Taylor Berry & Miranda Day 2016

Table of Contents

Agency Name & Contact Information Pg #2

Agency Description Pg #3

Application Information Pg #4

Internship Overview & Work Plan Pg #4

Internship Agency Analysis Pg #5

Miranda & Taylor’s Project: Internship Manual Pg #20

Miranda’s Special Project: Membership Events Analysis

Pg #43

Taylor’s Special Project: Marketing & Social Media Analysis

Pg #49

Internship Artifacts & Photographs Pg #55

Miranda’s Weekly Posts Pg #59

Taylor’s Weekly Posts Pg #77

Miranda’s Evaluation & Feedback Pg #91

Miranda’s Personal Evaluation & Internship Reflection Pg #96

Taylor’s Evaluation & Feedback Pg #98

Taylor’s Personal Evaluation & Internship Reflection

Pg #102

1

Agency Name & Contact Information

River Ridge Golf Club

3224 Auburn Knightdale Road

Raleigh, NC

27610

(919) 661­8374 www.golfriverridge.com

Craig Hooks

General Manager

chooks@golfriverridge.com

John Partin

Head Golf Professional

jpartin@golfriverridge.com

Jamie Notarainni

Sales and Events Director

jnotarainni@golfriverridge.com

Sarah Ward

Business Manager

sbward@golfriverridge.com

2

Agency Description & Mission

Description

River Ridge Golf Club is nestled on over 100 acres in the heart of the triangle. The 5800

square foot outdoor pavilion overlooks our immaculate green landscape and Carolina blue skies

which provides the perfect setting for an outdoor event! We are only 15 minutes from downtown

Raleigh and Cary and easily accessible from 1­40, 1­540 and 1­440.

Guests will drive up to view our 10,000 square foot elegant estate clubhouse, a perfect

backdrop for an unforgettable event. Our outdoor pavilion was designed for hosting special

events and can accommodate up to 300 guests. For an indoor event we have a brand new event

space with a private balcony than can accommodate up to 100 guests.

The Championship golf course at River Ridge is our biggest asset; our members have

dependable golf course conditions year round. Sound, proven, dependable maintenance practices

have always kept River Ridge in great condition. Rodney Moss, our golf course superintendent

currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Triangle Turf Grass Association. This position

allows Rodney to interact with the best Golf Course Superintendents in the triangle, bringing up

to date management practices to River Ridge, assuring the golf course at River Ridge stays in

"private club condition.

Mission Statement

River Ridge’s mission is to provide a high quality of service and hospitality to members and the

daily fee guests paying to enjoy our golf course and clubhouse facilities. All services provided by

our staff must be accomplished as a coordinated team… in a professional manner… and provide

a sufficient operating profit to enhance and maintain the facilities and provide a reasonable

return to the ownership.

3

Application Information

Internship Overview & Work Plan

River Ridge Golf Club, an 18­hole Championship Golf Course and Event Venue, is currently

seeking a Sales and Events Intern who is interested in a career in the Events, Hospitality or Golf

Industry. The ideal candidate will possess a strong desire to learn and assist our Sales and

Events Director in the planning and execution of events ranging from golf tournaments, golf

outings, weddings, charity events, fundraisers, membership event, etc. This intern would also be

assisting in club membership development and executing sales tactics to bring in future events,

outings, and memberships. If you are interested in this internship, email your resume to our Sales

and Events Director, Jamie Notarainni at jnotarainni@golfriverridge.com.

4

Agency Analysis

Community Description Pg #5

Marketing Plan Pg #5

Organizational Structure & Culture Pg #7

Personnel Practices Pg #8

Financial Management Strategy Pg #9

Facilities & Areas Pg #10

Programs & Events Pg #11

Job Description Pg #18

Community Description

River Ridge Golf Club is Raleigh’s only 4.5­star course. It is nestled into quiet hills surrounded

by a neighborhood in East Raleigh. The course is semi­private, therefore it has members, but is

also open to the public. None of the club’s revenue is earned through Homeowner's Association

fees. The course mainly attracts upper middle class white males who are over the age of 30. The

neighborhood surrounding the course is comprised of large family homes owned by upper

middle class North Carolinians. The golf course itself typically attracts males, whereas the pool

and tennis membership attracts women and families. We draw in recreators from all over the

Triangle and surrounding areas.

Marketing Plan

River Ridge Golf Club makes sure to market in any way they can. There is a use of all social

media outlets, the internet in terms of websites as well as email blast. This agency also uses the

radio which is also a great way to reach a large population. In terms of competition there are

many golf clubs surrounding the area, but none are competitive in terms of granting the public

the ability to use the facility for events without being a golf club member, which is something

that is typical for other clubs. In terms of the event side of things River Ridge targets future

brides in hopes for them to book their wedding ceremony and/or reception. River Ridge has the

5

opportunity to reach more individuals if there were to utilize their social media on a more

consistent basis. Social media is a free advertising tool that many people use for research so if

they were to keep that in mind, they could bring in more revenue. The biggest threat like other

businesses are their competitors in terms of golf courses and wedding venues. Being around for

over 20 years there has been a lot of time for River Ridge to create long lasting relationships with

its members as well as with individuals who book events, tournaments, and other programs.

Shown below are the surrounding counties and information on the median salary as well as age

and gender. This information allows River Ridge to see there what their target market should be

as well as if they are doing what they can to reach everyone.

(Information collected from http://www.census.gov)

Raleigh, NC Median Age: 32 Average Annual Income: $54,581 Marital Status 44.66% # of Children < 18: 32.94% Male: 48.3% Female:51.7% Garner, NC Median Age: 38.2 Average Annual Income: $58,107 Marital Status: 59% # of Children < 18: 65.35% Male: 47.5% (35) Female: 52.5% (40) Knightdale, NC Median Age: 30.8 Average Annual Income: $72,591 Marital Status: 53.0% # of Children < 18: 68.5% Male: 46.6% (34) Female: 53.4% (33.6)

6

Clayton, NC Median Age: 33.4 Average Annual Income: $56,941 Marital Status: 52.7% # of Children < 18: 42.2% Male: 47.8% (35.7) Female: 52.2 % (37.40)

Organizational Structure & Culture

At River Ridge the organizational structure is small considering they are a semi­private golf

club. This structure has an Owner, General Manager, five members of the Management Staff,

general employees, and then interns. The General Manager is the person the Management Staff

goes to when there is an interest in a major purchase or an issue that needs to be addressed. As an

events interns, we worked mostly with and reported to our supervisor Jamie Notarainni whom is

apart of the Management Staff. In the grand scheme of things everyone works together to make

sure the agency runs smoothly and that all customers are satisfied when they leave.

7

Personnel Practices

River Ridge Golf Club recruits employees through NC State’s Professional Golf Management

program as well as NCSU’s Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management program. River Ridge

also posts job openings on Monster.com, Craigslist, Indeed, and on the company website. The

manager of each department hires staff below him/her and runs the decision by the General

Manager before final verdict is sent out. River Ridge looks for staff members who display

professionalism and friendliness. We work very closely together so it’s important we all get

along well. In interviews, it is important to make steady eye contact, speak up, and have a firm

handshake. After being hired, orientation is specific to the department in which the new

employee will work. However, each new employee gets a tour, meets other staff, and has a

meeting about scheduling and responsibilities with his/her new supervisor.

Some personnel policies at River Ridge are as follows:

1. Dress code at River Ridge is extremely important and applies to both staff and

clients. However, dress code is also flexible depending on what staff are doing that

day. Clients at the club must be wearing proper golf clothes to be permitted to golf on

the course. Since the clients are held to this standard, it’s especially important for the

employees to be mindful of their outfits. The events staff wears professional women’s

clothing; for tournaments and admin work we can dress a bit more casually. Here’s

our one exception: the day of weddings we come dressed in appropriate­length shorts

and suitable shirts because before the ceremony we are doing manual labor to set up

the pavilion, cocktail hour ballroom, the ceremony chairs and arbor, etc. We always

change into traditional wedding professional wear before we cue the bridal party for

the ceremony.

2. Another event’s policy River Ridge has is that all caterers must be full­service. Full

service catering means that the caterers clean up after themselves, and they are there

during the event to refresh and serve the food. Other than that, River Ridge

encourages clients to select all vendors off the preferred list provided in the wedding

packet, however, we do allow full­service outside catering.

8

Ways River Ridge rewards employees:

A reward of working at River Ridge is that you can golf for free! It’s very motivating that

River Ridge wants to cultivate the passion for golf in its employees. The Pro and his assistant

even give free lessons to the employees. A bonus reward of working at the club is that we can get

any food and beverage from the grille for 50% off! It’s very effective and motivating that

employees can eat on­site and save money as well as the hassle of packing lunch.

Financial Management Strategy

River Ridge Golf Club gets most of its revenue from the golf sector. Memberships and public

golf fees account for the majority of the profits. Events, however, bring in large bursts of

revenue. The club also makes revenue from sales from the grille and pro shop inventory. Interns

do not know the ins and outs of the financials, however, we do bill for events and manage

statements and invoices and pricing within the IBS software system.

Economic Environment

River Ridge is the highest rated golf course in Raleigh. The table below shows the costs and

demographics of golfers and golf clubs in the area. The biggest external challenge and threat to

the course is surrounding competition.

Cost of Surrounding Golf Course Memberships (Annually)

9

Assets and Liabilities River Ridge’s largest asset is the 100+ acre golf course. Additionally there is a plantation­style

clubhouse with attached pavilion. Other facilities include: pool and pool house, playground, and

tennis courts. Under the pavilion is where all the golf carts are stowed. We own approximately

70 standard golf carts.

Financial Accountability and Controls

Sarah B. Ward is River Ridge’s Business Manager. Sarah signs and distributes the paychecks

every two weeks. Craig Hooks, the General Manager, and Sarah make all the final financial

decisions at River Ridge. They choose how to allocate the budget, mainly: grille, golf,

administration, or events.

Facilities & Areas

At River Ridge, we have a large, plantation­style clubhouse that attaches to our pavilion, which

covers the cart barn. We have an 18­hole course that spans over one hundred and thirty acres in

peaceful East Raleigh. Other facilities include a pool and tennis court, available for use and

membership in the Summer seasons. The Events Interns are not involved in the maintenance of

the course or the swimming and tennis areas. Rodney Moss is the Course Superintendent who

hires out for help mowing the course, trimming the hedges, and maintaining the grounds with the

help of his assistant, Jeff. Danny Kemp is the janitorial person for the indoor facilities. He keeps

the floors mopped and vacuumed, dusts, and takes care of the restrooms. Our General Manager,

Craig Hooks attends the pH balance in the swimming pool.

The Events Staff does take care of some events­related maintenance projects. For example, we

recently stained the wooden ramp and stairs. We also scrub bird pool off the balconies and

sweep/mop/blow event areas.

River Ridge has a few maintenance projects on the horizon. We will be resurfacing and

repainting the pavilion as well as other cosmetic changes. Other than that, River Ridge has no

plans to renovate the facilities or make any major changes.

River Ridge makes huge sustainability efforts in water conservation. The course and grounds are

10

watered from nearby streams and the water that soaks into the ground eventually runs back off

into the rivers. This method helps save the environment and saves big bucks in the budget. That

being said, River Ridge’s events cause huge amounts of waste. We always have separate trash

and recycling receptacles, however, the clients and golfers rarely use the correct bin. We simply

don’t have time after a large wedding to sort through the waste and properly dispose of all waste.

I would recommend that we start enforcing the separation of trash and recycling through indirect

changes. Perhaps the addition of a sign near each bin will help communicate the proper place to

dispose of waste.

Programs & Events

River Ridge mainly does golf outings, tournaments and other special events, especially

weddings. Golf tournaments are usually held for employee appreciation, charity, or scholarship.

Special events at River Ridge (non­weddings) include: graduation parties, birthday parties,

anniversary parties, baby showers, quinceañeras, ladies’ luncheons, etc. River Ridge hosts 10­25

weddings per year, 60­80 tournaments, and several special events. During our internship we have

had on average 34 tournaments and a wedding almost every weekend. As an intern we focused

solely on events so we were very hands on with most tournaments and with all weddings.

