𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆?
My name is Jorieta Pelkmans, I’m 25 years old and I live in Gilze, where I’ve recently moved into our first home with my boyfriend. I work for Bonheur Horeca Group. It’s an organisation with eleven hospitality venues in and around Tilburg. These range from the Willem II Stadium to Hotel Auberge, Lochal and First Floor.I work there as a party manager. I’m mainly based at the Koning Willem II Stadium, where I ensure that all events run smoothly. But I’m also deployed to other venues, for example for a wake. I oversee parties, ceremonies and wakes from start to finish.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗻-𝗧?
I mainly started for my personal development. I also hope to progress further within the company. I finished hotel school a few years ago and have been working in the hospitality industry ever since, but I feel I’m ready for a bigger challenge.
That’s why I started this programme, with the ultimate aim of progressing towards a management role. On a personal level, I also hope to become less insecure. You’re challenged and get to work with people from other sectors, whom you wouldn’t normally come across. That helps you to develop further.
At the moment, I still do a lot of hands-on work on the workfloor, which I enjoy, but I find I want more balance. I work a lot of weekends, and that’s difficult to juggle. I therefore hope to move towards a role where, for example, I’m a site manager, can do more of my own planning and work during the week. Though still in combination with the workfloor, as that’s where I get a lot of my energy from.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗻-𝗧 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗿? 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁?
I’ve found it very interesting so far. We didn’t really know what to expect beforehand, but I found the days I’ve had so far to be valuable. We’re a small group, which means you get to know each other quickly and trust builds up fast. I usually find it easy to talk to people, but when I have to speak in front of a group, I freeze up. Because it’s a small group, that makes it a bit easier. The assignments are also challenging and often take you out of your comfort zone, like the pitch and the Spotify assignment. That’s precisely what makes it so educational.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀?
I’d say: go for it. I had my doubts myself, because not everything was clear yet, but it’s definitely valuable for your personal development. You learn to interact with people from other sectors. For example, I’m the only one from the hospitality industry, and that’s precisely what makes it interesting.
You hear what others are doing, gain new insights and perhaps you’ll also discover new directions that interest you. It’s also great that the programme is long-term. It takes a year and a half, so you really build a bond with each other.
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