Name: Chrissie Bishop

Course: (BA) Hons Communications and Media

Placement at: MM and Company

Placement Job Title: Marketing, Events and Social Media intern

Placement length: 40 weeks

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissie-b-4831ba9a/

Tell us about the company and your role:
MM and Company is a small team of 4 people including me, located in the North West of London in Queens Park. We are a DMC (Destination Management Company) representation, marketing and sales company who represent 22 world class A list DMCs around the world. These include; Abu Dhabi, Austria, Budapest, Cancun, Central America, Cyprus, Dubai, Florida, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Mauritius, Morocco, New York, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain and Turkey.

Our objective is to provide the conference and incentive market with detailed knowledge and support for destinations we represent. My main role here at MM and Company is to maintain all social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn) to keep UK clients updated on any new events, venues, hotels, points of interest, new flight routes and transport links etc on our destinations.  I send our clients information and teasers from the destination, alongside the sweetest teaser of all – a bag of M&Ms! – and update the company website and blog weekly, as well as create and design a monthly newsletter which is also emailed to all clients.

Three words I would use to describe my placement so far would be fun, enjoyable and informative. With communications and technology playing a huge role in both my academic and personal life, I really like how my placement provides me with greater skills and knowledge to succeed not only in my degree, but in the exciting travel industry, as travel is something I am very passionate about!

One of the most interesting parts of my placement is attending events which have enabled me to learn more about the travel and MICE industries – most notably the World Travel Market 2017 at London ExCeL. Attending the biggest business event of the industry provided me with the chance to meet our DMCs and new clients in and out of the UK. I loved seeing what all the destinations had to offer, and I also tried new food from all over the world which was a great experience.

This gave me a real insight to the industry and taught me a lot about where I need to adapt; gaining confidence skills and industry knowledge which I have since used to help me do my job effectively on a daily basis. I also enjoy having an active role on social media and researching beautiful destinations all over the world to encourage our clients (and myself!) to go there.

The hardest aspect of my placement so far is making sure all content is ready in a timely manner; this has helped my time management and prioritisation skills to develop further. I initially thought that working for a small company wouldn’t be as valuable as working for a larger, international company however that is not the case at all!

With almost the completion of my fifth month at the company, I now see the bigger benefits in searching for a small company to work with for the year. Working within a small team has got me more involved and I am able to voice my opinion when I want to be involved more, sign up to new activities and see the front line workings of the company.

The university support has been brilliant. My PDA Vianna has been on hand to help with any questions I have had throughout my time on placement so far, and I feel has been very supportive especially on my placement visit. She helped me to identify my strengths and weaknesses, as well as provided me with lots of great opportunities of what I can do after I have finished my placement to really push myself further and get the best experience possible.

Some advice I would give to students who are looking for a placement is that they are a fantastic way of gaining industry experience, so it is important to secure one that is right for you as soon as you can! Get in contact with your placement advisor, university department or careers service and let them know you’re looking for a placement.

Try and book an appointment as early as you can as they will get very busy, or attend a career fair where you’ll be able to speak to employees and find out about any opportunities directly. My Career Hub is also a great tool to use when searching for placements so try and look as often as possible, as it gets updated frequently.

In conclusion, I am really enjoying my time at MM and Company. It has given me a great insight into what working in the travel and MICE industries is like and has enabled me to gain confidence and new skills which are transferable to my course and future career; I really look forward to learning more throughout the rest of my time here! I feel very inspired to pursue a career in digital marketing, and I would welcome any opportunity to work towards a similar role in the future.