Law student, Augustina Ntow Brisaa, has undertaken work experience in events coordination with Canterbury Cathedral Lodge, a unique hotel located inside of the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral. We caught up with her recently to hear all about how she has been getting on.
Augustina has been assisting the Lodge’s Conference and Events Co-ordinator, Catherine Lucas, which has included working on day-to-day admin to ensure the smooth running of the Events Office.
‘I have enjoyed the variety of tasks that have been set for me and feel I have really improved my organisational skills, which will be of huge benefit in my future law career. I have been filing and working on spreadsheets in order to help with planning for future events. The Lodge is a very popular venue, with bookings spanning as far as 2021!’
Augustina has also been given the opportunity to see how different departments within the Lodge work: ‘I helped the operations team with an afternoon tea and really enjoyed seeing the work we do behind the scenes put into practice. I will also have the chance to shadow the decorator for a wedding next week, which I’m really looking forward to!’
Catherine (Conference and Events Co-ordinator) highlighted the importance of students getting the whole picture of event planning: ‘We aim to give every student a valuable experience and make sure they are doing jobs we would be doing – not making the tea! Augustina has been learning the basics of our system, as well as seeing how different departments within the Lodge fit together. We have shown her the reality of working in events from the very beginning: planning, dressing the room, the lead in and the take down. The event doesn’t end when the guests leave!’
The Lodge’s dedicated events team coordinate over 450 events every year and they appreciate the work of the students: ‘a previous EP student made significant changes to our spreadsheets. The students on placement with us do very valuable work: this can include offering a new way of looking at things to make a positive change, or just assisting with the work we may have less time to do, which is equally useful!’
Augustina got on very well with the team: ‘They were so supportive and continually checked that I was doing okay. They were so friendly, I really felt like I could ask anything. I am so grateful to have been chosen for this placement!’
Canterbury Cathedral Lodge has been an EP sponsor for seven years now, and Catherine was very positive about her experiences with the scheme thus far: ‘Matt Cook (EP Officer) is extremely enthusiastic about the students and I am continually impressed by them. The students are all very interested in making the most out of the opportunities offered to them, and so keen to improve their CVs.’
Augustina attended a variety of other EP rewards over the summer and was particularly complimentary of the Global Growth Institute’s World Class Management workshop, as well as the JPP Law workshop about which she commented: ‘this was amazing and gave real insight into the sector!’
If you would like to find out more about Canterbury Cathedral Lodge, see their website here.