As the Fall 2015 Special Events Intern at American Ballet Theatre I had the honor of working on two Special Events- the 75th Anniversary Fall Gala and the Holiday Benefit Performance. The 75th Anniversary Fall Gala was held on October 21, 2015 on the Promenade of the Koch Theater following the opening night of ABT’s Fall Season. The Holiday Benefit Performance was held on December 7, 2015 at the Beverly Hills Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. The Benefit was much smaller than the Fall Gala and featured a one night only performance featuring newly promoted Californian Principal Dancers, Stella Abrera and Misty Copeland.
As the intern it was my responsibility to track and keep all of these replies within our 2015 Fall Gala Event Binder. The intern is also in charge of maintaining and recording all expenses for the Gala, serving as the point person for all dancer and senior staff RSVPs, ordering all thank you flowers, candies, and letters, all in-house mailings, ordering and procuring awards, creating contact sheets, answering inquires in the special event email and voice mailbox, proofreading everything that comes from the special event office, and helping with daily tasks when needed.
You will learn a lot about development, event planning, the arts, and non-profits through this internship. You will leave your internship with a higher degree of skill and knowledge that is incomparable and incredibly valuable to this field. ABT is a large company but it is a family and everyone wants to help you succeed. Embrace your time here and learn as much as you can.
Tips:
- Become friends with Vince! He will be your saving grace.
- Bring a pair of flats with you always (you never know when you will have to carry cases of things up and down stairs).
- If you want to learn about something, ask. They will make it happen.
- There is always at least one dog at ABT daily, do not be alarmed.
- If there is a party or gathering, go. Get to know your co-workers and peers. (You may also get to try one of David Lansky’s famous Margaritas and play “beach” volleyball in the studio).
- Volunteer and sign up for anything and everything. This allows you to get to know members and donors.
- Birthdays are big here, become a birthday person.
- Seriously this goes a long way.
- HAVE FUN!
Fallon Sullivan
Special Events Intern
Fall 2016
-
From L to R: Grace Singleton, Fallon Sullivan, Kelli Dowling, Heather Hicks, Taylor Beck and Jamere Brown outside the Koch Theater at ABT’s 2015 Fall Gala
abtinterns 
Leave a Reply