Charlene's Story: Cultural/Event Management Internship in Sydney
Meet Charlene!
Charlene is a current student at Nanyang Technology University (NTU) Singapore with a passion in arts. In Summer of 2025, she joined ArtBound Initiative and landed a cultural/event management internship with The Sydney Fringe - the host of the Sydney Fringe Festival, an annual independent arts festival held in Sydney, Australia. It showcases emerging and independent artists across various disciplines, including theatre, comedy, music, visual arts, dance, and more.
Read more of Charlene's experience below!
How would you describe your day-to-day at The Sydney Fringe?
My daily routine changed throughout the different phases of my internship. Initially, I focused on administrative tasks like verifying ABNs and contact details. As we moved towards building the guide, I shifted to checking marketing materials, venue accessibility details, and event information for the printed guide and website. I also compiled artists to contact about any amendments needed to their event details.
During a quieter period in the Programs Department, I assisted the Marketing Department with ticketing, cross-industry promotions, and research around community engagement and hospitality. I also had the opportunity to organise the EOFY Trivia Night, fitting event-planning tasks into my day alongside my other responsibilities.
The environment was really welcoming and wholesome. The team was encouraging, supportive, and approachable, with an open-plan workplace that made it easy to connect and collaborate. We would often have lunch together, go on walks, or even have dance breaks to destress. They were also very respectful of boundaries and work-life balance while encouraging career development opportunities. It was a workplace that was both hardworking and genuinely enjoyable to be part of.
The environment of my internship work place is really welcoming and wholesome!
What aspect of your internship was most rewarding?
The most rewarding part of my internship was organising the EOFY Trivia Night. While the time spent on the task was relatively short, I was grateful for the opportunity and the trust from the team to plan and organise the event. Seeing the space transform from a town hall into a banquet-style room was really rewarding, and I especially enjoyed being hands-on throughout the process. Truly, sometimes you just have to trust the process, even when it’s hard to!
Beyond the event itself, the other aspects of the internship were just as valuable. While administrative and research tasks may seem mundane, they gave me insight into the organisation’s overall processes, overlooked areas, and different tools. I also discovered how community engagement and hospitality can overlap with programming, as you need an understanding of the programmes to effectively identify and reach the right communities. Being introduced to platforms like Ferve, Asana, and Eventotron also gave me ideas for how I can apply these tools and simplify processes in my future work.
In what way did ArtBound Initiative helped you the most?
ABI is really niche, and that is what I love about it. The modules, feedback, and advice are all tailored to the creative industry, which makes a big difference because a lot of generic advice around things like LinkedIn, digital portfolios, and resumes isn’t always applicable to creatives.
Searching online can also be overwhelming when you come across conflicting advice. ABI helped clarify what the creative industry is actually looking for, which I found especially helpful as someone who wasn’t fully familiar with the creative industry before.
ABI is really niche, and that is what I love about it. It tailors its modules, feedback, and advice to the creative industry, helping clarify what the industry is actually looking for.
Charlene
Cultural/Event Management Internship | The Sydney Fringe
Interested in the program but don't know where to start? Check your eligibility here!
ArtBound Initiative is a fee-based global internship program for creatives. We prepare students for their careers through an online coaching curriculum and by helping them secure an internship in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Austin, London, Berlin, Melbourne, Sydney, and Virtually. With an expansive network of leading creative companies, our program provides access to creative industries that are notoriously insular.
Read more about ArtBound Initiative Sydney Internship here.
Questions? Contact us at info@artboundinitiative.com
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