11

Weddings

About RR

River Ridge Golf Club is nestled on over 100 acres in the heart of the triangle. The 5800

square foot outdoor pavilion overlooks our immaculate green landscape and Carolina blue skies

which provides the perfect setting for an outdoor event!

Your guests will drive up to view our 10,000 square foot elegant estate

clubhouse, a perfect backdrop for an unforgettable event. Our outdoor pavilion was designed for

hosting special events and can accommodate up to 300 guests. For an indoor event we have a

brand new event space with a private balcony than can accommodate up to 100 guests.

We are only 15 minutes from downtown Raleigh and Cary and easily accessible from

1­40, 1­540 and 1­440. And the best advantage...you can make your own choices...you can

choose the caterer/vendors that you want to use! We have recommended caterers to help get you

started!

12

Rental Fees: $3200.00 ~ Wedding Ceremony and Reception

$2800.00 ~ Wedding Reception Only

$1200.00 ~ Wedding Ceremony Only

What is included in your rental fee?

Use of our outdoor pavilion and ballroom Use of our club house Tables and Chairs for reception (150) 10 hours maximum use of all of our amenities Personal wedding planner Meet with you to discuss your visions of your wedding day Create a timeline of ceremony and reception Available anytime to answer any River Ridge related questions Presence for your entire wedding day (from the time you arrive, throughout the

day to oversee the set­up, until you make your grand exit) Flexibility to decorate our neutral space to reflect your personal taste. Use of River Ridge Golf Club for your Bridal Portrait before your event. This

must be scheduled with Jamie.

Terms

A 25% non­refundable deposit is required to reserve a date Remaining balance due 30 days prior

to the scheduled event. All alcoholic beverages must be purchased through RRGC Event must

13

end by 11:00 p.m. I will work with you to plan your perfect day by helping from the first detail

to the last. We will meet and discuss date, time, number of guests, vendors, and room setup. On

the day of your wedding, I will ensure all of the details we discussed are in order and just as we

planned. Our staff will do everything they can to make your event truly memorable.

14

Golf The Championship golf course at River Ridge is our biggest asset; our members have dependable

golf course conditions year round. Sound, proven, dependable maintenance practices have

always kept River Ridge in great condition. As a member, this is a huge benefit for you! We are

known for private club conditions at a semi­private course. Rodney Moss, our golf course

superintendent currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Triangle Turf Grass Association.

This position allows Rodney to interact with the best Golf Course Superintendents in the

triangle, bringing up to date management practices to River Ridge, assuring the golf course at

River Ridge stays in "private club condition."

River Ridge welcomes golfers of all handicaps. We are committed to growing the game and

welcome new and beginner golfers. The high handicapper can play a forward set of tees and

have a great game.

Membership at RR has its privileges!

15

Well run, informative member tournaments organized by staff are a staple of the club.

A limitless amount of range balls awaits you on the driving range – this is a huge benefit

that only the most private clubs offer.

The Men’s and Ladies’ Golf Associations plays every Saturday morning and invite you

to be a part of it.

At River Ridge everything is cheaper for members!

Discounts in the pro shop

Discounts in the grill

Discounts for your guests.

Discounts on venue rentals

Charging account with no minimums

Purchase clubs at cost plus 10%.

Additional Member benefits at River Ridge

Unlimited greens fees

Unlimited use of practice facilities and practice balls

Monthly member events

Use of 10,000 square foot club house and event pavilion

Men’s and Ladies Clinics

Full­time starters and rangers

Junior Golf League and Camps

Lessons given by our PGA Professionals

Optional and exclusive use of:

o Handicap program

o Club Storage

16

Pristine greens:

Gorgeous sunset:

17

Swim & Tennis

18

Job Description

Interns at River Ridge need to be willing to sweat and get their hands dirty. They need to have a

passion for events, good interpersonal skills, and high energy. Attention to detail, thoroughness,

time management, professionalism, punctuality, organization are also all important qualities to

be a successful intern here. An intern needs a basic grasp of how to drive a golf cart as well as

use the computer system. Positive outlook, dedication, and politeness go a long way in this

position.

19

Miranda & Taylor’s Project: Internship Manual

As an intern there are a lot of different things that you have to learn in a short period of

time. Being an events intern at River Ridge, there is a focus on both tournaments and special

events, primarily weddings, that makes it necessary for interns to learn double. To help any

future interns, we decided to create a simple and easy to follow interns manual that breaks down

all the important things one would need to know so they are well prepared. In the manual we talk

about dress code, wedding lingo that one may not know, as well has how to input and event into

the system used at River Ridge.

We wanted the manual to be an aid to all future interns that may feel overwhelmed and or unable

to learn as quickly as others. It is something a new hire can take home to read and reread and

develop a stewardship and understanding of River Ridge, inside and out. Typically we hire

interns in the Spring and their first day of work is within the first two weeks of May. Since they

are university students, they’ve just completed final exams and now they are required to hit the

ground running with wedding season at the club. It’s a stressful and extremely busy time for the

intern. Our hope is that this manual eliminates some of that stress from unanswered questions

and lack of understanding of their new summer job.

NOTE: The Internship Manual Table of Contents is not accurate to the rest of the portfolio

20

River Ridge Golf Club

Internship Manual

Tips and tricks to be the boss of this

internship!

21

Created by Taylor Berry & Miranda Day, 2016 Table of Contents

Preface……………………………………………… Pg #2

Important contact information…………………………… Pg #2

Who’s who? Get to know management………………… Pg #3

Expectations & Dress code…………………………… Pg #4-5

Day 1 of your internship……………………………… Pg #6

Where things are…………………………………… Pg #7

How to make an Event using IBS……………………… Booking with River Ridge 〜 “What we’ve got!”……………

Pg #8-14 Pg #15

General Event Checklist(personal and event-related!) … Pg #16

Tournaments ………………………………………… Pg #17

Wedding Rehearsals (and lingo) ……………………… Pg #17-18

Weddings……………………………………………… Pg #19

Tips for success …………………………………… Pg #20

Dealing with sticky situations ………………………… Pg #21

Closing statements …………………………………… Pg #21

22

Preface River Ridge Golf Club, a 4 1⁄2 star 18-hole Championship Golf Course and Event

Venue where anyone can host a tournament, special event, as well as a wedding. The purpose of this manual is to help anyone whom has received the Events Internship at River RIdge Golf Club. This manual includes some of the necessary information to help understand what is to be done as well as expected during this internship.

River Ridge’s Mission Statement River Ridge’s mission is to provide a high quality of service and hospitality to

members and the daily fee guests paying to enjoy our golf course and clubhouse facilities. All services provided by our staff must be accomplished as a coordinated team… in a professional manner… and provide a sufficient operating profit to enhance and maintain the facilities and provide a reasonable return to the ownership.

Important Contact Information Jamie Notarainni’s mobile: (919) 413-8176 - you can call or text Jamie’s Office: (919) 661-8374 ext 4 River Ridge: (919) 661-8374 * If you ever feel unsafe, don’t hesitate to call 911

23

Who’s who? Get to know Management Listed below are the members of the staff you will see often during your internship

at River Ridge. These people hold management positions and more often than not have

staff who work under them. Those individuals aren't listed but are very important and

should you see other employees you don’t know, politely introduce yourself.

Management Staff Dr. Johnny Bagwell- Owner of River Ridge

Craig Hooks- General Manager

Sarah Ward- Business Manager

Jamie Notarainni- Sales and Events Director

Assistant- Miranda Day

John Partin- Head Golf Professional

Assistant Golf Pro- Brandon Molson

Rodney Moss- Course Superintendent

Carol- Grille Manager

24

Expectations & Dress code

Responsibilities of Internship Intern's tasks would consist of (but not limited to): o Assisting in events such as:

-Weddings -Golf tournaments and outings -Club membership events -Special Events

o Learn and assist in the development and execution of sales tactics (and marketing) to bring in:

-Future events -Outings -Memberships

o Event calendar management o Assist in maintenance of social media and marketing o Participate in normal day to day functions of the club

Expectations Working in events punctuality, professionalism, and politeness are absolutely crucial.

Punctuality

o Show up to work 5 minutes early o Come prepared, have your day planner, clothes, computer, etc o Keep track of your work schedule in a day planner/agenda or in google

calendar o If something comes up, communicate it to Jamie & the events team

Professionalism o Follow the dress code (see section entitled “Dress Code” for more information) o Be respectful of all guests and staff o Don’t use your cell phone around clients o Avoid inappropriate language and behavior

Politeness o This should go without saying; be nice to everyone at River Ridge

25

o Welcome everyone; introduce yourself! o Go out of your way to make guests feel at home o Lend a helping hand whenever possible o Keep a smile on your face!

Dress Code Dress code at River Ridge is an important way to show your professionalism and keep the atmosphere classy. Dress code at River Ridge, is, however, flexible depending on what you’re doing that day. For example, Weddings: show up in appropriate-length shorts, and full-coverage tee shirt to set up. Bring a dress/skirt/slacks (or man’s equivalent) to change into for the reception. Beverage cart: (weather depending) appropriate length shorts and a polo (in general, more casual than events) Tournaments: khakis and a nice top with flats (women), khaki shorts and polo with boat shoes (men) These are just a few examples, but you have lots of options. Don’t be afraid to run outfit ideas by Jamie ahead of time if you aren’t sure. * Invest in comfortable shoes that go with most outfits!

26

Day 1 of your internship - yay! Thank you for being here 〜 we are so happy to have you! It can be overwhelming at first, but we’re here to help. Ask questions, and don’t be afraid to speak up! You’ll learn the lay of the land in no time, so leave your anxieties at the door. On your first day, you will fill out and sign a tax form and employee information contract. Now you might be wondering, why am I filling out these forms for an unpaid internship? Because, there are opportunities to get paid!!

Paid Opportunities o Beverage cart o Bartending o Gratuity from food service

Then, tour the facilities and meet some of the staff! This is a great opportunity to learn where things are, and to make a great first impression!

Tour o Take mental notes of where things are o The better you memorize locations of items, the smoother events will run o Know where grille, pro shop, bathrooms, & offices are so you can help guests

find their way around (see section titled, “Where things are” pg.7) o Learn: How many chairs/tables/people we can host (see section titled “Booking

with River Ridge - What we got!” pg.8) o Goal: Be able to give tours to prospective clients! Meeting the staff o Get to know your co-workers o Greet everyone with a smile and warm handshake o Learn: Learn as many names/faces as possible! o Goal: Make a great first impression!

27

Where Things Are When interning here at River Ridge, it is important to learn where things are so that you are able to help in the most efficient way possible. On your tour during your first day, take mental notes of where these rooms are, and what they have in them.

Catering Room - This room is located upstairs to the left of the stairs. This is where you will find the

partitions used to close off the bridal suite.This room also has vases, silverware, and other normal kitchen items.

Pavilion Storage - This room is located at the very back of the pavilion where you see two sets of double

doors. This room has two sides that are connected in the inside. This room is vital to River Ridge because this is where you find all the tables, chairs, the bar, laundry room, linens, as well as beer normally used to stock for up and coming events. This storage area houses alcohol so there is a key you need to get inside that you can get from Jamie.

Cart Barn - The cart barn is where the golf carts are stored and there are also storage closets.

This is located outside across from the pro shop downstairs. Grille

- This area will be used a lot for your own personal use for when you want drinks and snacks, as well as when you need to get ice to fill the coolers for beverages carts. The grille is located downstairs and to the right when you walk in the main entrance.

Beer Barn - You will find the beer barn in the back of the cart barn. This is where all the

excess beverages are stored. The keys for this barn are kept in the safe deposit closet inside the tray in the safe.

Safety Deposit Closet - Where the Beer Barn key is and money in green envelope. This closet it located in

the proshop in the corner to the left when you first walk in.

28

How to make an Event using system IBS through the

console! Step 1:

Locate IBS. Click Event Management. Click Accounts and Events.

Step 2:

Click add (+).

29

Step 3:

To create an account number use a portion of the event name and the system will add numbers on it’s own.

In the next blank space type out the full event name.

Step 4:

To attach and event associated, click the attach button.

