CAMILLE AVIZOU
EVENT MANAGEMENT: WHY YOU SHOULD STUDY AT A BUSINESS SCHOOL
Camille Avizou is an alumnus of EDHEC’s undergraduate programme. She explains how specialisations and internships enabled her to turn her passion for events into a career.
Ever since high school, I wanted to work in the events sector. I also wanted to have a good grounding in the business side of things, so an undergraduate programme at a business school was the ideal choice for me. I also placed great value on work experience, so I wanted a school that would allow me to do several internships over the course of my studies. EDHEC offers its students up to 18 months of internships, which was a decisive argument in its favour. Lastly, the school’s reputation, excellent academics and tailored courses persuaded me to embark on the EDHEC International BBA.
In my first year, I took on the role of president and events manager in my first-year project (PPA). The aim of this corporate and social responsibility project was to combat discrimination due to overweight and obesity, especially among young people. Our project, which involved two children’s events, won the 2018 Social Impact Award. This experience, as well as my first-year internship as an assistant project manager, enabled me to develop skills in events and project management.
Festival Republic - Leeds festival
I opted for a long internship in my second year, which ran from the summer of the second year into the first semester of the third. My strong interest in the events field made me want to gain sectoral work experience as soon as possible. Although the pertinence of the internship was more important to me than its location, I managed to merge a placement in the festival industry with a trip abroad. In the summer of 2019, I went to England to work for Festival Republic (owned by Live Nation). My internship began with two months in the field, working with different departments to organise four music festivals. I then returned to the London office, where I developed a generic retro-plan to solve problems I had encountered on the ground. My manager and colleagues greatly appreciated this approach. Overall, the experience allowed me to develop my responsiveness, my adaptability and my autonomy.
Camille Avizou with the Social Kitchen team
In the third year, I chose the IBT minor entrepreneurship Business Management course specialisation, so I could continue to hone my English skills while learning the basics of starting a business. This semester in English was through remote learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lecturers were able to adapt to the situation and educate us in true EDHEC fashion. Far from being discouraged by the health crisis, I was keen to do another internship in the events field. In the summer of 2020, I started working with Social Kitchen, a social-network automation start-up, organising online events. This, too, was a positive experience. I had the opportunity to work with a fantastic team, who taught me a lot, both professionally and personally.
Lastly, in the fourth and final year of my bachelor's degree, I studied Hospitality and Events Management, taught in English on the Nice campus, with a view to developing my knowledge of events and completing an internship in the sector. This was a decisive semester in my career path, as it allowed me to specialise in the field I love.
From March 2021, therefore, I will join Solidarité SIDA, an organisation that combats HIV/AIDS and which has been organising the Solidays festival since 1999. Then, in September, I will join the second year of EFAP’s Master’s degree in Communication and Event Management in Paris, to further expand my knowledge and skills. After the final year of my studies, I hope to join a company with similar values to my own and with which I can help to organise large-scale events.
The EDHEC International BBA offers you an education that allows you to gain a good grounding in business and participate in numerous internships while growing personally and professionally in an academic centre of excellence and great renown. Moreover, the quality of teaching is conducive to student development, the Career Centre provides tailored and personalised support, and the Lille and Nice campuses are perfectly equipped to meet student needs. Lastly, I would recommend EDHEC for the individuality of each student's journey, thanks to the broad-based personalisation of the experience, from internships and trips abroad to academic specialisations and so much more. Everyone is free to make their own choices and forge their own path.
