Ovation Spain

Placement organization

Name of organization: Ovation Spain
Town/city: Barcelona
Country: Spanje
Website: http://ovationdmc.com/country/spain/

Name of student: Joelle Meijer

Specialist area: MT
Placement period: 2014-2015

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: inbound touroperator
Organization’s activities: Ovation Spain provides service with local knowledge of the Spanish destinations, especially Barcelona. They offer specialized expertise and resources in the design and execution of events.

The activities of Ovation has to do with the MICE market. All of the programmes that have been offered or will be offered to the customer will be exactly adjusted to the wishes and needs of the customer.

With the wishes and needs of them the Project Managers will set up a programme, which they start with to search for the perfect hotel options. On second hand they will search if it is necessary for restaurants and venues and as the last, the tours will be chosen by them if the customer want some.
All this stuff will be prepared in a master and a client budget.

Ovation sets up:
Meetings, Incentives, Congresses, Events (Gala dinners), Itineraries
Target group of the organization: MICE market
Company culture: There is not officially a dress code at the office; you can describe it as business casual. You do not have to wear suits; you can wear your jeans and your sneakers.
Everything is informal, but it takes a lot of effort to be part of the team. They speak most of the time Spanish with each other, so you have to push yourself to try to speak Spanish. Besides that it is a great team to work with!

Number of employees: 30
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? The incoming department
Brief description of your daily activities: First I had to learn a lot about the destinations, especially Barcelona. I went on a tourist bus to see the city. This information I have to use for the requests. I have my own requests, that means that I have to set up proposals for the clients: make a PowerPoint and a budget. Here you have to include all their wishes and needs (transfers, hotels, venues, restaurants, activities, etc.) You have a lot of contact with the suppliers to arrange this. Besides these requests I have to help my colleagues a lot! It is very busy right now with big events, so they will need help from the interns.
The tasks you have are day to day agency work.

After the first months you go with them on site to see how they are doing an event and the financial perspective of closing an event.
Brief description of your company assignment: I have to do a kind of a market analysis. I have to look if it is a good investment to invest in the Dutch businessmarket. The management of Ovation Spain does not know if the Dutch market can be expanded in the future. They have only four business cards comparing to Germany with over 100 businesscards.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: I have two supervisors in the office. Because of business travels they are out of the office a lot, but I can always go to them or send them an e-mail or chatmessage. If you have questions or you need help, the Project Managers also want to help you.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, team player, sociable, flexible, stress-proof, result-oriented, responsibility, creativity, motivation
Additional company requirements for this placement? Word, Excel, powerpoint, outlook, writing skills
English: Advanced
Spanish: Intermediate
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages: It is a pre to speak more languages. It is good to speak Spanish very well!

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? My friend is an intern at an apartment company, so she arranged our accommodation at her placement company
How did you go to work every day? Public transport (Bus or underground) with a few minute walk

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents:
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? Yes
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? Yes

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 100 +/-
Accommodation (monthly): € 425 (without gas, water, light and internet)
Local transport (monthly): € 52 +/-
General costs of living (monthly): € 200 – € 250 (it depends on your own lifestyle)
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? Financial compensation

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I did not prepare myself for the country´s culture. I already knew, that the culture is more relaxed than in the Netherlands.

I have had some contact with the previous intern. It was very helpful! The lunchbreak is very late comparing to the time of the Dutch lunchbreak (around 2 o´clock you can take your lunchbreak, if you want you can go earlier, but then you have to eat alone because everyone is going to have lunch at 2 o´clock). In the beginning it is a bit difficult, but you get used to it after 2 weeks or something. You can eat behind your computer, so if you are starving it is possible to eat something.

You just have to experience the culture by yourself!
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: joelle_meijer@hotmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: It is better for your own experience to take a Spanish course. With the basic level from school it is very hard the first month(s). It takes a lot of effort to understand your colleagues, but in the end it will all get better. The most important thing of all is that you really have to have motivation!!
If you have the time and the money you really should take a course!

You should book your flight in advance. It can save you a lot of money! I would recommend Transavia.

The golden advice on site: look at the linebusses from the airport to the city center! When you come to BCN (the flight before and after your internship) it is better to go by Aerobus, because you have special places for your suitcases, but when you are going home during your internship or when your friends and family are coming to visit you, it is cheaper to go by line bus. You can use your 10 journeyticket or your 1 month/3 months ticket and it is only 10 minutes longer than when you go by Aerobus.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Barcelona never gets boring! There is too much fun stuff to do; your placement will be too short to do it all! 😉

It is an once in a lifetime experience, so you have to take this chance! You won´t regret it!

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link