30

Step 5:

Select the event date. For event type click the search button and select fitting option. Once selected, image 3 will be your event interface.

31

Step 6:

To add pricing, hit the pricing tab and then hit the attach button.

Step 7:

Under department, click the search button and choose the appropriate selection.

32

Step 8:

For weddings or special events, adding venue pricing is under golf shop, then search for clubhouse rental.

33

Step 9: To add pricing for rental, highlight the whole pricing section and type in appropriate amount. After pricing has been created, the following image should look as such.

34

Step 10: To view how much money has been paid on the account or billed, click invoices to view.

*Throughout this process, remember to hit save!

35

Booking with River Ridge 〜 “What we’ve got!” It is important to know the following information because you will be giving tours

to prospective clients soon. This information is what helps us close the deal and book the event! When clients book at River Ridge, they are booking knowing the following:

-The Pavilion holds over 200 people -The Indoor ballroom holds on Average 100-150 (100 seated) -They’re also booking the events team to help them execute their event

What amenities come with booking at River Ridge: O Day-of Coordinators: clients get Jamie, her assistant, and an intern (you!) for an

hour-long rehearsal, and for 10 hours the day of the wedding O 150 White Resin Chairs O 15 72” Rounds (seats 10) O 5 Cocktail Tables O 10 8ft longs O 2 6ft rectangle tables O 1 Sweetheart Table O 1 Cake Table

36

Event Checklists Here are some things to keep in mind when planning and executing an event:

Personal Checklist Appropriate clothes for the event Change of clothes (if necessary) Extra pair of socks? Comfortable shoes Deodorant Perfume/Cologne Grooming supplies (hair, makeup, scrunchies, etc) Computer & charger Phone & charger Day planner/agenda or access to personal calendar Snack & beverage (always stay hydrated!)

Professional Event Checklist Set up all venue spaces in accordance to the layout Set out trash cans & liners

Check event areas for trash Check bathrooms Make sure we have enough chairs Prepare drinks & plan for the food Ask Jamie and clients what you can do to help (always check Jamie’s “to-do”

list)

37

Tournaments Tournaments happen throughout the week and are hosted by different

members or companies. Some key words when working a tournament are shotgun and tee time. A shotgun is the start of a golf tournament where different groups of players tee off at the same time but at different holes along the course. (i.e group 1 starts at hole 1 group 9 at hole 9 et.c ). A tee time is a reservation at the golf course for when the golfer begins the course.In regards to a shotgun, the event staff arrives a few hours before to help set up and give help if necessary.

We understand that this is an unpaid internship where a lot of hours are spent here at the club. During tournaments there are different opportunities to make money which include doing beverage cart, bartending, as well as doing clean up where you have the ability to make gratuity. If you have questions on how and when you can make money you can talk with Jamie about it in more detail.

Wedding Rehearsals Wedding rehearsals are typically done the day/night before the wedding. They

typically last one hour. The bridal party meets in the indoor ballroom and after everyone has arrived the rehearsal begins. Below is the typical outline for the wedding rehearsals here at River Ridge.

Rehearsal How To · Bridal Party Arrives · Bring participants downstairs in front of staircase outside to do introductions, etc. · Show participants aisle marker and standing cues on grass area where ceremony will be held.

· Distinguish any ushers and whom they would like to seat (ie.grandparents, parents, etc.)

· Line up bridal party: o Line up Bridesmaids in proshop area (coming through doors, to center)

38

o Line up Groomsmen in grille area (coming through doors, to center)

· Day of, our coordinators will open doors and help with cues. · Bridal party separates (girls left, guys right) at front (near where Officiant stands) · Make sure bridal party meets at the end of staircase in the middle and walks down together at a slow pace (unless otherwise stated)

· Start the next set of pairs once the pair ahead meets at the grass (this will spread out the procession)

o Make sure to provide enough space for all to fit

· If necessary, have Officiant run through ceremony outline with bride and group, etc. · Have bridal party exit · Practice as many times as needed · Discuss introduction for reception, if similar to ceremony lineup, no need to practice,

but can if you all would like

· Wrap up!

Wedding Lingo (You’ll hear/see these A LOT)

MOB (Mother of Bride) FOB (Father of Bride) MOG (Mother of Groom) FOG (Father of Groom) GM (Grandmother)

SOB (Sister of Bride) BOG (Brother of Groom) MOH (Maid of Honor)

*Note: Matron of Honor is married, Maid of Honor is unmarried

Processional - walk down the aisle for ceremony Recessional - exit down the aisle, then guests go to cocktail hour

39

Introductions - introduce bridal party & walk into reception space

Weddings!! The main reason we’re here :) Tasks on wedding day:

Arrive 5 mins early Set up chairs for ceremony Help bridal party in any way necessary Begin to line up bridesmaids/groomsmen 10-15 mins before ceremony and cue

them Help set up cocktail area while the ceremony takes place After ceremony, flip chairs from ceremony chairs to reception area (if

necessary) Help with finishing touches for reception Once reception begins, help with any errands needed (i.e restocking the bar,

getting ice etc.) Help with the clean up afterwards

On wedding days, understand that if the bride is happy your day will go a lot smoother.

40

Tips for Success! Here at River Ridge, Jamie and the staff want you to get the most out of your experience. *Please speak up and let us know how we can accommodate your needs! We’re very flexible and want you to get experience in event management, marketing, customer service, and hone your skills with focus, attention to detail, and dedication. Let us know if there’s an area you want to focus on.

o Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty

o The customer is ALWAYS right, no matter how petty/big/small/annoying

- We are here to serve the clients and give them the best experience possible

o Network with the members and guests

- This is a great opportunity to make connections - Make business cards & keep them in your bag at all times

o Be friendly and treat everyone with respect! - Smile! - Introduce yourself - Shake hands warmly

41

- Politeness goes a longggg way Dealing with sticky situations

River Ridge is dedicated to creating and maintaining a safe space for all employees and guests. However, if something does arise, we will take it seriously. Never hesitate to come to Jamie with whatever issue you’re facing. It’s our job to make sure you’re having the best possible experience. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. Of course, if there is an emergency, please call 911. In this internship, you may have to do things that get your hands dirty. Events aren’t all lace and bubbles, we’re the ones getting nitty gritty to pull this miracle off. You’ll move chairs and tables, get sweaty flipping the reception space, and sometimes you’ll scrub bird poop. As an event planner, this dedication to perfection will carry you far and teach you a lot about hard work!

Closing statements

Again, we are so happy you’ve joined the events team at River Ridge! We pride ourselves on making our customers happy while also keeping the work environment as professional and fun as possible. It’s easy to get flustered and frustrated so remember to breathe and ask for help when needed. Always remember that creativity is welcomed and that this experience is what you make of it, and we suggest you make the most of it. * If you follow the dress code, arrive on time, and treat everyone with respect, this will be a positive experience for all. -Tell us how we can best serve your needs and fill your interest niche. We all work together really closely, so you are now part of our River Ridge family

42

Miranda’s Special Project:

Membership Events Analysis

43

I worked on two smaller projects in order to complete the requirement for the special project.

1. Membership Events Analysis

2. Internship Manual

Membership Event Analysis & Renovations to Stimulate ROI in Events Sector

The purpose of this project is to create three events that would serve as member

appreciation and lead to the public signing up for memberships. Member appreciation is very

important because it makes members feel honored, increases stewardship for the club, and gets

members up­to­date on what’s happening. I will also outline my recommended renovations River

Ridge could make to stimulate return on investment in the events sector.

Trick­or­Treat on the Green with Haunted Clubhouse

What: Halloween­style event for adults and families

Where: Greens and in the facility

When: Late October after dark

Who: Event open to members and the public

Logistics:

­ Halloween decorations

­ Staff/student volunteers

­ Debrief staff on their roles

­ Candy

­ Stocked bar

­ Punch

­ Finger food (themed food, hors d'oeuvre­style)

­ Set up pavilion

Trick­or­Treating for the kids: cart staff come in costume and drive children to nearby holes to

trick­or­treat. Golf carts are decorated creepily. Some one at each hole is dressed as a monster

and hands out candy.

44

To do:

­ Decorate golf carts

­ Hire staff to drive & hand out candy

­ Decorate the greens

­ Put “cobwebs” and eyeball lights on the bushes

­ Need: variety of pre­packaged candy

Inside: Adults are greeted and handed their choice of beverage from a creepy bar and bartender.

Fog machines and special lighting set the ambience of the entryway. Guests are ushered up the

stairs into the indoor ballroom for a social.

To do:

­ Set up bar with beer and wine

­ Serve seasonal specialty drink

­ Fog machine

­ Up lighting

­ Music

­ Themed: “Finger” food, eyeball hors d'oeuvres, etc

­ Family­friendly punch

Haunted Pavilion: When the kids return from trick­or­treating, kids and adults will venture onto

the “haunted” pavilion. Creepy decorations and different stations will be set up. Entertainment

provided as well.

To do:

­ Partition different stations onto the pavilion

­ Set up ghost decorations

­ Set up privacy screens to create maze­like feeling (hay bales also an option)

­ Strobe lights

­ Fog machine

­ Coffins

­ Cart staff can volunteer to act like zombies/vampires/monsters in the corners

45

“Dive­In” Movie Night at the Pool

What: Movie night in the pool

Where: Pool at River Ridge

When: Memorial weekend when the pool opens (or anytime during the season)

Who: Members and Public

Logistics:

­ Rent screen & projector

­ Screen from Deejay's Event Rentals: $80/day

­ Plan snacks and drinks

­ Ice­cold soda, popcorn, and squeeze popsicles

­ Beer available for purchase?

­ Setup screen and projector

­ Rent a movie

Splash off the season with a dive­in movie night at the pool at River Ridge (this could be done

multiple times during pool season. However, if we do it at the beginning, we will get more pool

memberships). Open to members and families in the nearby neighborhoods.

Movie night:

Hold the movie night at 8pm so it’s dark enough but kids can still come. Show a family­friendly

flick like “Finding Nemo”, since it’s pool­themed.

We could even have movie night for adults after the family­friendly flick, like “Jaws”.

Staff will serve cold soda and beer.

Popcorn will be available as well as push­up popsicles.

Need:

­ Popcorn

­ Soda & beer

­ Popsicles

­ Scissors (to cut the popsicles)

­ Trash can

­ Two staff members

46

Wine, Nine, & Design

What: Golf nine holes then join us for wine and design in the indoor ballroom

Where: Front or back nine, indoor ballroom

When: 4pm­10pm

Who: Members and public

Logistics:

­ Send invitations

­ Pick front or back nine

­ Prepare wine

­ Cool white wine, aerate the red wine (let it breathe)

­ Hire someone to lead a design class

­ Materials for design:

­ Canvasses

­ Paint

­ Paintbrushes

­ Paintbrush waters

­ Chairs

­ Easels

Invite members and interested public to play nine holes then join us indoors for wine and a

design class lead by a local professional. It’s a good way for members to join together and play a

sport they love. It’s also a great way to showcase the course to interested members of the public.

Many golfers would bring their wives as well for the wine and design part of the evening.

Everyone can bond over a dry or fruity beverage while they dip into their creativity and make a

piece to take home with them. We could ask the instructor of the design class to please lead the

class in painting a landscape from River Ridge. This would increase stewardship of the club and

people would think of River Ridge when they see their piece hanging up at home.

47

Recommendations to Stimulate ROI on Events at River Ridge

Install full­service catering kitchen

Golfers must use for tournaments

Weddings and special events will use grille to cater pre­event food

Wedding rehearsal dinners

Pavilion

Fix pillars

Resurface and repaint

Renovate back rooms

Install fans

Install sink in back storage

Cosmetic fixes increase curb appeal for booking events

Sales and Events Director’s Office

Repaint better color

Replace computer

Replace chair

Indoor ballroom

Repaint

Update fixtures

Replace chandelier

48

Taylor’s Special Project

Marketing Research and Social

Media Analysis

49

For my special project I decided to do a compilation of small projects:

1. Social Media Upkeep

2. Marketing Analysis of surrounding golf courses and wedding venues

3. Internship Manual

Social Media:

In today’s society, social media is vital to be up to date with anything, whether it be

family, friends and even businesses. With that, I decided to focus on River Ridges social media

with an emphasis on events. At the beginning of my internship I began posting on their

instagram account, which as you can see below was mostly focusing on the golf course more so

than events. The post they made were at random and were sporadic. When I talked to my

supervisor Jamie, she said she wanted the events to be showcased so that the instagram could

give future brides a better visual to what River Ridge is capable of.

