Tell us about your placement?

For my year in placement I joined the Parks and Amenities team in the Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council as an Events Assistant. My role was to help plan and run events throughout the Council Area.  

The first event I helped to organise was the Christmas event in Lisburn Castle Gardens named 'Christmas at the Castle', a 3-day event with musical entertainment, food traders and much more. Next, I assisted in a community event in Royal Hillsborough, which took place as a celebration for the area gaining Royal status.  

I also assisted in organising the Mayor's Carnival Parade and a Family Fun Day in Lisburn which included musical entertainment, a parade through Wallace Park and different entertainment throughout the park.  

Lastly, I worked on the Summer Park Life Programme which are smaller scale community events that take place in a few Council parks over the summer ranging from a mini mela to a nature day. 

 

Which areas of your placement did you find most rewarding?  

In my experience I found attending the events themselves the most rewarding. When spending months planning all the different details, watching it all finally comes together on the day is the most rewarding and positive feeling. I also enjoyed getting involved in the different events such as going on the funfair rides and getting to know the traders. 

 

Did you encounter any challenges? 

There was an abundance of challenges that came up when organising events. For instance, the weather could have an effect, or people could cancel. Unfortunately, at Christmas time when the weather was at its worst, we had to cancel the last night of a festive event we were running over a few days. I had to inform all the contractors and make sure all gazebos and equipment were taken down to ensure the park was as safe as possible during the strong winds. These challenges helped strengthen my crisis management skills. 

 

Please describe how undertaking the placement year has helped towards, or shaped, your future career?  

Before going into my placement year, I wasn't fully sure on what I wanted to do in the future. The reason I choose this placement as it seemed fun, and I'm glad to say that has paid off. Therefore, I want to go into a career in events in the future. Finally, I also had the opportunity to understand which  business areas I’m not interested in pursuing  in the future, such as procurement and finance. 

 

What advice would you give to a future student starting their placement? 

My advice to a future student would be to just throw yourself into every opportunity. It may seem scary at first, but you are there to learn and strengthen your skills and you cannot do that without trying new things. 

 

Find out more:

• Securing a placement 
• Queries about placement 
• Are you a business looking to hire a placement student? 

Caitlyn Young

BSc Business Management student

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