Looking for an internship in the event industry in the midst of a pandemic does, admittedly, not sound like the best idea. While almost all industries are suffering from the restrictions and limitations COVID-19 is causing, the event industry is naturally one of the most affected. Concerts, gatherings, and festivals seem further away from our reality than ever before and – with all major international and national events being postponed over and over again – no improvements are in sight.
Besides all the usual difficulties that one encounters during the search for an internship, two new, major problems have occurred in the event industry: First, most events are being cancelled or postponed. Second, if event companies are struggling to survive and to pay their own employees, why would they add another intern to the costs and risks?
Still, if you are like me and really see yourself working in the event industry, it will be difficult for you to accept that this is not a possibility. Instead of giving up and looking into a different industry, you should try to change your approach. Personally, I luckily did manage to find an internship in the marketing and community management department of an event company during one of the most intense time of the COVID-19 pandemic. For you to successfully find an internship in the event industry during this really challenging time, here are the three main advice you should follow:
- Look for an event company that makes use of virtual spaces
During the last year, various companies have found ways to use the virtual space for their needs. Even some of the major live event companies have been open to this huge change of their business model. Even if virtual events might not be what you initially imagined, most of the working processes are the same and you will already have your foot in the door for the post-corona live events!
- Keep an open mind
When starting to look for a job in the event industry, you probably had a few specific companies in mind. More now than ever, you must stay flexible. Look for everything that sparks your interest and try to evaluate whether it would make sense for them – under the given circumstances – to hire you.
- Choose non-traditional forms of event companies
During the pandemic, a clear distinction within the event industry took place. On the one hand, there are companies which are waiting for the restrictions to loosen up and for their old event concepts to take place again. On the other hand, there are companies which are looking into the new possibilities that the situation is offering. When applying for the internship, look for companies which take a new approach and try to cope with this difficult situation by creating creative, new products – they will also be willing to find a position for you and your needs.