As an intern at The Grand Theatre I have been given so many opportunities and am constantly learning something new everyday. Everyday is different in the Grand Theatre’s marketing department and you are faced with different challenges every week. For the short time I have been here already I have learned how to prioritize my workload and work in a fast pace environment.

Having never done an internship before and not knowing what to expect, I thought it to be very much like a work placement and would be shadowing fellow colleagues for a couple of months and doing odd jobs. This was not the case! Right from day one I was made to feel welcomed as a member of the team, I was given a plan of what I will be doing in my time as an intern, this gave me a clear vision of what they expect of me and vice versa what I should expect of them. And they have not let me down!

I have been given a new role within the marketing department, which allows me to use my own initiative and get ‘stuck in’ to my own projects. All the while with the support from the rest of the team, who are always there to offer advice and guidance. Every department has made me feel welcome and a valued member of the Grand Theatre team. My role is primarily audience development and finding new ways of reaching out to new audiences.

I’m very excited about my current project that I am working on, my aim is to introduce people to the Grand Theatre and show them what’s on offer, and it is also a chance to introduce them to the English Touring Theatre (ETT). The event is on opening night of A Mad World My Masters and is a great opportunity to network with a range of different people that don’t regularly attend the theatre. I am leading on this event, from contacting the guests, to booking the venue, planning the schedule and arranging for the producer of the show to give a talk. The great thing about this project is that I will be able to see it through from beginning to end and follow up and assess how successful it was. This will be my first corporate event I have organised and hopefully it won’t be the last!

As part of my role I also work with The Grand’s Learning and Engagement officer, this enables me to help with engaging schools and colleges. I have been given the chance to work on some ongoing projects regarding our dance season and help in the recruitment process of local dance groups to perform in a show.

I started the internship just before the busiest period of the year for all theatres, Pantomime. Within my first couple of weeks, I was able to meet the cast and catch glimpses of rehearsals before attending the press night on opening night. This was my first ever press night, it involved greeting the local and regional press and chatting with them in the interval. Since then I have scheduled to take part in many more press nights, which I really look forward to. I have also attended meetings such as the Blackpool Association of Family Attractions (BAFA) meeting that took place at the Grundy Art Gallery. This is where all the family attractions in Blackpool come together to discuss future plans and events. This was a great opportunity for me to meet and introduce myself to the arts community.

There have been many training opportunities; within the first week I was registered with the Arts Marketing Association (AMA) which offers a wide variety of courses and training. Some courses are available online and some are at a venue so get the chance to travel. So far the most enjoyable and most valuable training courses I have done was for World Host. World Host is customer service training that has been used to train over one million people worldwide, including tens of thousands of volunteers and staff for the London 2012 Olympics. I attended a World Host Ambassador Workshop, which provided me with skills and techniques to promote a warm and friendly welcome and assist visitors in our community. This resorted in me becoming an Ambassador for the community, this is a world wide known qualification and I am very proud to have taken part and thankful to The Grand for giving me the chance.

Whilst I learned a lot at my time at university, the main thing I was missing was the experience. I can gladly say that my time at The Grand Theatre has given me amazing experience and knowledge that I can take with me for future projects and jobs. I have only been on my internship for 4 months but already I feel I have learned so much and can’t wait to see what happens next.

By Amy Brailsford