Thursday, April 17, 2014

My Spring Interning with CED


Guest post by CED's Spring Intern Claire Strickland, UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication

My internship at the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, the Southeast’s largest entrepreneurial support organization, was a rewarding and educational experience. Located in the heart of the American Tobacco Campus in Durham, CED embodies the innovative spirit that continues to characterize the Triangle. Not only did I grow professionally, I also gained insights into the area’s growing tech and life science industries.
(L-R) CED's Jane Royall and Claire Strickland
working registration at the CED Life Science Conference 2104
As a marketing and development intern, my day-to-day responsibilities included, but not limited to, updating the community calendar, promoting entrepreneurship-focused events through online marketing (social media, blogging), and developing promotional materials. I worked directly with Jane Royall (CED’s Development Manager) to assist with planning events and strategically organizing online promotion campaigns around these events. I also helped execute the social media plan for CED’s LifeScience Conference. Through Twitter alone, CED reached about 1 million users' timelines during the conference.

In addition, I completed several research presentations on CED’s development. One focused on organizations similar to CED and their various marketing approaches. Another presentation focused on rebranding and marketing CED’s annual Tech Venture Conference. Finally, I had the opportunity to attend several CED events, such as its Life Science Conference and Annual Meeting, where I met many prominent local entrepreneurs. My exposure with those individuals was both stimulating and fun.

With an open and friendly office environment, I never felt as if my duties at CED were menial. There is a real sense of community and collaboration at CED. Interning under a group of individuals who’re so deeply passionate about what they do has been an incredible experience. I learned key time management, communication, writing, marketing, and research skills that I can’t wait to apply to my future career. If you’re interested in learning more about the Triangle’s exciting entrepreneurial ecosystem, I highly recommend this internship! In fact, they need some for the summer!

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