Visit Austin Internships
Visit Austin is a private, nonprofit 501 C-6 corporation contracted by the City of Austin to market the city as a convention and tourism destination. Under the terms of this contract, Visit Austin also houses the Film Commission, Music Office and Sports Commission.
General Information and Duration of Internship
Visit Austin is seeking interns for the following departments: Marketing; Sports & Sales; and Strategic Alliances/Visit Austin Foundation.
Internships at Visit Austin are paid at $13.00 per hour. In addition, interns receive a monthly stipend to pay for parking and transportation (if working in the office).
The program’s general duration is one semester. Interns are required to work 15-20 hours per week within Visit Austin's office hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Flexible hours. Remote considered.
Application Deadlines & Start Dates
- Spring Semester: Application deadline – January 3; start date – mid-January
- Summer Semester: Application deadline – April 15; start date – first week of June
- Fall Semester: Application deadline – August 13; start date – week of Labor Day
Marketing Internship
Qualifications
- Student (sophomore level or higher) enrolled in college/university level marketing, communications or tourism/hospitality program.
- Excellent writing, copy editing and proofreading skills.
- Highly organized and detail oriented with ability to successfully manage projects and meet deadlines.
- Social media community management experience is helpful but not required.
- Knowledge of Austin history, attractions and offerings as a convention and tourism destination is helpful but not required.
Job Duties
- Assist with maintenance of website content to ensure accuracy and timeliness of information.
- Day-to-day maintenance of the event calendar, including communication with event hosts.
- Assist with content management and tracking for publications, e-newsletters (meetings, consumer), and partner database.
- Support day-to-day activities for blog program, including but not limited to working with guest and staff writers, and writing, researching and updating posts.
- Provide support for day-to-day social media efforts for Visit Austin leisure, music and meetings accounts (ex. drafting posts, curating content, editorial calendar development).
- Weekly photo and video outreach (ex. business community, photographers).
- Assist with management of Website email inbox.
- Assist CMO, Directors and Managers with other projects as needed.
- Regular maintenance of film database, including but not limited to auditing and updating current contacts and entries.
- Assist with maintenance of music content across Visit Austin channels, including but not limited to venue and artist database management, and events calendar listings.
- Other marketing tasks may be implemented that relate to the specific interests of the intern.
About Marketing
The multidisciplinary Marketing Department delivers targeted messaging about Austin and Visit Austin to consumers, meeting professionals, travel trade professionals and the hospitality industry. The team drives top-of-mind awareness and, ultimately, travel to the destination through integrated efforts that include advertising, publishing, content, social media, experiential and other promotions.
As the official voice of Visit Austin, the Communications Department delivers compelling and consistent messaging about Austin and Visit Austin to press and the hospitality industry at large. The department creates awareness of the destination through a variety of integrated strategic efforts including media relations, public affairs, securing partner support, press familiarization tours (FAMs), dissemination of timely and relevant content and information, proactive pitches, press releases, newsletters and inquiry fulfillment.
To apply for this position, email a resume and cover letter to Lauren Brown at lbrown@visitaustin.org.
Strategic Alliances & Visit Austin Foundation Internship
Qualifications
- Student (sophomore level or higher) enrolled in college/university level communications or hospitality/tourism program.
- Interns may be eligible to receive school credit for internship.
- Strong writing skills and attention to detail required.
- Proficient in technology and software usage.
- Demonstrates good interpersonal skills and professional business office appearance.
Job Duties (may vary)
- Provide support to department staff for special projects. May include some off-site event services and possible evening and weekend opportunities as applicable. Examples include but are not limited to coordination of raffle/auction prize allocation efforts for our annual golf tournament, fundraisers, etc.
- Assist departments with destination activities, tasks and projects resulting in increased awareness and engagement of the Austin community as well as leisure and convention travelers.
- Assist with site visit preparation, event coordination and execution.
- Assist with content creation and community notifications.
- Assist with assembling amenity bags for client site visits, partner relations and visitors.
- Assist with conducting research via email, phone calls, internet searches as well as various community resources and publications
- Assist with database entry, calendar updates, updating department files and drafting emails as needed.
- Assist with spreadsheet development as applicable
- Other tasks may be implemented that relate to the specific interests of the intern.
- Additional duties as assigned
About Strategic Alliances
The Strategic Alliances department serves as the primary clearinghouse for all industry partnerships and agreements. They engage hospitality and corporate partners to build strategic alliances that further the mission of Visit Austin.
About the Visit Austin Foundation
The Foundation has two primary objectives: 1) to help Austin’s young people and locals build a career in the hospitality and tourism industry through mentorship and scholarships; and 2) over time, to educate the public about the full range of career opportunities within the industry and the benefits to the community at large.
To apply for this position, email a resume and cover letter to Mary Kay Hackley at mhackley@visitaustin.org.
Sports & Convention Sales Internship
Qualifications
- Applying students (sophomore level or higher) must be enrolled in a college or university
- Must receive school credit for internship or be enrolled in classes related to one of our departments listed above
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Systems required. Experience with CRM systems and Google Workplace is a plus
- Should demonstrate exceptional interpersonal skills and maintain professional appearance
Responsibilities
- Maintain and update the Austin Sports Commission (ASC) social media using Hootsuite social media management
- Answer and direct incoming calls, greet visitors and assist with the scheduling of meetings, including partner and board meetings
- Administrative duties for the ASC team and convention sales team members
- Assist with preparation of sales proposals and CRM
- Participate in various projects as needed that may include some off-site event support
- Additional duties as assigned
Internship Objectives
The Sports & Convention Sales intern provides office management and administrative support to the sales team. Intern must be comfortable interacting with clients, board members, hotel personnel, facility managers, partners, and fellow staff members. The intern reports to Sports Commission Director, VP of Sales, Sales Coordinator, as well as other Visit Austin team members as needed.
About the Austin Sports Commission
The mission of the Austin Sports Commission is to generate economic impact by attracting sporting events and sports-related meetings to the greater Austin area thereby enhancing the quality of life for all residents.
About the Convention Sales Department
The mission of the Convention Sales team is to promote Austin nationally and internationally to meeting and event professionals. The department generates high-impact revenue for hotels within the Austin region and also secures city-wide business that benefits multiple hotels, local businesses and the Austin Convention Center.
To apply for this position, email a resume and cover letter to Sales Coordinator, Savannah Easton at seaston@visitaustin.org.
For general information, contact our Director of HR, Heather Lang.