At the end of July, I joined TEMBO as an intern, feeling slightly nervous about the limited extent of my knowledge concerning how to market an event… or what an event really was, for that matter. Terms like b2b and b2c, exprom, visprom, ppc, all swirled around in my head, untethered to any meaning, but a drive to learn more, and to pin down these strange acronyms kickstarted my time with the team at TEMBO. 

I think I will split my experience into four key highlights, the first of which I will term the “Learning Phase”. 

From getting to grips with the internal structure of TEMBO as an agency, to gaining a basic understanding of the team’s different specialisations – such as copywriting, digital marketing, social media management – the first two onboarding weeks gave a good aerial view of the event marketing world. Terms such as “conversion tracking” and “persona crafting” were now starting to make sense. 

Time then came to put theory into practice. 

The “Application Phase” encouraged me to work to transfer the knowledge that I had acquired into solutions for clients. I got to work on some fascinating projects, including the Southampton International Boat Show, Data Center World, and Salon International – the latter of which gave me real exposure to company-client relations. 

I developed hard skills – website building and editing, email marketing and sequencing, press releases (a particular highlight of mine) were all part and parcel of the experience – while simultaneously tailoring my soft skills. Navigating the nuances of communication, being able to empathise with difference audiences, futuristic thinking; all were important strengths of mine that I was able to cultivate over the course of the internship. 

TEMBO provides a myriad of services within the live events realm, and so, moving into the second half of my internship, I was given the opportunity to delve into the different branches of the company. 

This “Exploration Phase” allowed me to connect with TEMBO ‘s head of content and learn more about the role of conference producers. 

My time at TEMBO has now entered its “Concluding Phase”, and I have been positioned in a more internal marketing role. This has equipped me insights into what in-house marketing looks like, really giving me a sense of the breadth of the industry. 

I have been producing social media content for TEMBO’s LinkedIn. Something I am particularly pleased with was my creation of the 2025 reflection video which is out soon… watch this space! 

B2b: business to business, b2c: business to consumer, exhibitor promotion, visitor promotion, pay per click – I am thrilled to say that I have now learnt the meanings of these seemingly daunting, somewhat impenetrable abbreviations that I mentioned at the start of this reflection. 

TEMBO has given me the confidence to step boldly into realms that I know little about, to listen actively, and to learn with diligence and intrigue. 

Thank you to all those I was fortunate enough to work with who shared their knowledge and specialisms with me. I look forward to taking the new hard skills and enhanced soft skills that I have worked on over the course of my time with TEMBO’s academy into all challenges and opportunities that I face in the future.