In comparison to local event competitors such as, The Stockroom or The Carolina Inn,

their accounts have over 2000+ followers with each photo averaging over 20+ likes. River Ridge

had 191 followers averaging about 4­8 likes per photo. When it comes to social media, it’s all

about the likes. The more likes you have the more popular the post becomes, and the more

popular the post, the more exposure there is. After I began posting consistently on instagram,

their account now has 213 followers with each photo averaging 16 likes per photo. If River

Ridge keeps up with the instagram posts on a consistent basis, I know they will grow to well

over a thousand follower like other competitive venues. Having that extra exposure to everyone

in surrounding areas will only be helpful to future brides looking for a wedding venue.

This portion of my special project gave me a lot of insight as in how important social

media is to a business that aren’t major corporations with major publicity. Social Media is a

source of free advertising and when used the right way it can bring in unforeseen customers that

would have never known about River Ridge before.

50

Before

After

51

Market Research:

I decided to focus on the statistics of surrounding golf courses as well as event venues.

This portion of the project I did to help River Ridge analyze their near by competitors in terms of

price. I worked on finding this information for both golf clubs and wedding venues, which are

two of the main areas in which River Ridge makes their revenue. Most golf clubs had their prices

for golf memberships on their websites, while for the venues, I had to be a secret shopper and get

the pricing information from the venue’s events coordinator. This information, as you can see in

the charts below, allows us to see the price differences between River Ridge and the other venues

and courses.

Look at the at the graph below labeled cost of wedding venues, you can see that River

Ridge is on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of venue pricing. The price is lower for a few

different factors, one being due to River Ridge only providing the space and key items such as

tables and chairs. For other items such as linens, silverware, catering, flowers etc., the customer

must use outside vendors. River Ridge pricing is similar to Stockroom 320, which is only $100

cheaper. A venue that is on the higher end of the pricing is the Carolina Country Club. The cost

to rent this venue is $20,000 but this is because they are an all inclusive venue, meaning they

have in house catering, provide all necessary silverware and linens, as well as setting the table

etc. Having this knowledge allows for River Ridge to know what other venues offers and for

what price so they can make sure they stay competitive with all the surrounding businesses.

After completing the information on venue costs, I completed the same research for River

Ridge but for the cost of annual golf memberships for all surrounding golf clubs. When it comes

to golf memberships, they can vary due to the number of people under the membership as well as

if the course is private or public. If you look at the costs in the second graph you can see that

River Ridge is the second highest in cost right after Lonnie Poole. Lonnie Poole is a prestige golf

club that was designed by Arnold Palmer which is a factor that makes the cost of the

membership higher than most. As a second part of this research, I compiled information on

surrounding cities near River Ridge the includes the median age, average income, number of

52

children etc. Having these statistics allows River Ridge to know where and who they should

market to when it comes to bring customers to the golf course.

The events and memberships are the top two ways River Ridge brings in their revenue

and making sure their prices are where they should be is very important. Having this knowledge

allows the staff to be able to see where their prices stand among the others so they can increase

or decrease their prices accordingly.

(information for census gathered from http://www.census.gov/)

Cost of Surrounding Golf Course Memberships (Annually)

53

Census for surrounding Cities Raleigh,NC Median Age: 32 Average Annual Income: $54,581 Marital Status 44.66% # of Children < 18: 32.94% Male: 48.3% Female:51.7% Garner, NC Median Age: 38.2 Average Annual Income: $58,107 Marital Status: 59% # of Children < 18: 65.35% Male: 47.5% (35) Female: 52.5% (40) Knightdale,NC Median Age: 30.8 Average Annual Income: $72,591 Marital Status: 53.0% # of Children < 18: 68.5% Male: 46.6% (34) Female: 53.4% (33.6) Clayton, NC Median Age: 33.4 Average Annual Income: $56,941 Marital Status: 52.7% # of Children < 18: 42.2% Male: 47.8% (35.7) Female: 52.2 % (37.40)

54

Internship Artifacts & Photographs

Internship Artifacts

Internship artifacts are inserted in the back flap of this binder. It includes our supervisor

Jamie’s business card, an informational pamphlet from a rental company, Party Reflections, a

handout we used to promote River Ridge at the Bridal Expo, a wedding’s clipboard information

for day­of coordination, and the employee policy packet and contract.

Jamie’s Card

We included Jamie’s card because it’s a good example of a business card used to promote

one’s self as well as a specific business. Jamie’s card is striped with the colors of River Ridge

and has River Ridge’s emblem on it. It is unique; not just a generic business card. It also has her

name and contact information. These cards are on display and available to grab in the restrooms

and on Jamie’s desk at work. It helps her network for herself and the club.

Party Reflections Pamphlet

Pamphlets like these were taken from a meeting between River Ridge’s event staff and

the staff at Party Reflections. This was a great opportunity to network and create a partnership

with another rental company. Now we can offer two different rental companies on our preferred

vendors list. This gives our clients assurances that their rental items will come on time and be of

quality. In addition, our clients get 10% off their rental order if they rent from Party Reflections

or Classic Party Rentals through River Ridge’s preferred vendors list.

Bridal Expo

Every year River Ridge rents a booth at the annual Bridal Expo that takes place on the

NC State Fairgrounds. We had these cards printed to hand out at the January 2016 Expo.

Because of our efforts at that event, many brides booked with River Ridge for late 2016 and the

2017 wedding season.

55

Clipboard for Day­of Coordination

For every wedding we sit down with the bride and her closest and most trusted advisors

and plan out everything for the big day. We type out all the details including the layout for all the

spaces and all the vendor contact information. This helps us keep organized and on top of things.

We wanted to provide the information from this wedding because a lot of detail went into it. It’s

the intern’s jobs to cue the bridal party for the ceremony as well as setup all the different spaces

for the event. We need these clipboards to help us do our jobs efficiently as well as answer any

and all questions guests may have for us. It helps us be professional and look the part. It’s nice to

have artifacts like these to look back and reminisce or look back for inspiration.

Employee Policy, Information, and Contract Packet

We included this because it is what all interns look through on their first days at River

Ridge. It gives them the mission statement and other crucial information about the club. It lays

out the expectations River Ridge has for its employees and opens the door for paid opportunities.

56

Photographs

57

58

Miranda’s Weekly Posts

Intro

Hello everyone! Hope you're enjoying the first few days of freedom

My name is Miranda Esperanza Day and I am a Senior in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism

Management with a concentration in Tourism and Commercial Recreation. I really like giraffes

and otters (all animals really), I am about 1 cat away from being a full­blown crazy cat lady.

I am doing my internship at River Ridge Golf Club in East Raleigh. I have worked here for a

year already so I am familiar with this site. I am the Sales and Events Assistant here. We mostly

do weddings, golf tournaments, and other special events. Last Summer we had a Quinceañera!

This year I am most nervous and excited about the same thing­­ having 23 weddings. It's tiring

and exhilarating and such hard work, but amazing experience for my résumé. I just hope I do a

good job without my feet falling off!!

Through this experience I want to determine if wedding planning is the correct career path for

me. And if so, would I like to work for a venue or be separately contracted, etc. I really look

forward to having completed 30 weddings by the time I graduate in December so that I really

know all the ins and outs of the entire wedding process.

I want my site supervisor to work with me and let me take the reins on some things so I get

leadership experience. I am working on my ability to work with clients without being a

pushover. I have a tendency to be overly accommodating with clients and I need to learn to

politely say no sometimes.

As for you, Dr. Bocarro, I want you to freely give constructive criticism so that I can become a

better candidate for the job market.

Thanks!

59

Week 1

River Ridge Golf Club is located in East Raleigh at 3224 Auburn Knightdale Rd, Raleigh. It is a

semi­private club, meaning that the course accepts and encourages memberships (River Ridge

has over 200) but is also open to the public. The course is an 18­hole championship, 6740 yards,

par 72. Since the club is considered upscale and formal, golfers and staff are required to be in

compliance with a dress code. The main population is what you would stereotypically expect:

old, rich, white men. These men, in general, live in the fancy neighborhood surrounding the

course or commute from other places in Raleigh and Knightdale.

My first week as an intern was actually a little over a year ago. For my orientation I was given a

tour of all the facilities and shown which closets hold what stuff. I was given a rundown on dress

code and a typical "day in the life" of an employee. I was introduced to so many other staff my

head was spinning.

During my first week as an intern (late April 2015) I was surprised how different being an event

planner for a venue is than being a separately contracted event planner. I had become a Certified

Wedding Planner (CWP) in February 2015 and had very different expectations. That course

focused more on the pre planning and day­of coordination whereas at River Ridge we do less

preplanning and more hands­on getting dirty day­of. Here, we are in charge of setting up all the

chairs for the ceremony, then flipping that space during cocktail hour by wheeling all the chairs

up to the pavilion and setting them up at the tables for the reception. We would have set all the

tables up ahead of time, arranged the trashcans, sweated outside to make sure the ceremony area

was pristine, etc. I was expecting to have an event staff that helped with these hands­on tasks and

not two interns running around in formal dresses trying to get everything prepped.

However, during the first week of my PRT 475 internship, I was surprised that management had

not completed our off­season goals. We had hoped to get the pavilion resurfaced and repainted,

which did not happen because of the weather, which is understandable. In addition, we were

supposed to get 150 new white resin chairs so we would have one set for the reception and one

60

set for the ceremony and not have to deal with the stressful “flip” during cocktail hour.

Unfortunately, we still have not gotten the chairs.

During the next two weeks I expect to continue to work multiple tournaments and several

weddings. I anticipate sitting in on a few more meetings with brides and their helpers to

determine the final details of their weddings. I always like these meetings since it’s a great way

to get to know the bridal party and make a connection that helps them feel more comfortable on

their special day. Planning is also a spark of mine, so these meetings help fulfill my need to be

clued in on all prevalent information. I also love when the bride/groom ask for advice on certain

aspects of the wedding. I like that I can pull from my previous experience here at River Ridge

and from my CWP class to give them tips and tricks for a successful day.

Instead of having an orientation this year, I instead lead the orientation for the new intern. It let

my supervisor, Jamie, focus on other things and was a way to enrich my leadership skills. I think

it also let the intern, Taylor, feel a bit more at ease since we’ve had a few classes together at

NCSU before. I could easily communicate the intern experience to her since I went through it

last Summer. We did hit the ground running (her first week we had two huge tournaments and a

rehearsal/wedding) so she really got thrown into the mix. But together we adapted and got to

know each other through long hours of hard work.

Week 2

The biggest issue that arose was two weeks ago at the Scott wedding. The three event

staff (Jamie, Taylor, and I) were keeping the bartender Kim company and helping her with the

rush during the reception. One man, Cousin Josh (an usher in the wedding party), had kept

coming up to the bar throughout the night. He had been complimenting us (ex: “How’d I get so

lucky to have four gorgeous women serving me booze??”) and bragging that he’s a military man

so he knows how to treat women. Note: His wife and two children (age ~3 and ~5) were

somewhere under the pavilion.

61

This crowd in general was a crowd of drinkers. So what we’d been doing was asking the

drunk people to please drink a glass of water or to eat a roll (we provided them) before we served

them another alcoholic beverage. Everyone was totally willing to comply and thanked us for

looking out for them. Since we do work for a venue, it’s imperative that we control the alcohol

consumption since we are liable for all injuries/death that occur from intoxicated guests. The

only person who had an issue with this was Cousin Josh. He argued with us and got very hostile

when we asked him to have some water before we serve him. He accused us of being controlling

and prudish. He left the bar area for a few minutes. When he returned, he was even more irate.

