of our leaflet to hotel staff. On a different note, I can't imagine the risk one takes to execute out-of-state projects like this without being present. What if the candidates are not really qualified? What is Wingteam doing to really screen their candidates? Are they doing background checks? If not, are they willing to? What if one of them has a criminal background? Overall, I am realizing the challenges and difficulties a small business goes through and the risk one must take in order to stay afloat, especially during these tough economic times.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Supplier Diversity Project




This past week or so we have been working on our Supplier Diversity Project. Supplier diversity is a business strategy that gives small/disadvantage/minority businesses the opportunity to have their products/services be utilized by non-minority companies. Our goal is to have 25 submissions by the end of our internship.


The project may seem easy, but is quite challenging. The forms require certification numbers, DUNS number, etc. Entering this information is quite frustrating and at times inaccurate, because we may not have the information at our disposal. Consequently, it delays our application process, because we have to wait to hear back from the owner. My partner and I decided to get together today (May 1st) to tackle this project in hopes to get it done by Monday. We figured that by working together we can help each other out.

I had researched a little over 40 companies nationwide that are recognized for their supplier diversity program. The companies ranged from technology to hospitality. Many of the companies such as Xerox and Bank of America are placed in the top 20 for improving the economic opportunities of small businesses. I also found Time Warner and Marriott. If either of these company hire Wingteam for its services, I'd feel extremely accomplished because then we gave students the opportunity to work for prestigious companies. Plus, I would get a bonus for submitting the application.

It took me a long time to complete one application. I have already submitted one for the Super Bowl in Florida. Now, I have 23 more to go and these applications are not getting any easier to fill out. I just hope I achieve my goal. Wish me luck! To learn about the complexity of a supplier diversity form go to https://cvmas02.cvmsolutions.com/millerbrewing/ .




Thursday, April 30, 2009

SIFMA-CL Conference

So by the 3rd to 4th week of March, I was finally getting away from faxing and copying papers. Well, so I thought. I had the pleasure of working with an event company based in New York. The association, SIFMA-CL (http://www.sifmacl.org/en/cev/49/), held its annual conference at the JW Marriott from Sunday, March 22nd to Wednesday. It's expected attendance was well over 1,000 guests from across the nation. The association focuses on securities and financial markets. (I know this, because I did a little research about the association before working the conference.)

The Saturday before we opened registration, we had a small meeting to discuss everyone's assignment. Although I was not hired to work the conference, I went to training hoping I would get added to the team. According to my supervisor, this project was only for experienced meeting planners. So, of course, that meant I had to spice up my elevator pitch and prove I could deliver the same results given I had no prior experience. I was surrounded by people with an average of 15 years of experience. It was pretty intimidating especially when I had to state my qualifications in front of everybody without making it seem like I was just a rookie.

After our meeting, I was given the opportunity to assist in registration. We trained to utilize a computer software program to register attendees and modify their daily schedules. Then, I assisted in stuffing over 1,000 eco-friendly bags with materials and assemble name badges. Over the course of the conference, I directed any payment issues to my lead person, provided quality customer service, assisted with Q&A (Questions & Answers), tallied evaluation forms, as well as copied and stapled papers.

I really did enjoy being a part of the meetings industry. One new thing that I learned was how to work a Q&A session. The number on the microphone indicates the number of fingers you should hold up in the air when an attendee is ready to ask a question. This tells the A/V team what microphone to turn on and off once the attendee has asked his/her question. If Q&A is being filmed, then you step out of the way and kneel to avoid being in the way. If not you can either hold the microphone or hand it to the attendee.

It was interesting to see meeting planners work together. At times, they made the simplest task complicated. Overall, they were great people and we all worked well as a team. Maybe next time I can learn how to work the panel discussions.

AZHCC Black & White Event




I had been looking forward to working the 2009 Black & White Ball event the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce puts on annually. It is the longest black and white affair running in Arizona. It was held on Saturday, April 18th at the Sheraton. There were over 1,000 attendees arriving with their glamorous dresses and pressed suits.

