Marketing

Week 1: July 13-17

On Friday July 17th, the marketing interns met with Melina Lombardo to tour around the Crestron campus in Rockleigh, New Jersey. Seeing the campus helped the interns' picture what life in the office would have been like and learned more about product production. First, we toured 6 Volvo where the marketing interns would have been located this summer. We enjoyed seeing what a typical day would have looked like. After seeing the marketing department, we went over to 15 Volvo where we got the chance to tour the Crestron Experience Center. This gave the interns the opportunity to see Crestron products in action. After a great morning we went to a Crestron favorite, Biddy O'Malley's for lunch. We enjoyed a delicious meal outside where we able to talk for the first time in person. During lunch Melina was able to provide us with examples from her past work experience and hear about how our internship experiences have been thus far. The interns were able to share laughs and stories which wouldn’t have been the same through a virtual setting. After lunch, the group headed over to 22 Link, the Research Center space, where Hemant Dhanrajani gave a very detailed tour of the labs and facilities. The interns were very impressed to learn how much goes into the production and testing of each product. We also gained more knowledge in relation to each of our individual products which will help us market them better amongst our specific marketing channels. Our favorite part of the Research Center tour was getting to see the many brands and hundreds of TVs on the walls connected through DM NVX, that Crestron tests to see if they are compatible with their technology and adhere to our security standards. After a fun filled day, we had to say goodbye to Melina, but we all still wanted to catch up more, so we went to Starbucks for a small intern bonding activity. Meeting in person allowed us to build stronger connections with one another and find similarities. Although we have been connecting virtually, meeting in person solidified our bonds.

Week 2: July 20-24

Working from home was something I would have never expected during my internship program. Having only experience working in offices, it was a huge adjustment to have my work- space now be in my house. It took some getting used to, but Crestron has made this adjustment very easy for us. Crestron made working from home efficient and comfortable while still giving me a great experience. A few days before the program started, they sent us equipment and assistance on making sure we were prepared for work. Crestron is still giving me an amazing experience while working from home by constantly having open communication and giving us opportunities to work with interns from other specialties. Even though we are at home I still feel connected with my team and fellow interns as we communicate frequently and stay in touch throughout the day.

My working schedule is mostly the same routine everyday. A day as an intern for me looks like:

• Check my emails, to do list and calendar to prepare for meetings I have that day.
• Meet with my mentor to review my projects
• Work on projects I was assigned
• Search for relevant articles/blogs that relate to Crestron
• Add blogs to blog calendar if needed

-Gabby

Working from home has been a very unique experience. I had a little bit of experience working from home at my spring internship and the transition was challenging to say the least. I really took working in an office for granted up until now.
However, Crestron has done a really great job of ensuring a seamless work from home experience for us. Laptops were sent to our home addresses along with headsets, a wireless mouse, and a backpack. Our orientation was conducted on Zoom, but still conveyed the same feeling of being warmly welcomed. The executives and employees who took the time to speak to us made it clear that the company was excited to onboard a new class of interns despite the circumstances.
The longer I work here, the more I realize that no two days will ever be the same for me. My days usually consist of the following:

• Check emails & make to-do list
• Ongoing projects (ex. Dealer landscape, buyer personas, etc.)
• Ad-hoc requests from dealers (ex. Email campaigns, newsletters, blog post talking points, partner pages, etc.)
• Meetings with dealers and partners
• Daily meetings with my manager, Sarah Beggs
• Weekly meetings with my mentor, Josh Stene

Overall, my internship experience has been like no other and I’ve learned so much more than I could have ever imagined. I feel like I’m truly making an impact and contributing to my team’s marketing efforts.

-Joanne

Week 3: July 27-31

Working at Crestron has been a tremendous experience. Given my technical position, I have been working on campus every day. There is never a time I do not feel safe as every person who enters the building must wear a mask and have their temperature scanned. Meeting others in person has been a highlight of this experience as everyone is so welcoming and eager to show me around. These past two weeks have been spent updating the Crestron Experience Center with new technology to be shown to potential clients in the future. I had the pleasure of working with ArtGuild, our tradeshow booth builder, as they installed the infrastructure needed to support the displays within the center. I was able to see the project from start to finish and get a glimpse of how the teams work together as if we were setting up for a tradeshow across the country. I started with working with Tara Rice, our Demo Systems Manager, on managing the new inventory coming in and the old going out. From there I worked with my team on populating products into the newly installed walls to make sure everything was secure and placed correctly for display. Additionally, I assisted with the wiring and troubleshooting of each product so that they were in working condition. It was great working with my team side-by-side (6ft apart!) and being able to get hands-on experience with Crestron technology and knowledge about the A/V industry. Currently, our next project is remodeling our Studio in order to make it more suitable for video recording, broadcasting, and live events such as product demonstrations and seminars!