He came behind the bar (literally bumping into Kim, Taylor, and me) and grabbed a handle of

whiskey and bolted. We were all yelling at him and he ran away anyway. He came back less than

five minutes later and tried to muscle his way back behind the bar. This time we were ready. We

all were telling him he needed to leave our space and telling him he needed to go. It took all

three of us to stop him from taking two bottles of wine. Jamie showed up and threatened to call

the police if he could not behave. That’s when he started to cuss us out and said, “Y’all are

totally unf*ckable. You’re bottomfeeders who will never make money in this career. You will

never find love because y’all are already nagging, controlling housewives.” I honestly believe he

was about to get violent with us except that his brother tackled him and dragged him away.

This experience really shook me. For the rest of the night I was scared for the three event

staff and for Kim. It really triggered me because I grew up with a violent, alcoholic father, so

those horrible memories came flooding back as well as all my fears and overwhelming empathy

and concern for his wife and children. For the rest of the night and the cleanup process I was

shaking and breathing shallowly. We usually divide and conquer all the cleaning tasks and I was

legitimately concerned for any of us women to be alone with this man on the property. Luckily,

he didn’t show back up and therefore did not cause more problems.

I want to emphasize that this is a rare happenstance. I think it was my 13th or 14th

wedding here at River Ridge, and nothing like this has ever occurred in the past, nor has it

occurred since. We are lucky here at River Ridge because we have a connection with Major Chip

Holly, who lives in the surrounding neighborhood. We even held the baby shower for his

62

granddaughter last year! We have his direct line and he’s always willing to come help us if we

feel unsafe/need him.

I do not have a photo of Cousin Josh harassing us, but I do have a photo of how we set up

the chairs that day (and the gorgeous sunset!):

I have experienced getting to know our new intern, Taylor, over the past two weeks. My

situation is different than most other interns’ maybe because I have been working here for over a

year now. Not much new has happened. I have gotten to work lots of tournaments and several

weddings and seen a lot of beautiful sunsets. I’m looking forward to seeing what improvements

will be made to the facility now that wedding season is kicking off. We’re planning on having

the pavilion resurfaced, stairs fixed, and ordering 150 more white resin chairs.

There’s never a dull moment!

63

Week 3

There are two notable organizational policies at River Ridge, one that affects the

golf­side of the business and one that affects the events­side of things. The policy affecting

golfers is that everyone is required to wear golf clothes to be allowed to use of facilities and

greens. It makes sense to have a dress code at a semi­private golf club, but was definitely never

something I had thought about before. The policy for events is that if a client wants beer or wine,

they must purchase it through the club. If the client wants liquor, they are responsible for buying

it and obtaining a 24­hour liquor license and must pay a $3 corking fee for all guests over the age

of 21 at their event.

A valuable thing I’ve been working on is my “poker face”. I’m a very expressive person

and I have trouble hiding my face sometimes when clients make requests that catch me off

guard. It’s important that my face reflects that “the customer is always right”. It’s my job to

make sure all our clients are given the best treatment and I do everything in my power to make

their day special.

At River Ridge, there is a General Manager, Craig Hooks, who oversees everyone and

there is an Accountant who just kind of works separately from everyone else. Then each

department has it’s own manager and assistant. For example, the Golf Pro, John Partin, is a

manager, and he has an Assistant Golf Pro, Brandon. They also have cart staff and front desk

staff under them. Carol is the Grille Manager, and Sherri is her assistant. Mark runs maintenance

and Amanda is his assistant. Jamie Notarainni is the Sales and Events Manager, and I have been

her assistant since September 2015. All the departments work together, but in a managerial

sense, they are separate.

A week ago we had a wedding that was my favorite wedding so far. The family was so

grateful and shared their thanks with us. It was extremely rewarding since being an event

coordinator is a thankless job. It was nice to know that our efforts were noticed and appreciated.

We also had our annual Member­Guest Tournament over the weekend. It was a great way

to get to know our members and to network a little bit with them. We designed a small putt putt

course on our putting green and tried it out! It was a great way for the event staff to get some

hands­on experience with the golf­side of our business.

64

Week 4

65

Picture

This picture was taken this week at our annual “Hit it Far for Kirby” tournament.

River Ridge has hosted this tournament for over a decade, which I think speaks volumes to our

customer relation/retention and overall quality of service. The child featured on the poster is

Kirby, a young boy who has autism. His parents run this tournament to raise money and

awareness for autism and autism treatment. The money they raise goes to special education

programs in public schools in Wake County to better serve special kids like Kirby.

Taylor (the other intern featured) and I arrived to work before 7am to help get things up and

running. A lot of work goes into day­of tournament coordination.

Update

This week we did not have a wedding so we were able to focus on tournaments and

administrative work. For our administrative work, Taylor and I created an “Internship Manual”

for River Ridge’s future interns. It includes a comprehensive table of contents outlining the

following 15 pages and covers everything from who’s who and what’s what to wedding/special

event/rehearsal/tournament/what to bring checklists and helpful tips and tricks for success. The

manual was not for either of our special projects, it was just an extra project we did to help River

Ridge be even more prepared to give an intern an outstanding experience.

Special Project

For my special project, I decided to do membership events analyses. Basically I will

create approximately three events River Ridge could host to honor current members and recruit

new members. However, there’s a twist: these events will be contingent on River Ridge

upgrading/purchasing/renovating some aspect of the facility. My hope is that when management

sees some of my ideas, they’ll realize how much of a monetary impact they could make to the

club. Then they’ll ideally implement the change that allows the event to be possible, ultimately

upgrading the facility. My analyses will come with comprehensive checklists and descriptions so

that someone who is not an event planner could successfully execute the event just by following

along to the notes I left.

PRT Advice

66

The best advice I’ve received has come from my PRT and business classes and my

mother. It’s so simple and makes a huge impact: Smile. Just always smile. Not only does smiling

trick your brain into being happier, but it also makes people like you more. They feel more

comfortable and welcomed, as well as they usually smile back, which makes them happier, then

more people smile….and so on. It’s contagious and it’s good for business.

Personnel Policies

1. Dress code at River Ridge is extremely important, however, it is also flexible depending

on what we are doing that day. Dress code is, of course, important for all the reasons we

learned from PRT 359 and 375 but at River Ridge, dress code is important for everyone,

even the clients. Clients at the club must be wearing proper golf clothes to be permitted to

golf on the course. Since the clients are held to this standard, it’s especially important for

the employees to be mindful of their outfits. The events staff wears professional women’s

clothing; for tournaments and admin work we can dress a bit more casually. Here’s our

one exception: the day of weddings we come dressed in appropriate­length shorts and

suitable shirts because before the ceremony, we are doing manual labor to set up the

pavilion, cocktail hour ballroom, the ceremony chairs and arbor, etc. We always change

into our traditional professional wear right before we cue the bridal party for the

ceremony.

2. Another policy we have is that all caterers must be full­service. Full service catering

means that the caterers clean up after themselves, and they are there during the event to

refresh and serve the food. Other than that, we encourage clients to select all vendors off

our preferred list we provide in the wedding packet, however, we do allow full­service

outside catering.

Rewards

A reward of working at River Ridge is that you can golf for free! I personally have never

golfed, but many employees exercise this gift and really enjoy it. Even though I don’t golf, I

really like that the club does this for its employees. It’s very motivating that River Ridge wants

to cultivate the passion for golf in its employees. The Pro and his assistant even give free lessons

to the employees. A bonus reward of working at the club that I reap the benefits from is that we

67

can get any food and beverage from the grille for 50% off! It’s very effective and motivating for

me that I can eat on­site (saves the hassle of packing lunch and is cost­effective).

Questions and Concerns?

I don’t have any questions right now, but I’ll email you when they come up (and knowing

me, they probably will!)

Week 5

Evaluation

I recently got evaluated by my supervisor, which was a midterm evaluation for this class,

but also a one year evaluation since I’ve been working at River Ridge since May 2015. The

evaluation felt a little rushed because we were having a busy day. Some of the things my

supervisor told me were areas of improvement felt a little harsh, or felt completely like opinions

unique to her, but there is always room to improve and it’s important to meet her personal

standards. I wish that interns could assess their supervisors as well so that there was a more 360

approach to the evaluation process.

Professional growth

I need to improve in standing up for myself. I often feel steamrolled in this position and it

discourages me from speaking up about my creative ideas or solutions to problems. The better I

articulate my thoughts and deliver them with confidence, perhaps my voice will be better

received. That skill will improve my leadership abilities as well, which will carry me farther in

my career.

Meaningful interactions

A few weeks ago we had a bride and her family that were so grateful for all the work we

had done for them. They kept reiterating their thankfulness and gratitude, which meant a lot to

me because in general, this is a thankless job. It was nice to know that our efforts are appreciated

and noticed by some. As usual, it was my job to cue the groom, officiant, groomsmen, and then

the father of the bride. The father of the bride and I got some time to talk while he was waiting

for me to signal his cue, and he shared how emotional he was feeling and how I was helping to

68

keep him calm and happy. Knowing that I’m effectively executing my job and making an impact

on clients motivates me to work harder and keep pushing through tough situations.

Revenue and expenditures

Golf and golf tournaments is the main way we make money. Since this is a semi­private

course, we get money from members and the public, however, the neighborhood on the course

does not provide money to the club via HOA fees. Expenditures come from course upkeep, and

maintenance including golf cart maintenance and facility maintenance. We are the only 4.5 star

course in Raleigh, so we have standards to keep. Therefore tons of money gets funnelled into the

golf­side of this industry, leaving the events­side to fend for itself.

Sentence completion and reflection

1. I enjoy interacting with the clients/customers/consumers because it increases their

stewardship for River Ridge. I can feel that once I’ve made a connection with them,

they’re more likely to book with us. In fact, we’ve had many clients say that after the tour

and getting to know the team, that they are much more likely to book because they feel

comfortable with us and they’re confident that we’d make their day special.

2. I enjoy interacting with the event staff because we become like a family. I love spending

time with Taylor doing beverage cart for tournaments because we can talk about our

experiences as interns. We’ve also bonded, so it’s great to spend time with friends while

at work. I like spending time with Jamie because we talk about our pets and our

relationships. It’s great because we all get work done, but we also have a fun time while

doing it. The conversations help time pass smoothly and quickly.

3. As far as self­care during the internship, I am not doing a good job with my cognitive

help. As I mentioned earlier, I often bite my tongue, which feeds into my self­doubt.

Other than that, if I’m feeling uncertainty, I always ask. In events, there isn’t room for

uncertainty. We all need to be on the same page for what is happening, otherwise, things

can go very wrong.

69

For my physical care, I’m going to the gym three times a week as usual. And since it’s

summer I get the added bonus of jumping in the pool after I exercise to swim and soak up

vitamin D.

For emotional care, I use venting to get my stress out in the open. I do my best thinking

out loud. So whether I call my mom and vent about a tough day or I go home and mutter

out loud on my couch, I always get my feelings into the open. It helps me not bottle it all

up inside and helps to figure out what to do about the situation at hand.

Week 6

Wedding Budgeting Story

The last wedding we had made interesting budgeting choices. Now, this is not uncommon

at all, I often am surprised by the ways couples choose to cut corners to save money. And there is

nothing wrong with having a wedding on a budget, but you absolutely get what you paid for, so

caution is necessary. The last wedding hired a DJ who works for himself. He doesn’t have his

own company or staff, he just sometimes DJs on the weekends. He brought his wife and they

made out with each other the entire wedding. His microphone didn’t work and instead of trying

to fix it, he just did all the introductions though static and wailing speakers. He got two of the

groomsmen/bridesmaid couples swapped and didn’t correct his mistakes. He played all the

wrong songs for the introductions (if he even managed to turn the song on at all). It is the DJ’s

job to announce tables are dismissed for dinner. He announced the first two tables, then left his

post and joined them in line for food. The day­of coordinator had to go pull him out of line and

tell him he couldn’t leave to eat until he’d dismissed all the tables. Later that night, he tried to

buy wine from the cash bar. I had to politely tell him that we don’t allow vendors to buy alcohol

while they are working because it’s considered unprofessional. This is not the first time we’ve

worked with horrible vendors (DJs especially). So beware, if you spend ~$100 on a DJ, they

might announce your name wrong, play the wrong song for your first dance, or drink alcohol on

the job!

