NOTA BENE events

Placement organization

Name of organization: NOTA BENE events
Town/city: Rome
Country: Italië
Website: http://www.notabene-events.com/

Student

Name of student: Eva Giebels

Specialist area: Tourism Management (EN)
Placement period: 2018-2019

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: DMC
Organization’s activities: NOTA BENE events is a DMC. Their target group is MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions).
Activities:
Incentives
Corporate events
(Luxury) group travel/tourism
Target group of the organization: MICE sector
Company culture: Informal, everyone is friends with each other and the team is quite young.
Number of employees: 8
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

Marketing & Operations

Brief description of your daily activities: Customer service
Making tailor-made proposals and itineraries
Manage online and offline media
Keep daily communication with suppliers like hotels, restaurants, and transfer-companies
Assist the CEO in creating new experiences & Assisting the Human Resource department
Continuously improving the operations department
Brief description of your company assignment: Marketing plan
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: I mostly work independently on my tasks and assignments. I can always ask my colleagues and supervisor for help if they are in the office. My supervisor works next to me so it’s very easy to ask for help and he is also always open to help me. They are all easy-going and also tell me what I can do better, but always in a nice and respectful way.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, teamplayer, stress-proof, flexible, sociable
Additional company requirements for this placement? Writing skills, MS office
English: Advanced
Other languages: Italian is not a must but always an advantance since you will also be in contact with Italian companies and clients.

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? I found a shared apartment via the Facebook page: Rome Rentals: Flats, rooms and apartments in Roma
How did you go to work every day? By metro

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No
Do you need a work permit? You could apply for a ” codice fiscale”, however I didn’t have one and this was fine. For some apartments it’s required to live there as an foreigner.
How did you arrange the necessary documents: NOTA BENE events will help you arrange the documents if necessary.
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? –
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance? –

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? I would recommend to learn some Italian, because not all Italians speak English.

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € €70
Accommodation (monthly): € €500
Local transport (monthly): € €35
General costs of living (monthly): € €200-€400 but it depends how you spend it. I sometimes went on trips on the weekend which costs more money.
Costs of visa: € –
Costs of work permit: € –
What did the company pay for/to you? The company paid my public transport pass, which allows you to take the bus, metro, tram, and some local trains.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I visited Italy many times before so I was quite aware of the culture of the country. Italians are lovely but the way things are handled can be a little unstructured at some times, unlike the Netherlands. I had to get used to this a bit but it is nothing to worry about, you will learn how to live with it :).
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? No

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: 161050@buas.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Start looking for a room on time and do some research. I didn’t have many problems with my apartment, but some people I spoke to had some issues. Always use websites with good reviews and try to “book” a room which you can terminate any time rather than a room with a minimum of 5 months rent. If it is not what you expected it to be, it’s very hard to cancel it.
Furthermore, don’t stress too much about your internship and always ask for help! The team is very nice and are always willing to help you, either with work-related issues or general questions. Enjoy the beauty of Rome and it’s surroundings. Train tickets aren’t that expensive so I suggest to take the train on the weekend and go to nearby places and enjoy the Italian life over there as well!
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Rome is a big city and has so much to offer. There are great eating possibilities everywhere and on every corner, there is some kind of history. Have a drink on one of the many fountains at night in the center and mingle with the locals and other internationals. Go for a night out at one of the local cafes or have a nice wine in one of the many wine bars in for example Trastevere. Explore Monti where there are many vintage shops or go to the Spanish steps and enter the fancier shopping street. Of course, visiting all the famous sights is a must. Options are endless!!

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