You’ve probably seen us mention the 70+ interns we’ve mentored thru The Apprentice Program over the years…
Each week, in our Apprentice Case Study blog posts, we’ve been chatting to former interns turned apprentices to see what they really thought of their training and how it helped their career.
This week, we spoke to Ashley Durham to get the low-down on the program, from an intern’s point of view!
Ashley, Fall 2010 apprentice
What is your name?
Ashley Durham
What did you love the most about The Apprentice Program?
Learning about what it takes to build an event. It takes research, time, money, drive, a vision, etc. Mary saw something in me that I don’t think I had even seen in myself. The Apprentice Program was the first step in what has become my career!
What skills did you gain from The Apprentice Program?
I learned about the back end of events, how to plan them and how they work from start to finish. Mary empowered me to plan their website launch party for The Simplifiers and I was able to assist with the venue negotiations and worked with vendors one-on-one. Also… napkin folding, an important skill!
Did the The Apprentice Program unlock doors for your career and/or help you get a job?
Absolutely.
Are you still in the events industry? Where are you working now?
Yes, I work at LiveNation – House of Blues Houston as a Sales Manager.
Favorite thing you loved about working weddings with The Simplifiers?
Every wedding is different & unique. I learned to ask every Bride and Groom to state the top things that are most important for their wedding. A bride may say the dancing and the groom may say the food quality.
What Ashley is GREAT at:
She’s a quick learner and eager to dive right in. I appreciate Ashley’s tenacity and drive to explore where she wanted to go in her career and as her mentor, it was amazing to see her growth and evolution in such a short time. Ashley is the perfect example of seeing an intern come in, a bit quiet and unsure about event planning in the beginning and graduate to become a confident budding event professional with tangible skills as an event planner. Ashley is great!