Two Programming Skills

70

­I have gotten much better at speaking up while being firm and professional. I am a very

non­confrontational person, so I hate reprimanding people­­especially clients. But I practiced this

skill twice at the last wedding. I told the DJ we would not serve him alcohol, and I politely asked

a man to remove his TEN bags of ice off the floor where it was melting and causing a cold

puddle of slipping hazard and damaged flooring.

­I have improved with my confidence speaking in groups of people I don’t know. I’m

very comfortable speaking in classrooms with peers or in groups of people I’ve met. But for

some reason, I get quiet in large groups of strangers, which isn’t practical for my job. I practiced

at my last wedding shouting out to the group of strangers about where to put their sparklers when

it fizzles out.

Pressure

My mom gave me the best advice for handling pressure. Close your eyes and take a deep

breath (or 5 deep breaths). It really re­centers me and helps me wring out some of the stress

before I jump back in the mix. It also helps to talk to the other events team members at River

Ridge. Whether it be venting, or asking for advice, these women have my back (and vise­versa).

Software

River Ridge uses a program called “IBS”. It is the worst, non­intuitive, non­user friendly

software. We use it to map out tee times, plan for tournaments, bill beverages and events, etc.

Taylor and I made an internship manual for future interns at River Ridge that has a section with

pictures to help interns learn the basics of IBS. Other than that, its basic function is stumping

everyone. Sometimes we have three people crammed around one monitor trying to figure out

how to do something with the program.

Sentence finishing

My preferences at work include doing beverage cart, taking potential clients on tours,

having meetings with clients, and the wedding highlights.

Two of my professional strengths include: punctuality and organization!

Two things I need to work on are: my poker face and speaking firmly and professionally

when necessary.

71

Week 7

It’s hard to think of a time where what I did did not help a client. As a wedding planner,

everything I’m doing during day­of coordination is for a customer. I do like when I directly help

the bride. One bride, Morgan, was really grateful to me for answering her questions, helping her

find things, and setting up the ceremony chairs exactly how she wanted them. She thanked the

events team over and over, which is unusual but greatly appreciated.

Taylor and I designed and executed an Internship Manual for River Ridge. This will help

future River Ridge interns learn the ropes, learn where things are, and be prepared for weddings,

rehearsals, tournaments, and our computer system. The manual is 22 pages and comes with a

comprehensive table of contents.

I have a lot of books and magazines with tips and tricks, resources, and check lists for

event planning. I really like thumbing through these sources to learn more about my field.

Wedding fact: 51% of marriages end in divorce, yet marriage rates continue rising (legalization

of same­sex marriage and rise in 2nd, 3rd, 4th weddings). I also have a lot of event knowledge

that is unique to outdoor venues. For example, replace doing a unity candle with doing unity

sand (the candle WILL blow out). Additionally, replace an aisle runner with petals or buy

additional stakes and a heavy material aisle runner (otherwise it WILL be wrinkled in ALL the

photos and someone WILL trip over it and guests WILL try to weigh down the edges with their

purses which looks terrible!)

My supervisor Jamie has been a role model to me. We have to do a lot of nasty, dirty

chores, but she always gets down and scrubs the bird poop off the balcony with us. Jamie helped

create change in me when she said, “This isn’t in my job description, but this greatly affects my

job.” It made me realize that no one is too big to get dirty perfecting the details. We are in the

service industry and we must be willing to do unpleasant chores for the client.

Week 8

For a wedding several weeks ago we had three cases of champagne stored in the catering room a

few days before the event. Come day of the wedding, one of the cases had been broken into and

three bottles of champagne had been stolen. The cases had been paid for by the client through

72

our distributor, therefore someone stole from the client on our property. Jamie (my supervisor)

had been out of the office while the cases were stored in the catering room, so she was unsure

what day it had been taken. For a while, the General Manager wanted Jamie to look through 72

hours of security footage to see who’d done the crime. Instead, Jamie discounted the client for

the three bottles and the club footed the bill for the stolen bottles. I think this was handled

properly. There were only three bottles taken and no one was injured so it seems overly tedious

and laborious to sift through three days of security footage for this crime. Also, it was the right

thing to do to have the club handle the bill for the stolen items. From then on, we keep alcohol

locked in a closet in the catering room, instead of out on the counter.

Interns at River Ridge need to be willing to sweat and get their hands dirty. They need to

have a passion for events, good interpersonal skills, and high energy. Attention to detail,

thoroughness, time management, professionalism, punctuality, organization are also all

important qualities to be a successful intern here. An intern needs a basic grasp of how to drive a

golf cart as well as use the computer system. Positive outlook, dedication, and politeness go a

long way in this position.

For my special project, I am doing membership/public event analyses. I want to be able

to design a comprehensive guide and layout for feasible events that could be held at River Ridge

to honor the members and recruit more golfers to our course. It would benefit the club by

promoting membership appreciation and ideally make more members of the public want to pay

for a membership therefore bringing money to the club. I wanted to do this project because I

have a love for programming and designing events. This is a fun avenue to be creative and help

the club at the same time.

Week 9

I would rate Jamie very highly. We have a unique situation and a friendship that

developed over the past year. I am very grateful for the opportunities she’s given me. When she

first interviewed me in April 2015, I was hesitant to tell her I’d be abroad for a month during the

Summer. I figured that would eliminate my chances of having a Summer internship. However, I

73

was really surprised when she hired me anyway and worked around my schedule. I appreciate all

the flexibility she’s given me and how respectful she is of my school schedule. Jamie and I have

worked long hours together, between a three­day Indian wedding, huge bridal expo, countless

tournaments, twenty weddings, and numerous special events, and horrific cleaning projects. You

always hope you feel comfortable with your boss/supervisor. I definitely got that wish granted

with Jamie. We carpool to events together and coordinate outfits before events over the phone ­­

it’s a lot of fun and a lot of work. On the flip side, sometimes I felt my contributions didn’t really

matter if Jamie had her mind made up, but most type A people can be that way (I certain am

also).

I give Jamie feedback a lot on what I enjoy and what I think could be improved. For the

most part, she definitely makes an effort to get the events team what we need. For example, the

worst part about this job for the assistant (me) and the intern (Taylor) is setting up the ceremony

chairs, then flipping the space from the green to reception area during cocktail hour. Jamie’s

been pushing for months to get the General Manager to order another 150 white resin chairs so

we can have separate ceremony and reception chairs. We finally got them this week! YAY! Yay

Jamie! I’m confident that during my year­end review for this class, Jamie will ask for feedback. I

will tell her more things during that time as well.

Morgan was a bride I liked a lot. She and her family made sure to thank us a lot for our

help and efforts. It made me feel really valued, especially since this job is usually very thankless.

It is my job to cue the gentlemen in the bridal party for the ceremony. Her dad was going to go

last to meet her at the bottom of the tall staircase she was going to process down. He was crying

to me and holding my arm thanking me for helping his daughter on the most beautiful day of her

life. The love he has for her was so apparent to me and it was incredibly moving. As he teared up

watching his beautiful daughter descend down the steps, I teared up watching him. I think this

particularly touched me/had an influence on me because I don’t have a relationship like that with

a father figure in my life. It makes me reflect on what my wedding might be like one day. In

some ways I feel like I might be missing something, but my mom will be brimming with enough

love to go around anyways.

74

Week 10

I got a lot of experience this Summer at River Ridge. I am really lucky that I’ve gotten to

work at River Ridge for a little over a year now. I’ve gotten 20 weddings under my belt and I

haven’t even graduated yet. I am a much more competitive applicant for the job market now.

One thing that could be improved about River Ridge would be having a larger staff to help with

the manual labor. We often have to set up three different spaces for the event and during peak

wedding season the temperature is usually in the nineties. Two of the three spaces need to be

flipped during some point in the wedding. Having extra staff members to help with this work

would make a world of a difference. Right now it’s three women sweating their butts off rushing

to do manual labor when their skills are really needed with the clients and vendors.

I got to work on my leadership skills. I trained the other intern this summer. I had several

chances to work directly with vendors and clients relaying important information and solving

problems on the fly. It was really good to challenge myself and go out of my comfort zone.

Overall it made me a better worker and person.

I would definitely encourage other students to pursue work at River Ridge. Yes, it’s

unfortunate that it’s an unpaid internship and not all of the work is glorious. However, there’s so

much room to get experience in many important fields. For example, because of my time at

River Ridge, I have: customer service skills, vendor relation skills, event management skills,

website and IBS software skills, marketing skills, cold calling skills, etc. You get so much

networking experience as well. An internship at River Ridge leads to being a more well­rounded

job candidate.

My expectations were met looking back at week one. There weren’t too many surprises

since I had already been working at River Ridge for a year. I’m glad I got even more valuable

experience working with weddings and special events adjacent to the golf industry.

The classes that proved to help me the most in this internship were PRT 359, 358, 238,

and 250. 358 helped me to think like a programmer and keep extensive run sheets and checklists.

359 taught me my rights as an unpaid intern and gave me some tools in my tool belt for

navigating situations in the workplace. 250 gave me knowledge and appreciation for how

buildings are constructed and the laws for holding people safely in a space. 238 built on that for

75

me and made me more aware of the ADA laws that make facilities more friendly and accessible

for the disabled. I think it’s also an important class because it teaches people to serve others

respectfully no matter what.

I think this course require that the intern lays out a work contract in detail (more so than

they already have to) as well as expectations for their supervisor that is signed by the supervisor.

Then at the end, the intern gives the supervisor feedback in person after they get their evaluation.

I think it would give the supervisors a chance to get a 360 evaluation from the experience.

Thank you.

76

Taylor’s Weekly Posts Intro

Hi my name is Taylor Berry and I'm a senior here at NC State. A fun fact about myself

that people find cool is that I was hit by a car when I was 6 and broke my leg (I know I'm pretty

cool) I am completing my internship at River Ridge Golf Club as an event coordinator intern.

I am most excited about working and learning about different aspects of planning an event

whether it be a tournament or a wedding. I'm nervous about having to deal with stressed out

brides and learning to deal with different types of people in this type of service environment. Out

of this experience, I mostly want to learn my way around planning weddings. I am most

interested in the wedding side of events and would like to see how country clubs go about

throwing them versus an actual event company. The expectations I will be seeking out of my site

supervisor will be helpful knowledge in learning to deal with multiple types of personalities as

well as how to plan different event start to finish

I am looking for helpful tips on how to better communicate experiences and well as helping to

make this experience run smoothly with timely responses and constructive criticism .

Week 1

This summer I am interning under the event coordinator at the River Ridge Golf Club

located in Raleigh, NC. Known for its scenic landscape consisting of 18 holes throughout, River

Ridge is a semi­private golf club where 200+ members to come play golf both in their free time

as well as during tournaments throughout the year. This golf club offers memberships for their

pool as well as tennis courts, while also making it available for future brides to host their

wedding here. River Ridge also hosts a series of golf tournaments for pleasure as well as for

charity.

Coming into things was a very fast­paced experience, but was also very exciting to be a

part of. The first day I arrived, there was a wedding rehearsal as well as the wedding the

following day, which made for two very eye opening experiences.During my first week as an

intern, I was surprised by how much hands on a responsible my coordinator allowed me to have.

I was able to cue the bridesmaids for the wedding for the very first wedding I worked at. Seeing

77

as though this was a very special day for someone I thought I would just watch first and then

maybe help on the next one but my boss allowed me the opportunity and I was very excited

about it. During the first week of my internship, I also realized how much planning, as well as

manual labor goes into this particular job. At this location, it is just my boss, her assistant/ intern,

and I. We were the ones to set up chairs, tables, run the bar as well as help the family with

anything they need. I’ve realized that working in this field, I may want to strictly work for an

event planning company, so that there is a staff to hire to set up tables and do the clean up rather

than just three women.

During my next 2 weeks, I anticipate learning more about how both weddings and

tournaments work. I’m still fairly new to it all and I’m still learning my way around the building

as well as the staff so I hope that I’ll be knowledgeable about all that by the time this week ends.

I also anticipate on having more responsibility during the wedding so that things are able to run

more smooth.

