For the entirety of summer 2023 I had an internship with Levy at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. Levy is a nationwide hospitality and food catering company. Throughout the summer I rotated through their many departments including suites and clubs, catering, concessions, warehouse, culinary, finance, and human resources. I experienced four of their properties including OSU, Huntington Park, Lower.com Field, and Churchill Downs. I had the chance to witness different aspects of the industry, shadow professionals, and learn how Levy best serves this University.
While at Levy I learned a lot about the hospitality industry, sports and entertainment, and the importance of leadership and dedication. My expectation going into the summer was to get a deeper dive into the sports and entertainment industry. Sometimes in my classes topics can be very broad so it was interesting to know more about one segment. I also wanted to learn more about what makes Levy, Levy. Levy is a company that values authentic and memorable experiences for their guests. Levy strives to make the experiences personalized like creating signature Eras Tour cocktails for the Taylor Swift concert. Going above and beyond not just once, but every single time. While rotating through departments I saw how this industry is truly about teamwork and helping one another. If the warehouse team does not order the hotdogs than the concessions team cannot sell them at the football games in Ohio Stadium.
The sports and entertainment industry is not for the weak and takes a certain kind of passion to do this type of job. Events days are long and tiring. Constantly walking around, answering questions, and “setting out mini fires” as the professionals like to say. I learned that most of the work leading up to a game day or a concert happens beforehand, so there shouldn’t be much ‘to do’ on event days. On a smooth event day, the manager on duty should be walking around and helping where is needed. It takes months to prepare and many hours of planning leading up to the event. I learned that it’s important to keep calm and collected when something goes wrong. Staying positive helps address the problem quickly.
During the first week of August the Ohio Stadium hosted four concerts in seven days. Those concerts included Billy Joel/Stevie Nicks, Motely Crue/Def Leppard, and two back-to-back shows of Morgan Wallen. It was hot outside, and the days were exhausting. Many managers were stressed because it was so busy. These were the days that I learned that positivity, chatting with people, and just being nice can make all the difference. I learned that people won’t always remember what you do, but they will remember how you made them feel. That is what hospitality is all about and these last few days were a perfect testament to that.
Because I rotated departments, I got to know the managers and make connections with everyone on the leadership team. This allowed me to learn how they best learn and operate. I also learned more about them as people. No matter where I go, I like to get to know people that I’m working with. Some days people spend more time at work than they do with their own families, so I believe it’s important to get to know them as well. I hope to have created positive interactions with them and let them know that I care about who they are and how they’re doing.
I had a few of my own personal experiences this summer such as taking a trip to Louisville, KY in May for the Kentucky Derby. I assisted a Levy manager create a memorable experience for a select group of people in the Twin Spires Terrace. I toured the facility, recognized many celebrities, and made once in a lifetime experiences. I learned the hard work that it takes to put on such a big event and the amount of support and people needed to make it successful. I’m happy to be a part of the 149th edition of the Derby and serving more than 150,000 people in attendance.
This past summer was a transformation to me because I was able to conclude that I am in the right major and this is what I want to do for my career. I love serving people and being part of a special moment in time. It’s exciting and memorable. I have a greater appreciation of what it takes to be in hospitality. The long weekends, hard hours, and blood, sweat, and tears that Levy puts into their work each day is incredible to witness. I’m so grateful for my shadowing experiences and being a part of the Levy family for the summer. I am thankful that this experience has opened doors to new opportunities for me to continue my time with Levy and continue to grow this relationship with the company.