Mona Völkel studied cultural analysis and cultural mediation, focusing on art studies at the Technical University of Dortmund. During her studies, she focused on marketing and public relations and events as a student assistant in the department for university marketing at the TU Dortmund. She is interested in the interface between marketing and communication measures and events as an educational and outreach opportunity. Until March 2022, she completed the two-year trainee program in the former Unit Marketing and University Events at the Berlin University of the Arts (since March 2022 Strategic Marketing and Supra-faculty Events).

With the start of the Corona pandemic, my trainee program also began on March 16, 2020. Despite the predominantly home office situation, my mentor Iris Mundhenke (team leader in the staff unit) and trainer Dr. Michaela Conen (head of the unit) were at my side throughout the program, supporting my professional development. Of course, I could also turn to my colleagues at any time if I had questions or wanted to exchange ideas. I appreciated the professional work and the fun I had working with them.

In the past two years, I gained valuable practical experience in event management and event marketing. My tasks included:

• Helping organize and carry out various events, such as the New Year's Welcome.
• The President's Award for Master Students of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the UdK Berlin.
• Welcoming the first-year students.

I was also responsible for the support and communication of internal partners and external service providers and their commissioning and invoicing, taking into account public procurement and budgetary law.

In university marketing, I was in particular responsible for the teaching campaign in the artistic study programs at various interfaces. On the one hand, after consultation, I was able to take on the organization and planning of various marketing measures on my responsibility and interdepartmental communication and agreements with internal participants and external service providers. On the other hand, I was responsible for the graphic design of various digital and analog advertising materials and their distribution. Here I was able to further strengthen my skills in Photoshop and InDesign. Furthermore, I was responsible for the editorial support of the CMS-based websites of the department as well as for the social media channel of the UdK:shop.

I was also able to gain valuable experience during my job shadowing at the "Campus Charlottenburg" under the direction of Ms. Nadine Battista (Consultant Campus Charlottenburg, Economic Cooperation, Corporate Relations and Transfer in the Office of Appointments and Strategic Cooperation of the President Technische Universität Berlin). The "Campus Charlottenburg" is one of the largest inner-city university complexes in Europe. Here, technology and creativity merge effortlessly. This interdisciplinary melting pot for research and development is the result of an initiative by the resident Technical University of Berlin, the Berlin University of the Arts, and the district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Furthermore, I support the project "Mall anders," an open learning laboratory for science and society.

In addition, I was able to deepen my knowledge in online marketing during my traineeship as part of the further training to become an Online Marketing Manager (IHK). Also, as a Podcaster, in the course of the OMR Deep Dive Webinar: "How to Podcast" and event manager through further training in event management.

In the future, the traineeship will continue to be offered by the Unit of Strategic Marketing under Dr. Michaela Conen with a focus on marketing. It will also be provided separately in the Department of Supra-faculty Events under a new direction focusing on event management.

The trainee program at the UdK Berlin, which was developed by Dr. Conen and has received several awards, was an excellent opportunity to gain a wide range of practical experience. As a young professional, I can use, expand and strengthen my knowledge and skills, even under the challenges of the Corona Pandemic.

In conclusion, I can say that my traineeship was an exciting and varied career entry, which offered me many perspectives for my professional future.