Before I applied for Table Tennis Victoria (TTV), I was a volunteer for one of their state national championships and connected with most of the staff while volunteering at the event. A couple of months after, during a career night at my university, as I was seeking some internship opportunities, I came across the CEO of TTV, and she offered me a chance to intern with them due to my contribution to the organization and my experience in the field of social media.  

Coming into my first week with TTV, I had minimal experience in marketing but that is what drives me to learn more about the world of sports management, and developing my marketing skills throughout my time interning can greatly help me be more employable post-graduation.  

Over the next 4 months, I have gained so much knowledge regarding marketing and working for the state sporting organization. But the biggest learning experience for me was the fact I was offered a massive marketing project to work on that helps contribute to TTV's future promotion for the sport. This project involves me capturing footage of people playing table tennis of all ages and nationalities at a range of events throughout Victoria. Once that was completed, I was given the full responsibility to produce and implement a compilation marketing campaign video to be promoted on all TTV’s social media platforms. Additionally, I had the chance to create a TTV awards video to help promote and inform all members about the upcoming awards night at the end of the year, getting hands-on experience in event administration.   

During my time interning, one of my favorite experiences involved going to table tennis tournaments and activation events to interact and mingle with the table tennis community, as well as experiencing what competitive table tennis feels like. When I was working on my video project, I had the opportunity to observe and get close-up shots of elite table tennis players playing, and I got them to help with the video by allowing me to take a wider range of shots. I also get to visit local competitions to film and capture the greatness of competitive table tennis.  

As I approached finishing up the marketing video, I had to opportunity to sit down with the board members to discuss the video and how it can be improved, which I enjoy as part of the job. But the best part of the job was seeing my hard work being uploaded onto the social media platforms to be used as a promotional tool for the organization. I would like to thank Gen, Noah, and Oscar for their guidance and support during my time with TTV. Allowing me to work at this fantastic organization allows me to have a greater appreciation for the sport of table tennis. I have also developed my skills and experience in marketing, which I can confidently discuss in interviews and will assist in my future career prospects in the sports industry.  

I highly recommend any current or future students to take advantage of either interning or volunteering with TTV as it will be a rewarding and fulfilling experience.