A student who has spent the past year on work placement with Nottingham Venues has been named as a finalist in a prestigious national industry awards.
Alba Betancourt, an Events Management Student from the University of Derby, has been shortlisted in the ‘Student of the Year’ category at the ABPCO Excellence Awards.
The 21-year-old has spent the past twelve months balancing her studies with a placement at Nottingham Venues and has excelled at both.
Alba hit the ground running during her placement and progressed quickly, showing a strong drive to integrate her academic learning into practical applications in the workplace, supporting the Nottingham Venues team during one of its most successful trading periods.
Alba successfully applied academic knowledge to real-world scenarios. She used project management techniques learned at university to help reduce setup and process time in supporting the catering function.
She dealt with all queries and issues which developed her customer service skills and helped navigate CRM systems for event support. Alba also met numerous clients through supporting the sales team with their site visits. She also successfully built relationships with the wider University teams and helped with market research.
At University, Alba has demonstrated exceptional academic performance, particularly in courses such as Sustainable Events Operations and Facilities and Venues Design, achieving First Class marks in both.
Alba’s University Professors have praised her analytical skills and ability to grasp complex concepts quickly, and she is currently in negotiations to start and run Derby University’s first ever Event Society.
Melissa Sobo, Director of Sales at Nottingham Venues, said: “Alba is an exceptional student and her passion for our industry and commitment to get the job done was clear from day one. A reliable member of the team, she was very conscientious about her work and was not afraid to challenge as to why it was done in a certain way.
“Alba demonstrated strong initiative, an eagerness to keep growing, and a willingness to take on additional tasks to expand her knowledge. Her eagerness to participate in work-related events whilst with us only contributed to her continued learnings and creativity.
“We are all delighted that she has made the finals and will be keeping our fingers crossed that she can take the award home on the day.”
Alba Betancort said: “I was thrilled when I was told I was being put forward for the award, so to actually make the finals is amazing! I loved working at Nottingham Venues, and I am grateful to the team for giving me the opportunity to get stuck in and apply what I have learnt at university into a thriving, real world environment. I can’t wait for the awards!”