So far because there has been a lot of events going on there has been a little orientation. I’ve had

a tour of the place, met the staff and learned how much to bill for in terms of food and drinks for

a tournament. I hope to learn more in the following week seeing as this week is a little calmer in

terms of events.I am excited, as well as thankful, to have a good group of people to work with

during my internship.

Week 2

Being in event planning/ coordinating, I have quickly learned that having a poker face is a must

due to this particular field being another path down in the service aspect of a job. Learning to

smile through the crazy request and frustrating times is a must. I feel as though I have done well

with that but it has for sure been one of the biggest issues I’ve had to face. At the very first

wedding I was working at, I was surprised at how much went into making that day magical for

the couple. On this particular day, there was a younger couple getting married and the day had

gone very smooth. I was happy to apart of such an awesome first wedding, so I thought.

At this particular wedding, the couple had a complimentary drink that contained one shot

of liquor in it for all guests 21+. The other intern and I were helping the bartender Kim while

78

also making sure the wedding continued without a hitch. There was one groomsmen in particular

who had a little too much to drink and when Kim refused to give him more to drink he became

very upset. He began to yell at the three of us saying “ you’re bottom feeders and won't make

money in this field”. He continually yelled at Kim and actually went behind the bar and took a

bottle of alcohol, yelling about how they paid for it and we were babying the amount of liquor

we put in the drinks. For this being my first wedding I was a little shocked and scared at how this

gentleman was acting and was surprised at how the employees were very calm and kept a smile

on their faces until the gentleman was escorted away. With that being an eventful first wedding,

my site manager told me that they had the sheriff on speed dial and had anything escalated he

would have been called so there was nothing to be scared of. Since that day, nothing of that

nature has happened and I was reassured that that particular situation was one in a million.

Over the past two weeks, I have worked three weddings and five tournaments. Having to work

and prepare for both has been an eye opener in terms of having to multitask. I have been told that

having that skill is needed in a lot of fields but working here at river ridge I have seen that to be

very true. Last week there was a tournament that Friday and wedding the next morning. Due to

the fact that there was only two of us, we had to take advantage of the time we had and went

ahead and set up chairs that Friday in preparation for the wedding the next day. I have

experienced having to do a lot more manual labor than anticipated such as moving/ stacking

chairs, pushing and retrieving cases of beer as well as other tasks. I have learned a lot as well as

done and a lot. I’m excited to continue to learn and see what happens over these next couple

months.

Week 3

One policy I have learned about my organization is that they don’t offer liquor at the wedding

receptions nor at any other events.Meaning they don’t sell anything that is sold in your average

ABC store while they still offer wine and beer. In order to have liquor at their weddings, The

bride and groom must get a special occasion alcohol permit. With the permit the party is able to

bring in their own alcohol and mixers and the bartender that night for river ridge will make and

serve the drinks. With doing this there is a fee of $3 called a corkage fee which is charged for

79

each person 21+ that is in attendance at the wedding. This fee is a way for River Ridge to make

up the money that they could potentially lose from the wedding guest not using the alcoholic

beverages provided through the club. This policy was interesting to me because it was something

I had never heard of before. The concept it something I understand because it relieves some of

the responsibility on the club to offer liquor and anything that may happen because of it.

One thing I’ve learned about my interpersonal skills is that I have the ability to keep a smiling

face no matter what the request. In event planning there is a need for making sure the customer is

happy and that they have a great experience so they can leave good reviews. One example is

when another intern and I had set up 150 ceremony chairs the way the bride had initially wanted,

and once we were finished we asked her if it was okay and she wanted something totally

different. We had to redo the chairs and make sure we had a smile and a positive attitude so that

the bride and groom had a magical day.Being in a service based field being able to deal with

others in a positive manner is very important and I able to keep a smile and try and sure each

request is made

My agency has a simple organizational with it being semi­private. It starts off with the General

Manager Craig Hooks, business manager Sarah Ward, then there’s the head golf professional

John Partin, sales and events Director Jamie Notarainni, and the course superintendent Rodney

Moss. Both John Partin and Jamie Notarainni have a small staff under them which helps them

complete task to help the overall flow of how the golf club is run on a day to day basis. I work

under Jamie Notarainni as and events intern alongside her events assistant.

So far I have worked a wedding every weekend which makes a total of 4 and about 6­8 golf

tournaments. I have enjoyed learning the differences and well as some of the similarities of each.

Both tournaments and weddings have a great deal of planning as well as detailed instructions on

what that person wants for their event. As for moments the one that stands out recently is when

the other intern and I were driving the beverage cart for a golf tournament and a golf ball came at

us head on. Luckily I had recently watched fast and the furious and swerved us out of the way. It

wasn’t a grand event but it was something Miranda and I got a good laugh at after it happened.

80

Week 4

This a picture of my supervisor Jamie and fellow intern Miranda on our first wedding of the

season.

This week there was a Sunday wedding as well as a tournament the following day. For our

typical wedding days, we arrive at 1pm and leave around 11pm. This particular wedding had 200

guests and in the 100 degree weather moving 200 chairs was a very exhausting task. The

following day we had to be at River Ridge at 8am for the tournament. Other than the setting up

chairs and tables, this particular tournament was pretty self sufficient which made for an easy

day. Working both the wedding and tournament gave me more insight on what I want to do for

my special project. I will be working on the social media updates for the weddings and special

events River Ridge hosts. With there being so many social media platforms i.e facebook,

Instagram, snapchat etc. it is easy for companies to be overwhelmed and end up negleting one or

all of them. I will be updating the social media for River Ridge focusing on weddings so there is

a way for future brides as well as the surrounding public to see what River Ridge has to offer. I

will also be doing research for the surrounding golf clubs and wedding venues River Ridge is in

competition with. I will be looking up the types of events they offer as well at the cost to host the

events as well as the membership for golf if offered. My special project is one that will help this

organization in the future to know where they stand alongside other venues and golf courses as

81

well as give them the social media outlet they need.

One thing from a PRT class that has become relevant to me is the correct use of volunteers. For

tournament days, a lot of the time they need a little help setting up or signing people in, and at

other times they are self­sufficient. I’ve realized it is very important not to take advantage of

volunteers and when they are in need have a true job for them to do. For one particular

tournament Miranda and I asked the person running the tournament if they needed help, instead

of politely declining he told us it would be great if we could just stand behind four other

volunteers and smile at the people going to check in. In cases like this, our services weren't really

needed and made it frustrating for us because we weren't doing anything and could have been

somewhere else being more productive.

There are no particular policies this organization has but there are rules that help to ensure the

safety of the members and employees. With there being wine and beer around at all times you

have to be in a management position to have a master key. This key unlocks what they call the

beer barn and helps to minimize the theft of any alcoholic beverages from being stolen by any

club members or staff.This particular organization doesn’t do anything in particular to reward

high performing staff. They are self­motivated to do the best they can and work together to make

all customers happy.

Week 5

Having the evaluation was valuable because it gave me insight to where I can do better as well as

where I am already successful. I appreciate the honesty and constructive criticism I received in

regards to me being more of a leader and speaking my mind. I am a relatively creative person but

I hesitate to share my ideas with people in charge due to my fear of rejection. My supervisor

advised me that creativity is good and to be more open to express my ideas.I feel like my

evaluation was fair. I have always been a hard worker and make sure to do what’s needed of me

at all times. I agreed with what was said I need to work on and will continue to work on it.

One area of growth that I will work on is my ability to be more of a leader and to ask for help

when needed. I will work on stating my ideas and making sure I am not fearful of what other say

about them. One client interaction that meant something to me was when my supervisor had

82

chairs and tables set up for a wedding the next day. We usually do this with or without a

tournament going on because tournaments usually just want tables and chairs with not care as to

where they have been placed. After we got the tables and chairs all set up the heads of the

tournaments stated that they wanted the tables and chairs a certain way and that they would like

us to fix it. My supervisor normally receives details like that when people book with RIver Ridge

and this and this particular group failed to make those request. Although we had just set up 10

tables and 60+ chairs my supervisor put a smile on her face and acted as if nothing was bothering

her. My supervisor could have pointed the finger and told them that they failed to make that

request prior but she did it with no complaint. This interaction showed me to bite your tongue

when dealing with people no matter what happens because the customer is always right.

Another interaction that meant a lot was the one I spoke of earlier of the drunk wedding guest.

This meant a lot because it was something I had never experienced and gave me the true

understanding as to what be prepared for anything truly means.

The major revenues for my agency are golf memberships and golf tournaments. With River

Ridge being a golf club there can be on average two tournaments a week, which brings in money

consistently during the warmer months. The upkeep of the course is the biggest expense because

it’s their biggest selling point.I enjoy interacting with the clients/customers/consumers because

they help to make the job worth it. During weddings there can be a million of things to be done

in what seems to be such a short period of time. We move over a hundred chairs in the hot sun

and have to deal with a lot of different personalities in hopes to get everything to flow the way

necessary. All these things can make for a very stressful day but there's a moment right before

the bride walks down the aisle and she smiles that makes it all worth it to know that we helped to

make her day special. I enjoy interacting with the following staff because they help to make the

day goes by faster. The staff is all about being a team and helping when they can, and this is

awesome when it comes to the set but and take down of chairs and tables.

For my cognitive care I am handling my uncertainty by asking questions. At times I am unsure as

to what I need to be doing so I simply ask questions, once I do that I am about to take initiative

the next time it occurs. Physically I find that this job contains a lot of walking, lifting, pulling,

and pushing which has been all the working out I need. I’ve actually lost 3lbs since i’ve started

83

which I’ve giving this internship full ownership of. Emotionally this internship can be stressful

and fast pace but I have the ability to calm myself down with deep breaths and knowing that my

help is for a greater purpose and reflects the people I work for.

Week 6

Other than the story I mentioned earlier in the summer about the overly intoxicated many

who yelled at the staff there hasn't been anything funny or entertaining. In terms of shocking I

find it interesting, the level of concern some parents have of their children at weddings. Some

weddings have kids in which the parent keep them close and under control but at our wedding

this past weekend there were kids everywhere, and when I say everywhere I mean

EVERYWHERE. They were on our pavilion where the reception was being held, they were on

our golf course, on the grass as well as in the sand, they also tried to take a golf cart which could

have been very dangerous. We ended up having to make an announcement for parents to get

there children in the attempt to keep anyone from getting hurt or lost.

One programming skill that I have learned to far is how to enter in a new member for

both golf and the pool. River Ridge offers a pool membership over the summer so when May

comes around there are a lot of new as well as old members that are interested in purchasing one.

I have learned how to send the application as well as enter the information and charge the

account the pool member and the system for golf memberships is similar as well. Another

programming skill I have learned is how to charge a tournament for the amount of drinks to

charge on the account. In order to use this we have to do an initial count as well as a final count,

and then we find the drink total. This step is very important in the because if not done right it

will have River Ridge to lose money rather than make a profit. Being the events area of this

organization, there have been many instances in which there has been a great deal of pressure.

When it comes to wedding days there is always a high level of stress that we have to deal with

for the first few hours and then at the end. In order to be of any help as an intern I have to be able

to take initiative and make sure to keep a calm and smile so that I don’t add on to the stress of the

bride or my supervisor. For me to handle pressure I usually attempt to get a complete rundown of

what needs to be done so that I don’t have to ask a million questions which adds to my

84

supervisors stress levels. Other than the programs that I mentioned prior there aren’t too many

software applications that are used by the events staff on a daily basis. We use a system called

POS when dealing with billing any tournaments and or weddings. We also use a similar system

when billing any drinks that are sold for tournaments.

My preferences at work include having a clear planned schedule for what needs to happen for

that day as well as the week. When working with multiple events throughout the week it is

important to have everything very organized and well planned out. Two of my professional

strengths include being able to stay calm as well as being organized as I previously mentioned.

With events being a very stressful because there are many things happening at once, I am able to

keep calm and tackle all the tasks necessary. Organization is also a strength that I have which it

very helpful professional. Being organized has helped me in terms of knowing where I need to

be as well as what needed to be done. Two things I need to work on are being able to voice my

opinion. I tend to step back and listen to what my supervisor says should the event happen again

but I need to start stating my opinion when I know the answer. Another thing I need to work on

knowing where things are. There are multiple rooms where different things are held and the more

I know about where things are the more I am able to help should there be a moment of chaos and

my supervisor ask me to get something.