For the past few days I had been helping the chamber with basic duties such as gathering silent auction items, numbering the silent auction items, creating a silent auction items list for reference, and compiling a volunteer list. It was a great experience, because I got to see what all goes on right before the big day. Everyone's focus was on executing the best event ever and feelings of excitement were everywhere.

On Saturday we had a pre-con meeting. We began to place the centerpieces on the table, arrange the silent auction items on the tables, and assemble floral decorations. My on-site supervisor went over the flow of the program with me. She reviewed with me my responsibilities as a Lead for the volunteers.

After getting dressed up for the event, I came back on-site to work the event. We gathered all the volunteers to discuss their assignments and shifts. My group consisted of 5 individuals who were all so pleasant to work with. It was my first time taking the lead of managing a diverse age group. I was nervous, but loved it. I took my group on a tour of the rooms and sections we'd be using. I briefed them on customer service, and gave them ideas such as opening the door, smiling, saying "Sir" or "Mam," etc. I'd check up on my volunteers by asking how they were doing, if they needed a potty break, and if I could them anything to drink.


Everything was running smooth. I did scare my on-site supervisor though. I called her to make her aware that the dance area was yet to be set up. This call was made about 30 minutes prior to the program ending, the dance was to follow. My on-site supervisor got scared and asked what room I was looking in. I told her and she stated it was the right room but a different section. I was embarrased.



At the end of the night my feet were killing me. It was a fabulous event. We greeted over 1,00
0 attendees, I managed a group of 5 volunteers and was part of an historical event. There were
carnival performers that led the guests from the 3rd floor to the second floor, where the dance
was taking place. My favorite part was learning how to organize a silent auction. I'd welc
ome the opportunity to work with the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce again. You can learn more about the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce by visiting http://azhcc.com/.





Besides office work, let's talk about networking!

So last month I attended a networking event put on by Meeting Professionals International at the Phoenix Zoo. I was nervous going in. One, because it was the first time that I'd be perceived as the Event Specialist from Wingteam. And two, because I knew I'd have to do a 30 second commerical on my company in front of professionals with 10 plus years of experience. However, by the end of the night, I felt accomplished. Accomplished, because I tackled my fear of public speaking and answered questions with confidence regardless if I knew it or not. Okay, so maybe I lied just a little on questions I was unsure of. I had refused to say 'I don't know' for an answer.

So now I was put to the test again. On March 12th, I attended MPI's monthly meeting which was held at US Airways. As I arrived, there was hip hop music playing in the background and dancers performing on the stage. I had my business cards ready and single page leaflets to promote the company once more.

Although I have been wanting to learn sales technique, I couldn't help but to think how I have become a sales person, one of the people I hate. I don't like approaching people and talking strictly business. Why? Because, I don't like it when people see me as a dollar sign. I'd much rather get to know someone on a personal level and then talk about business.

Anyway, so I went around, introduced myself, talked about the company I was representing, and answered questions. I'm not sure how long Wingteam has been a member of MPI, but it was surprising that no one had ever heard of Wingteam. One lady made the comment: "You must have a lot of business especially during these tough economic times." I didn't know how to respond, because I didn't want to let her know we weren't doing so well, and I didn't want to say we were doing great. So I just said we were doing alright.

It was a difficult challenge for me to promote the company again, because I had not been trained to discuss the company's services more elaborately, or how to implemente sales techniques. A month had passed from my last networking activity and my skills had not progressed by any means. I am guessing I needed to be a little more persistent and creative. I recall the symposium from last month talked about partnerships. Now that I look back at the situation, I should have proposed to a professional the possibility of creating a partnership.

