Welcome To Bookingpetz.com & Amsterdam
I was finally ready to make my move to the Netherlands for my 3 months working in the Dutch capital Amsterdam! I had a mix of emotions stirring inside me, I was very excited to start, very nervous about adapting to the company and very curious about who I would be working with. My first day would be in Amsterdam's main library whilst the co-founders arrange a new office for us interns.
The interns I met on my first day seemed very friendly and welcoming. They showed me what they did for the company so far, showed me the starting points for my first day at Bookingpetz and introduced themselves to me. I was to be working in promoting Bookingpetz by creating exciting digital material. I was to conjure ideas in a team of interesting ways to promote Bookingpetz, looking at what has already been done and what more could be done. A wide range of draft ideas was completed before the co-founder Andreas (the one who interviewed me) arrived.
With me living here for 3 months, I have a great opportunity to discover hidden gems about Amsterdam for both recreational and project purposes. I have a good feeling the Netherlands will accommodate me nicely.
Project Ideas & Developments
I spoke with my line-manager in regards to ideas I had to push the company’s marketing forward as well as contributing to what Bookingpetz already had.
This inspired me further to contribute animation and videography skills to the company. I noticed the company had no quick promotional videos explaining the company’s purpose, so using an online software called ‘Renderforest’ (recommended by Bookingpetz) I experimented with its various features. I found great ways to portray the purpose of the company and so within time I created a promotional animation whilst communicating with the co-founders about improvisations.
As this start-up company is only in its early developments there are plenty of opportunities for new promotional projects. Bookingpetz also is yet to embrace the city as a hotspot environment for pets and as Amsterdam will be the prime location for pet boarding. It would be good to promote the city as a good environment for pets and pet owners. There is a lot of opportunities with a growing company and I look forward to embarking on more interesting projects.
Halfway Reflection
After being in Amsterdam for half of my time at Bookingpetz, I thought I would look back over what has been achieved and my overall feelings before and now. As this is my first time doing long-term work experience in a digital media field I was nervous about how things would turn out. As well as my working life, I was also unsure how well my social life will turn.
For my contribution to the company, I feel that I have made a valuable input to the growth of this company as I worked with my digital marketing team to further promote the internships here at Bookingpetz. We did this by making our website more interactive and interesting to begin with and by making our social media pages more active, the website receives increased traffic. I also developed another animation which explains more about working at Bookingpetz. As a result, Bookingpetz has received more talented interns and more interviews for future interns have been scheduled.
In the space of a month and a half I have made great working contacts and valuable friends in my fellow interns. I love working in a multicultural environment and learning not only about their backgrounds but also their specific talents. Working together in designing the website, social media strategising and the video project 'The Dogs of Amsterdam' has strengthened the bond between us.
In terms of the future of my time at Bookingpetz I have been given more responsibility and trust from the co-founders. I have already been trusted in co-interviewing an incoming English intern. Finally, like I have been introduced to Bookingpetz by more experienced interns, I will now be doing the same as I have a strong idea of the working structure of the company and its expectations.
I am proud to call the beautiful Dutch capital that is Amsterdam my home! I look forward to the new challenges to come.
Progress At Bookingpetz.com
It's been over a month since the new marketing strategy was put in place by our digital marketing team and there has been significant progress since.
We received an email showcasing the analytics for web traffic and we could see a significant increase in viewing numbers. Out of the pages showing they showcased the most website traffic increase so the social media strategy of extra sharing we implemented was working.
As for 'The Dogs of Amsterdam' video project, it has been fully filmed and edited. The video is a nice showcase of the local green spaces in Amsterdam and captures good footage of the city of Amsterdam itself. With the subtitles, it is easy for people to follow along and understand what is being shown on screen at the time. It is the first major video project Bookingpetz has ever launched and I happy to have played many crucial roles in this.
For me personally, the best part about the projects was able to combine unique talents by working with truly amazing interns. It helped boost each of our work portfolios (individual websites & LinkedIn) as we could see first-hand what skills they were able to put to the table. Going back to England with my portfolios with more views and my LinkedIn with more contacts will showcase progress in my career!
A Reflection On Amsterdam & Bookingpetz.com
I am back in England for Christmas and here until I begin my next 3-month internship in the south of Italy but I thought it's a good time to reflect upon living in Amsterdam and my thoughts of the company Bookingpetz.
Amsterdam is a fantastic multicultural environment and home to a wide range of start-up companies. Despite Amsterdam being a capital city, travelling in and around the city whether it involves public transport or foot can be done with ease.
I realised within my first two weeks that I had to adapt my financial strategy even with the Erasmus grant, for example: walking to work almost every day, researching the best shops for food shopping and managing general expenditures for social occasions. With adaptation however, I was able to enjoy living in the Netherlands without the need to panic about financial situations.
As for my thoughts and opinions of Bookingpetz, I like how it promotes itself as an international environment for its internships they offer, taking advantage of Amsterdam's easy international connectivity. The company is receiving viewing traffic as I hoped, however the online platform has yet to be launched. My concern is that if the company pursues marketing but the platform itself isn't made a priority, questions will be raised about the platform's progress.
Overall, I can say that Amsterdam is a fantastic hotspot for Erasmus internships. The multicultural environment of the Dutch capital will make anyone feel welcome. Living in the Netherlands has been a great first impression of the Erasmus experience!
