Griffith University students have secured elusive work experience at Bleach* Festival on the Gold Coast in a year that has seen most major events cancelled or postponed.
Several students have been named Bleach* Ambassadors for the 11-day event, which is a fantastic result given a real lack of opportunity to work on large-scale festivals that span multiple sites and feature hundreds of performances.
Tourism and event management student Phebe Mills is among those appointed to the Bleach* Ambassador role.
She said she was looking forward to gaining invaluable experience across the more than 200 events taking place as part of the festival, being held this month at Chevron Island, Burleigh Heads and the Gold Coast Botanic Gardens.
“Being able to secure an opportunity like this is an awesome stepping stone,” Phebe said.
“I am also looking forward to being a part of history — how many events like this get to actually operate through a global pandemic?”
Bleach* Ambassadors will play an important customer service role. They will welcome and usher patrons, assist with the registration process and answering programming questions, keep festival-goers sun safe and maintain sanitisation stations.
Kate Fea studies marketing, communications and PR at Griffith and hopes to work in events when she graduates.
She said she feels fortunate to be able to work in her desired field at home on the coast.
“I am so excited to help welcome back the Gold Coast’s bustling culture and arts scene after a pretty dreary 2020,” Kate said.
“I am really looking forward to gaining insights into how local events and festivals are organised and run, particularly now in the era of COVID-19.”
The students were appointed to their roles as a result of a partnership between Griffith and Bleach* Festival.
Associate Director, Partnerships and Sponsorships at Griffith, Nicole Hunter, said partnerships with industry and events like Bleach* Festival provided valuable opportunities for students.
“It’s fantastic to see Griffith students across multiple disciplines experiencing Bleach* Festival, especially in 2020 where that will have been a fairly unique experience,” Nicole said.
Bleach* Festival is on now until 22 November.