Graduating from Sunway University has gifted Ally with an abundance of lifelong experiences that she will never forget; one being her internship with Livescape Group Sdn Bhd. Whenever she had to pinpoint some of her fondest memories, this internship would be the first memory to spring to mind. As an events enthusiast, she recognised her skills in the events production and operations aspect throughout all the events organized - both back in high school and at the University. This was what motivated Ally to step outside her comfort zone and explore her interest in events marketing and public relations when was offered an internship placement with Livescape. 

Briefly, daily tasks include but are not limited to, directing creative visuals for digital marketing, website visualisation, and conceptualisation, working alongside the media industry on digital publications for company events, and strategy development and implementation. One of Ally’s personal biggest highlights throughout this internship was to be part of the organizing family of IT’S THE SHIP Singapore 2019 - the world’s largest festival at sea! That year, the festival hosted approximately 4,000 participants from 88 different countries, which allowed her to immerse herself in an international environment. Not only did Ally get to work with global artists, media agencies, and crews, but she also interacted with international attendees onboard also evoked a newfound passion for learning languages, cultures, and ethics as well! 

One company practice she honed throughout the internship which she still carries today is open communication. Communicating one’s concerns can help others to identify the issues at hand efficiently and develop smart solutions to avoid a negative domino effect. Some other key takeaways from this internship include the essence of teamwork, the value of leadership and independence as well as the necessity of being flexible and adaptable.

Anyone would think that the experience at this event would be all glitz and glam. However, she can safely say that there was not a single person on the team, including Ally herself, that had not experienced burnout in the weeks leading up to the event. Ally has had countless memories of working until the wee hours of the morning to brainstorm and discuss event logistics, flow, and overall consumer experience. During the event, most of the crew worked tirelessly with minimal sleep due to the infinite number of tasks to handle behind the scenes. Before this internship, she thought she was well-equipped with the events industry know-how but in retrospect, nothing could have prepared her for the fatigue and exhaustion that is inevitable in the actual working events industry. 

After her internship with Livescape, Ally also took up internships in the accommodation and F&B sectors. Despite attaining experience in different hospitality sectors, she would still venture into events management again in a heartbeat. As a people person, she believes that she won’t find anything else that gives her more adrenaline than the event industry experience. The sheer thought of being able to develop, create and watch creative ideas and concepts come to life will always drive her further! To compare pre-and post-pandemic, Ally is certain that she most likely will not have an identical experience in events management now. That said, every experience is still an experience in itself!

To whoever is reading this, if she can give one word of advice: As quoted by Roy T. Bennett “Change begins at the end of your comfort zone”. Do not be afraid to take the leap of faith and step outside familiar territory. Regardless of what opportunities may come your way, if it is within one’s capabilities, she highly advocates for one to go for them. One might just discover sides of oneself never knew existed! Ally is a believer that even the tiniest of progress is still progress toward a better person. All the best and just remember that the best is yet to come!