Internship at Gurgl Carat - Part 2
After 8 weeks, several major events and a lot of new experiences, our time here in Obergurgl is coming to an end. Time really flew by. That's why we would like to record and review all the highlights and valuable experiences here on the Carat.Blog. It is hard to imagine how varied our activities were. No job description could ever sum it up.
Our most unusual event
This summer Ötztal was hit by a terrible thunderstorm series while we were holding a meeting with 150 participants. Due to a widespread power blackout in large parts of Tirol, the entire valley was shut down in one fell swoop and the traffic routes were also closed for several hours. Due to the automatic safety precaution system all the doors were opened and suddenly the Carat was taken over by stranded hikers and thus became an emergency shelter. From this point on, all we had to do was act quickly, calmly and sensibly. We ran through wind and weather to do everything we could, cared for injured people and wrapped babies in warming blankets. In such situations you simply realize that not only knowledge and skills are needed, but above all common sense is the key to success.
Our versatile range of responsibility
All the other events we were allowed to organize and support were like a surprise box - from an art vernissage to musical education concert weeks to absolute mega parties, everything was included. Thus, our scope of activity and responsibility was unimaginably versatile: ranging from classic beverage service, remodeling work for various setups and office work to content creation, coordination of the several cooperations and development of our own small projects.
We added new flair to already existing products and brochures, developed them further and redesigned them. We had the opportunity to contribute our own ideas and implement them independently. We were able to experience on a small scale how communication channels work, how hurdles need to be taken into account and how important personal relationships are. The fact that little things make that certain something to stand out from the crowd became clearly visible to us once again.
Last but not least, we had the honor of becoming part of a new event research project: "The Event Experiment". Our task was to promote the "Reverse Pitch" project in all its facets on wide variety of channels and to create appropriate and corresponding content. It was particularly exciting because there is still no comparable format. This project is intended to make the world of event & congress management more innovative by taking it to a new level.
Our most beautiful experiences
Gurgl Carat was used in just as many different ways as our tasks - for example by using mobile walls and a tent, which was built when we transformed the foyer into a party location for 400 people. Food trucks, huge sound boxes and a fascinating DJ desk gave the Carat a new look. At events of this major size, everyone runs at full speed and the tension rises until everything is in place. However, when it's time to say: "Let the party begin!", things suddenly happen very quickly and it's already 5.00 am in the morning. Your body is packed with adrenaline and there is an almost tangible sense of relief in the air. At the team breakfast that followed, we enjoyed looking back on the successful event before we finally went to bed.
In-between all the appointments and projects, an unexpected royal visit from Sweden made our hearts beat faster - who can claim to have shaken hands with the King and Queen of Sweden?
Even away from work there was never a dull moment. “3, 2, 1 – GO!” was the motto of the Glacier Trail Run starting at 2.00 am when we opened the route to the athletes. During our free time we collected even more unforgettable moments and experiences at several sporting events or we explored scenic Ötztal when it wasn't snowing. After all, here we are at an altitude of almost 2,000 m - so even at the beginning of August it can happen that snowflakes are falling from the sky all of a sudden.
Our conclusion
So our 4th internship is coming to an end and we can proudly say that none of the internships we have already completed were anywhere near as knowledgeable and varied as this one. There is a huge pool of knowledge that we take home with us and a lot of new contacts that we were able to make.
TEAM SPIRIT is definitely of utmost importance here, so we played mini-golf as a team at the end and looked back on the summer over dinner afterwards.
Now we will leave Tirol with one crying and one laughing eye because: we will definitely come back! THANK YOU - Gurgl Carat!
Authors
Sophie and Lena are students of the HLF Krems tourism schools and are doing their internship at Gurgl Carat this summer. Both of them like to think outside the box and are always looking for new experiences and inspiration. The lovely young ladies from Waldviertel are now spending their third summer in the alpine region and can usually be found in the mountains during their free time – sitting still and doing nothing is not an option for our female power duo.