There is so much to learn about being the best sales person. Maybe I am just not suited for this position. I just wish I had the right mentor to learn from. I think then I'd be more successful in either bringing in business or engraving Wingteam in people's brains. Right now, I am not liking it so much. I am exhausted with networking. You can learn more about MPI (Meeting Professionals International) by visiting www.mpiweb.org.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Understanding Sales Strategies

Another week has past and I still have to get use to deadlines. I would say that most of my life as a student, I have been given the leniency that no employer will tolerate. I have the habit of waiting until the last minute to complete my task. There is no room for procrastination in the work force. The deadline for my Hotel Purchasing project is tomorrow, and I now I am in panic mode because I must present my report to my supervisor.

Although I did call all the major hotels on her list this past week, my follow through was not all that great. My goal for this project was to call all the major hotel and complete any forms necessary to add Wingteam to its list of suppliers. My task is 50% complete. I haven't received any forms nor have I called the hotels I left messages for. My sense of urgency has been low. I think it probably has to do with the fear of being asked questions that I will not be able to answer.

If this project is going to be a success, then I must conquer the first sales strategy: think big and audit my time. I must believe that I am an important figure/aspect in this company when making these calls. And, I need to priortize my tasks and stop trying to put the tasks I dread on hold. By implementing this strategy I avoid being in trouble with my supervisor.

It's a good thing that I attended the Sun's Symposium this past Wednesday as part of my educational training. The focus was sales and service. Believe it or not, the sales strategy that every Suns employee emphasized was building relationships. Even though the sales team does a handful of cold calls, the organization remains standing because of its partnerships. If you want to be a part of the organization you must have passion, be persistent, have excellent written and oral skills, and have top-notch customer service. The COO of the Suns organization talked about how shocking it is for him to know there is a deficiency in communication skills among many individuals he converses with. A skill that is on top of every company's list.

To summarize, understanding sales strategies and implementing it in your business operations will drive results. Many people would much rather do business with people they know. A strategy I hope the owner of Wingteam comes to understand. The key in being a successful sales person is being self-confident. The money will come later. Right now, I must prove that I can be persisent and drive results.

Friday, February 27, 2009

No more flipp'n through magazines

Yay!!! No more flipping through magazines to find potential leads. Now, I am contacting every major hotel or resort in metropolitan phoenix. My new project is called, Hotel/Resort Purchasing Department Contacts.

The goal of this project is to make a lead with the purchasing department. The purchasing department has the say in which small businesses get to be contracted for additional help. This is a huge deal for us, because we have eliminated wasteful strategies that led to no business and now going straight to the powerful ones. Once a small business is added to the list, the hotel will contact that small business to assist in huge functions such as events, conferences, etc. when necessary.

I felt very successful calling my first group of hotels. One hotel had informed me that they already had two companies they work with, but would be glad to hand down our information. I sent the lady Wingteam's information as well as a warm thank you for her time. My next task is to follow up with the hotel. It'd be nice if I could secure that piece of business, because then I'd get a bonus check.

Other than that, Yvette, my supervisor, did this pretty neat activity with the interns to make the work day funner. She had each intern pick a card. The card I chose said "Abundance." I looked it up to only read that I am to ask the angels to release my fears of scarcity and to accept this flow of abundance coming my way. It was fun to read.

In summary, this week I learned that it's not a bad idea to ask another professional for advice in business growth. Although some may not give you their secrets, others are glad to lead you toward the right direction. I practiced my phone skills by rehearshing a little script before calling. Of course I refrained from sounding like a robot. I am hoping that after this project I can gear the company toward another direction by doing promotional projects, or help Wingteam design a better website.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Business is Slow

Since my last post, nothing much has changed. Sometimes I wonder what real Sales & Marketing people do to drive business to their company. I am only an intern and I am already exhausted with all the networking and promoting Wingteam.

