Blog #4 - Start of Something New

 

My first few days with Destination Cleveland were jam-packed! Thursday and Friday were my introduction to working with Destination Cleveland. Their offices are on the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 4th Street, which means I am at the heart of Downtown Cleveland. This was definitely a change of pace since I mostly worked remotely with my previous mentor. Lucky for me, Thursdays are the busiest days for Destination Cleveland since everyone is in the office for in-person meetings.

I started the day strong with a meeting with the entire marketing team. This included the digital marketing team, public relations, and multiple other interns. Marie Scalia, Chief Marketing Officer for Destination Cleveland, managed the meeting, whose main goal was to highlight upcoming events and projects and update the team on each project division’s progress towards marketing these events. While observing the meeting, I was able to recognize the structure of a professional gathering. Surprisingly, I noticed that their meeting emulated certain projects that I previously worked on. For example, as a member of Hawken’s Philanthropy Board, we execute our meetings similarly to Destination Cleveland by using our meeting agenda as a base for our discussions and rotating our conversations based on each team so that each group can update everyone on our recent news/discoveries. My first day continued with more meetings with the Digital Media Team. I had the opportunity to audit meetings with some of Destination Cleveland’s clients, and listen to their upcoming projects and challenges. I was surprised to be thrown in the mix so suddenly. I felt as if I was a part of the team immediately. My excitement continued to build as my mentor Lexi introduced the project that I will be coordinating throughout my Hawken Project. I will be working within the Neighborhood Project to update their information regarding the best places to visit while in Cleveland. The parameters of the project include developing various photography and videography content to upload to their website and social media accounts. The goal of this project is to provide potential visitors with a detailed description of iconic places to visit in Cleveland. Not only does the project incorporate my interests in digital media, but also within a professional setting that will significantly impact a well-known organization. This week, I am planning which locations I will generate content for and traveling to each Downtown district to capture each chosen site. In addition to working on my project, I am scheduled to talk with multiple people on the Digital Media Team to learn more about their career path and what they do at Destination Cleveland. This experience has not only allowed me to explore my passion in film, photography, and social media, but has also provided me with the opportunity to listen to professionals to gain insight into the digital media and marketing industry.