Week 7

Here at River Ridge, there are a lot of opportunities to help customers and staff. During a

tournament last week a fellow intern and I did beverage cart, which is where we go around the

course and sell drinks for the players who are playing their 18 hole game. The CEO of the

company that held the tournament wanted a certain kind of beverage that wasn’t in our cart.

Another intern and I went back to the main area where we get the drinks were and made sure we

obtained the beverage he wanted. Although we didn’t have to do that we wanted to make sure

guest were happy and well taken care of since they booked with River Ridge. The CEO was very

appreciative and that was a good reflection on the organization as a whole. I have helped the

department through my special project which is helping to keep their social media up to date.

With there being so many social media outlets to keep track of them, it’s very easy to neglect

85

them. I have taken over the instagram account and have made sure to post at least once a week.

This has brought some new views to River Ridge events so that there are more people aware of

what booking with this agency can visually look like. Something that helped my own learning

was working on the intern manual that my supervisor asked the fellow intern and I make. This

manual informed me of a lot of things that I hadn’t realized, such as how to work on other

computer systems I hadn't learned yet. One staff member that has been a positive role model for

me the other intern here at River Ridge. This person helped create change by helping me to

maintain a positive attitude. When working events it’s easy to be overwhelmed and to have a ton

to do in such little time. In order to have a successful event, being focused and positive it

important which is what the other intern helps me to do. On one particular event, there was a

chair set up of 150 chairs, and the bride wanted them set up in straight rows. We finished setting

them up and asked her if there were okay and at the last moment she asked for them to be put in

a semi circle and for them to be placed 2 inches apart. In that moment we were both frustrated

and irritated that she hadn't told us that prior but with the other intern being there and smiling

through it , I was able to do the same.

Week 8

I would consider myself to be lucky in the sense that the agency I work for has a good ethical

mindset and all of the issues that have arisen have been handled accordingly and very

professional. One case that I could think where something could have gone wrong was when my

boss was over paid although she could have told no one and just kept the money, she went to our

financial manager and informed her and the problem was resolved.

Being an intern at my agency, there are a few traits that are needed such as being quick on your

feet, outgoing, as well as having the ability keep a very good poker face. The events industry is a

service based with most being privately owned. With that knowledge most of the clients obtained

are through word of mouth and advertising on the internet. Having a poker face is a term my

supervisor uses when she talks about keeping a smile on your face no matter what happens or

what is asked of you. This trait has helped me in many cases. Such as when the bride changed

her mind about the way she wanted the chairs set up after they were already arranged, or when

the overly intoxicated man got upset about not being able to drink more and yelled at me and the

86

other people working the bar that night. Being able to smile through the frustrating times is what

keeps the customers happy and calm which make for a great review in the long run. Having a

positive attitude is also very important to be an intern. There will be many times where the stress

can get the best of you but if you remain positive and optimistic that everything will workout

fine, 9 times out of 10 they will.

As previously stated I will be working on the social media as well as surrounding marketing

statistics for River Ridge. In terms of the census information and information on surrounding

golf clubs, everything has been completed and I am now working on graphs and finalizing the

information. For the social media I have been posting once a week and will now be posting 2­3

times a week due to the fact that I will be leaving in a few weeks. Completing this project will

impact my agency because it will for one give them more knowledge on how competitive their

prices are as well as they need to work on. The social media will help bring in more clients that

will hopefully book any of their up and coming events. I came up will this project because it’s

something that had been neglected by the agency and with now being such a social media and

technology focused time, this was something I thought would be very necessary.

Week 9

My supervisor has been very helpful and informative during my internship. I have learned many

things about River Ridge as a business as well as special events as an industry. Working in such

a stressful industry it is very easy to become overwhelmed and allowing that to show but my

boss has a very good poker face and that it something that I have learned as well. A few things I

would critique about my supervisor is for her to watch how she speaks to interns when she’s

feeling flustered and/or frustrated. By no means does my supervisor do it intentionally or to be

mean I believe it happens when she has a lot going on and she expects you to know what she’s

thinking. For the most part, it’s the tone of voice in which she says things but as someone who

now understands events on a better scale I see that it’s because of the stress level they can bring

to an individual. Nonetheless, I am grateful for the things I’ve learned and for the positive

relationship I have with my supervisor. I will give my supervisor my honest feedback in the

reflection in my special project. A client that had made a positive impact on me was a bride by

87

the name of Amber. She was one of my favorite clients because she had such a positive attitude

during a time that is very stressful. The week before the wedding it was suggested that on her

wedding day it was going to be a big thunderstorm and it had been storming all that week. It

would be ideal that a bride would be stressed and take her frustrations out on others around her

but Morgan was very calm and a pleasure to work with. Luckily her wedding was pure sunshine

which is what she deserved after having sure a positive attitude the whole time.

Week 10

Some positive aspects of this internship were the high level of helpfulness that the staff had for

each other There were moments when I had to do things by myself like stacking chairs that

needed to go on the pavilion but there were staff who weren’t busy and helped when they could,

which I appreciated. There were also great brides that I had the pleasure of working with which

made this internship worth a lot more. One thing that could be improved is River Ridge hiring an

seasonal events staff of about 2­3 people to help on the prep for before and after weddings. To

have 2 girls stack and move 200 chairs in the hot summer months was something I’ll never

forget, and I think hiring people to help that process would be very beneficial. The most

beneficial aspect of the internship for me was the ability to work on my networking skills. Being

around a new bride and groom and new tournament holders every week was a good way for me

to get to know people which will only help me in the long run. I think River Ridge is a good

place to intern, but there are things to keep in mind. There are times where there will be manual

labor such as moving tables and chair, my supervisor also had another intern and I stain the

wooden ramp they have. One thing I had to personally get used to was the fact the because the

other intern was here as an assistant prior she was able to get paid to work at times such as

weddings while I wasn’t. This was something that frustrated me at times but as an intern you

have to be prepared for everything. All my expectations were met from this internship. I worked

and learned a lot about how both weddings and tournaments are ran as well as how to talk to

people. I have been able to answer questions for brides now that I was unable to do before and I

have also been able to have memories that I will never forget. I can't remember which particular

class but there was a topic in which we learned about volunteers and how they should be treated

88

with respect and told what they are to do. With this internship being unpaid I felt as though I was

a volunteer and with that I realized how valuable they are to any event they are at. Putting in free

labor is something I now truly respect and feel as though volunteers should truly be appreciated.

I think that there should be a lecture on how to confront your boss or supervisor when you have

something you want to say or something you don’t agree with. There are moments when I know

I wanted to speak my mind but since I was new I didn’t want to be shot down, but that’s

something I have to working.

89

Miranda’s Evaluations & Feedback

Midterm Evaluation

90

91

Special Project Evaluation

92

Final Evaluation

93

94

Miranda’s Personal Evaluation & Internship Reflection

Supervisor Feedback

I would rate Jamie very highly. We have a unique situation and a friendship that

developed over the past year. I am very grateful for the opportunities she’s given me. When she

first interviewed me in April 2015, I was hesitant to tell her I’d be abroad for a month during the

Summer. I figured that would eliminate my chances of having a Summer internship. However, I

was really surprised when she hired me anyway and worked around my schedule. I appreciate all

the flexibility she’s given me and how respectful she is of my school schedule. Jamie and I have

worked long hours together, between a three­day Indian wedding, huge bridal expo, countless

tournaments, twenty weddings, and numerous special events, and horrific cleaning projects. You

always hope you feel comfortable with your boss/supervisor. I definitely got that wish granted

with Jamie. We carpool to events together and coordinate outfits before events over the phone ­­

it’s a lot of fun and a lot of work. On the flip side, sometimes I felt my contributions didn’t really

matter if Jamie had her mind made up, but most type A people can be that way (I certain am

also).

Personal Growth & Learning Experience

During this internship I definitely developed greater self­efficacy. I believe I am capable

of doing a lot more than I previously thought. I’ve learned River Ridge inside and out, I am

95

excellent at giving tours and getting new clients because of my warmth and energy, and my

confidence in dealing with tough situations has increased. I’ve gotten to practice standing up for

myself and not letting clients take advantage of me. Additionally, I have better control over my

poker face. I can better mask my feelings and respond to customers more professionally. From

last year to this year, I can see how much better I am at navigating the course, the computer

system, and all storage areas here. I’ve gotten amazing chances to network here and gotten my

face and skills displayed in front of lot of local professionals.

Suggestions for Improvement

Areas and aspects of River Ridge need to be renovated. The pavilion needs resurfacing

and repainting. The chairs need to be cleaned. The leaning pillar needs to be re­stabilized.

Ideally, River Ridge would expand to have a full­service catering staff. All these changes would

make River Ridge more marketable, and it would make it easier for Jamie and I to sell this place

to potential clients. Above all else, I suggest that River Ridge needs a larger team for events. We

are a venue that is responsible for all setup and teardown and cleanup. Having a few more people

to help put the ceremony chairs out, setup the pavilion and indoor ballroom, flip spaces during

the ceremony and cocktail hour would make events run more smoothly and alleviate the pressure

from the events team. The events team ideally would be able to focus on day­of coordination and

attending to the bride and her team directly; not spending two hours in 100 degree weather

making sure the chairs are straight.

96

Taylor’s Evaluations & Feedback

Midterm Appraisal

97

Special Project Evaluation

98

Final Appraisal

99

100

Taylor’s Personal Evaluation & Internship Reflection

Supervisor Feedback

As a supervisor I would say that Jamie has done an awesome job considering how busy she has

been throughout this whole summer. I am grateful to her for giving me a chance to be an intern

here at River Ridge and learning all I have. Working such long 10 hr wedding days and being up

at 7 am for tournaments has given Miranda, Jamie and I understanding as well as a friendship

that I wasn't expected but I am very thankful for. This internship isn’t paid so to have 400 hours

of unpaid work, Jamie was very understand of my schedule when it came to working around my

schedule at my other job. Jamie is very easy to talk to and understands the time commitment

involved in terms of taking this class/ internship as well has having an outside job. In terms of

critiques I would tell Jamie to work on how she speaks to us interns at times. It only happened

when she was a little frustrated or overwhelmed. She always told us to make sure to keep our

poker face and I think it’s important to keep it with everyone, including those who we work with

as well. Other than that I would say I am lucky to have had such a great supervisor and

internship.

Personal Growth & Learning Experience

During this internship I have had a lot of about different strengths and weaknesses that I

have. I have grown in terms of speaking my mind and stating ideas that I may have. Working in

the events industry, there are areas in which you can state your ideas in ways that can help the

people you’re working with and that is something I have learned. I am a naturally creative

person and interning at River Ridge I have been able grow so that I am able to speak my mind

when necessary. I have learned to have a better sense of time management and to prioritize the

important things in my personal life as well as when working. I had to balance my internship in

terms of being at River Ridge 35+ hours a week, my class post/ final project, as well as my other

job. Having to deal with all of that forced me to stay on top of things as well as to make sure I

don’t overwhelm myself. A weakness that I’m still working on is being the first to initiate

conversation. Crowds and new people still give me a little anxiety but it is something I still need

to work on but being an intern here definitely allowed me to work on that.

101

Suggestions for Improvement

As a whole, River Ridge is a very pleasant place to work because everyone is so willing

to help each other. I would suggest that they hire a seasonal staff of about 2 or 3 people to help

with the set up on the day before weddings as well as the day of weddings seeing as though

that’s when the stress levels are increased. This year River Ridge has a total of 23 weddings and

for there to be only three women handling everything can be a little overwhelming. I think a

seasonal staff to help with the manual labor would make these events a lot less stressful. I would

also suggest that River Ridge stay on top of their social media because like I stated previously it

is free advertising and I believe that it’s an awesome way for them to generate more customers.

In terms of the internship as a whole, this was very simple to get the hang of and was an

enjoyable eye opener that I am very appreciative of.

102