However, I have learned a new program and new tricks to gain exposure. One new program that I am familiarizing myself with is Constant Contact. You pay $15 a month for a service that allows you to create or use templates to e-mail all your contacts a newsletter, message, etc. Constant Contact is great for newsletters! Now, the greatest trick I learned over the last few days and one that may benefit me in the long run are keywords. To know how to effectively research for potential leads means to know what keywords will give you what you are looking for in a minimal amount of time. I have been killing myself with trying to find potential leads on the internet by using the following keywords: Director of Sales, operations, special event manager, and planner. Well, there is an easier way to get to the right contact for the potential lead. As a small business owner there are special programs in place to help the small business owner get business. An advice that was given to us is to look for Management companies, and type in the keywords supplier diversity and procurement. These Management companies work with small businesses and will hire them over companies who make "$$$$x" amount of money. And, typing in the keywords takes you directly to the department or person you need to talk to about doing their next meeting/event or supplying them with transportation services, etc. The purpose of the program is to share the wealth with smaller businesses who may be struggling.


To sum up my experiences over the last weeks, I have found it difficult to drive business to a company when your knowledge and resources are limited. I spent countless hours flipping through magazing pages to find events the company can possibly work for, networking, e-mailing my contacts via LinkedIn about Wingteam, and putting contacts in an Excel spreadsheet. Although I am still doing it, I find it very ineffective to flip through a magazine to find leads, because the event does not have a contact name or person; so, I am stuck with doing more internet research on the event to find out who I need to speak with to let them know about our services. Basically, you can think of what I am doing as cold calls. So, if anyone out there has a better or more creative idea on how to internet prospect or acquire business, please let me know.

So what did I learn about myself these past few weeks. I need to strengthen my internet prospecting skills and research skills. I learned that I am more of a "building relationships" to gain leads rather than cold calls. Cold calls are ineffective, especially in today's market. One last thing, I learned that it takes me a while to express new ideas on how to get the business more in the public eye. I am guessing it has to do with my ideas being shot down.

Until next time...
Diana

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Making time to write something

I have to rewrite my entire blog, because it deleted before I could save it. So, here I go again. /=


I started this blog on January 31, and I am finally writing something in this box. I have been quite busy with tiny projects here and there. There have been events, projects, and meetings that I am trying to squeeze in this semester before my student card expires.

Currently, I am doing my full time internship with Wingteam. Some of you are familiary with the company and some are not. For those of you who are not familiar with Wingteam, Wingteam is an event staffing agency that provides support staff to businesses/organizations within the tourism industry. It selects the qualified candidate to work on-site events/meetings on an on-call basis. The advantage of interning with Wingteam is that I get to be exposed to various tourism fields. My days are never the same as we work with different clients in different venues/sites. The disadvantage is work is inconsistent. However, to compensate for not working on-site events I do sales & marketing duties. Tasks include networking, prospecting for potential leads, and giving my input on new strategies. These simple tasks are giving me a better understanding on how the community and market work. It's great to work on your own pace.

I began my internship about two to three weeks early. My first project was working with Driver Provider. The work was easy, pay was amazing, but I worked long hours. I had the pleasure working with amazing staff. My main responsibility was to meet and greet guests from the Midwest at the Wigwam Resort. So, on certain days I got to see Ms. Shelly Smith handle a swarm of 15 people at the front desk. The bellmen at the Wigwam also helped my days be brighter.

The guests were so nice. They were coming from temperatures of 10 degrees below zero. Many were delighted to be in Arizona. One challenge I encountered was a languare barrier. I thought my 3 years of French in high school would serve me something, but I just could not understand the French Canadians. I found myself talking slower and louder like Chris Tucker did in Rush Hour. Nonetheless, the outcome of the project was a success! I made such a great impression with Driver Provider that they are keeping my contact for future employment opportunities. I guess the standing for 10 hours paid off.

Other than that I spend most of my work hours at the office. I am trying to acquire business for the company so that I can do more events. But, it has been difficult due to the downturn of the economy. I guess I should try getting leads by focusing on the international level. The days at the office are much funner having two fabulous ASU students there...Vanessa Dougan & Lisa Gruttadauro!

Until next time...
Diana Rocha
www.asu.edu/clubs/mpi-asu

I'm a little behind, but it is not my fault!

Stay tuned for more details. I wasn't kidding about the title.