National Cherry Festival

Festival Intern

June - July 2019 • Traverse City, MI

What I liked

Lots of experience in a large festival setting that allowed me to learn the ropes and gain a lot of experience in my field of study. I enjoy music so seeing a concert every day of the festival was a nice way to end each day as well. I got the opportunity to explore a lot of Traverse City, so the new experience was nice.

What I wish was different

I needed to be paid more, especially for the amount of work done for them. Over-reliance on the intern pool, which was only five people, was as consistent as the hours. I worked 123 hours the week of the festival, with the last day being a 21-hour shift (7 am- 3 am), then being told to come back for a 9-5 shift picking up trash in the open field at over 85 degrees. Just for the record, for the entire three weeks, they gave us each 150$, and 50$ for merch. Sometimes some food was provided as well. Little organization within the company and the administrative manager once told me they didn't know what to do in a situation that just happened to be busy.

Advice

If you can avoid this internship, look for other opportunities. I put myself in a pinch and needed a few hundred hours towards my degree in a related field, so if you're in a similar situation I would consider it.

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Box Office Intern

June - July 2018 • Traverse City, MI

What I liked

I enjoyed the fast pace and variety of running a festival. From box office to concert security to silent auction work, there was never a dull moment!

What I wish was different

I would have liked more communication from the beginning as far as what each day would entail. I don’t need all the specifics, but an overview is always appreciated!

Advice

Go for experiences even if you’re not sure you’re qualified. You have more to learn from the job than a seasoned professional and can bring a fresh perspective to a practiced team (you also have no competing frame of reference—“But I learned it THIS way,” etc.).

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Social media intern

July 2016 • Traverse City, MI

What I liked

I was given free reign on social media posts and got to walk around the festival and explore.

What I wish was different

It is a lot of work for an unpaid internship. It is very unstructured and because I didn't have a direct boss, I didn't feel like it was a learning experience. I also felt taken advantage of at times. Other top level people would make me do jobs that had nothing to do with social media.