Saturday evening, July 15th I pulled out my black gala dress from my shopping bag and prepared for the festivities. The gala did not start until 5pm, but I reported to work at 10am. My morning began by updating the 11 bulletin boards around campus and then answering the phones in the box office. At 6pm I chatted with many donors and other gala guests during their cocktail hour as I politely asked them to make there way to the Ted Shawn Theatre for the performances.Once the guests were seated, I waited outside for "bell tickets" - tickets that have not been sold and are released as complimentary tickets for interns and staff members.
Before things got hectic - production interns and artist services interns planned and presented The Pillow Staff with the "Fire & Ice Masquerade" on the Ted Shawn Theatre Stage. It was a fun night outside of the offices getting to know all the interns, staff, and apprentices. We also held a bonfire during the week for interns and staff - roasting marshmallows and enjoying our nights off before the festival begins.
Two weeks into my internship and I can now thoroughly discuss what I do. I am the marketing and ticket services intern - meaning I spend half of my time in the box office, and half of my time in the marketing office.
While in the box office - I answer phone calls, sell and exchange tickets, return messages, and contact patrons who have mailed in gift certificates and vouchers. In addition to ticket sales, I print tickets and invoices to be mailed, and run End of Day which consists of a series of reports and documents for both the Director of Finance, Development, and the Director of Marketing & Communications. I now realize how important it is to keep track of daily credits and debits.
While in the marketing office - I work on many different projects, some with due dates, some that can be looked at when down time is available. My current project include: - Designing the opening week flyer and sending it as a pdf email attachment to stores/companies/venues - Learning how to make edits on the website, and then helping make changes throughout the summer - Student Spotlights from the 4 programs here at The School at Jacob's Pillow - Managing The School at Jacob's Pillow facebook page - Research and contacting organizations and publications supporting LBGT for Weekend Out - Tracking review sites - Creating and posting 'Today at the Pillow' signs - Creating and sending informational sheets to local hotels - Cleaning and opening The Welcome Center (also giving tours) - Updating and cleaning the photo drive - Keeping track of everything we do!
With the festival only two weeks away, the marketing department is determined to get the word out. My job is to keep track of all the restaurants, shops, stores, and visitor centers that agreed to post our marketing material and those that simply could not. In addition to the "yes's" and "no's" I track the exact marketing material being handed out, (for instance which poster is posted, is it the festival 2013, Kafig, or L.E.V.)