It is quite interesting to play a role in which you are discovering the customer experience without revealing the fact that you are actually using your own knowledge of marketing and event management to critique what is happening around you, the customer. Even more interesting is viewing an exclusive cultural event as an international traveler, a complete stranger to the Bahamian ways, in order to give feedback as to how the event can be more “traveler friendly.” At times I did not feel as though my note-taking on my cell phone was discreet enough! This course, along with several others I have taken throughout my time at GW, has redefined my perspective of events, causing me to constantly look for key details that impact the customer experience and manage expectations. I will never be able to attend another event as simply an attendee. I will be timing the wait in lines and looking for directional signage to see if they are visible and plenteous. I will be counting security personnel and assessing the ticketing process to see where efficiencies can be implemented. I will be determining how the customer experience from beginning to end differs among domestic versus international visitors. As a future event planner, however, these are the details that need to be kept top of mind, and this course has instilled in me even further the necessary attributes for my career. Moreover, the fact that I was learning from first-hand experience in the beautiful islands of the Bahamas is what really made this course unlike any other. Not only was I gaining valuable experience for the event industry, but this course opened my eyes and my heart to the enriching culture of the Bahamian people, which is not something you can fully grasp just from a book. I honestly could not have asked for a better study-abroad experience.
-Jaclyn V.
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