Viva Las Vegas

Being in the Hospitality Management program at UNLV requires 1000 hours of work experience and a 90 hour internship to graduate. The good thing is that people in the industry know this and they target UNLV students when they are hiring or looking for interns or even seeking volunteers. I have had some amazing experiences because of this that I wouldn't have been part of had I gone to school anywhere else in the world.

Last October, I completed my internship requirement by working for the Lili Claire Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises money to help special needs kids and their families. It was incredible to be a part of such a great foundation and work for a cause that has a special place in my heart. We put on the Nevada Wild Fest, the biggest fair and carnival in Nevada. I had the pleasure of working on the "celebrity wrangler" team which means I was in charge of all transportation and lodging of the VIPs (which included country singers and Disney stars) coming in and out of Las Vegas for the Festival. I met some amazing people and had such a good time! I can't wait to help out this year!

Because of my connections to UNLV I also had the pleasure of meeting the wedding coordinators at the Venetian and they asked me to help them coordinate some of their weddings on 12/12/12, the biggest wedding day of the year. I helped with a few of the 30+ weddings that took place on property that day which was way crazy but incredibly awesome! I helped with some of the higher end weddings that took place that day and it just reminded me how much I can't wait to get into the industry.

Recently a temp agency was specifically seeking floral designers for this season.  Of course I jumped at the opportunity. You can't imagine how excited I was to find out my first assignment was with the floral department for MGM Events.

MGM Events does all the huge events for all the hotel/casinos owned by MGM which are MGM, Bellagio, Aria, Mandalay Bay, and Mirage (among others).  The week after Christmas I helped with floral arrangements for New Year's Eve parties for all the properties.  I was assigned to the Bellagio team which meant that on New Years Eve we spent the day on the Bellagio property setting up for the New Years party. This party had more than 200 tables which had 1 of 4 arrangements on each table. I helped with set up and with some of the arrangements. I did a lot of the shorter orchid arrangements and the tall tulip arrangements with hydrangea and tulips at the base which can be seen along with the entire set up of the party.  Click the button below to check out this video made of the event! 

Bellagio 'bloom' event

The events were all so amazing with all the product and work that went into it. I am just honored to have played a small part in putting them together.  I  love living in Las Vegas while I'm going to school for this type of stuff. There's no better place for me right now and I love being involved in all the opportunities that present themselves because of where I am. I can't wait to see what else Las Vegas has to offer me!