-Kiana

The most exciting part of my daily PR intern activities include interacting with the end-users. Case studies are a Crestron PR staple. The majority of Crestron technologies operate behind the scenes so it's difficult to show potential customers the scale and capability of the systems. Publishing case studies solves this problem. By maintaining strong relationships and communication with the dealer and end-users the PR team demonstrates how Crestron products/services have been implemented successfully and changed the lives of many for the better. During calls with the end user I take notes that are used to draft the case study.

As the Crestron Next Virtual event quickly approaches, I collaborate with members of the greater marketing team to:

• Create monthly reports and search for press mentions of the event
• Sit in and participate during Crestron Next planning meetings
• Work within the Tradeshow and PR departments to get a full picture of the event planning process from drafting a press release to the execution of the first Crestron virtual event.

-Brianna

Week 4: August 3-7

At Crestron, it’s become a tradition during the Summer internship program to create a big-name project for their interns to work on for the duration of the program. This is an opportunity for interns of various departments to come together and put their creative ideas to the test. With the biggest problem of 2020, being the Corona Virus pandemic, the theme for this “Internovation” project was change management. As our world is going through lots of new changes in safety protocols and much more, it was only deemed necessary to build a project in relation to this.
The objective of this project was to find a way for Crestron to help their customers, employees, and company in these uncertain times:

• How will the new workplace look?
• How remote working has changed?
• Or what higher education will look like post COVID-19?

Working with other interns, from different departments, expanded our knowledge on more a technical standpoint and insight on working with engineering, manufacturing, marketing, customer support, etc. With the summer’s end approaching quickly, teams had to plan accordingly to have our project done in timely manner to present by meeting appropriate deadlines. Presentation Day took place on August 6, 2020 through Zoom, where all 9 intern teams presented to one another, executive board and a panel of judges. This experience gave all of us the opportunity to reach outside of our comfort zone and form new relationships with other departments amongst the Crestron family.

-Laura & Pia

Week 5: August 10-14

This internship has certainly brought me a new outlook on the technology industry which I am very thankful for. Every day I am learning something new, developing new skills and getting more connected with my team. The projects I have been taking on are giving me a better insight of what I want to do for my future full time job. Getting the experience of working with email marketing and social media accounts have given me a greater interest than I expected, and I am grateful for that. This internship program allowed me to take on responsibilities and challenge myself which is something I could not get anywhere else.
I believe a big factor in having such a great experience was the company culture. In the beginning I was afraid that working from home would keep me isolated and keep me from getting to know my fellow interns and teams. I am happy to say that was not the case. The fellow marketing interns and I virtually met with each other every week. We were able to get to know each other, talk about our projects and wind down on a Friday afternoon after a busy week. Having the company culture be so welcoming made me feel less isolated and excited to get to work every day.

-Gabby

This intern experience has exceeded all my expectations. I am thankful for my manager, Lindsay Dillon, and my mentor’s, Ron Epstein, constant support, feedback, guidance, and mentorship. The have taught me so much about communicating and working as a team. The internship program was a very fulfilling experience as I was able to see behind-the-scenes of press releases, case studies, and everything that goes into bringing a product to market from release to end-user.

-Brianna

I could not have asked for a better intern experience after working at Crestron this summer. My manger, Roman Pilczak, and my mentor, Sal Abi-Morched, have taught me so much valuable information on networking, wiring, and general technical questions. There was never a “dumb” question in their eyes, and they made me feel so at ease when working together. My experience was a unique one, where I was able to spend most of my time on campus. This helped a lot with understanding Crestron’s multitude of products as I tested products and scoped out their features. Crestron is a family and my team made me feel like a part of their own immediately as we joked constantly, shared stories about ourselves, and ordered lunch from countless local restaurants.
The internship program was a very fulfilling experience as I was able to see behind-the-scenes of webinars, product demos, and everything that goes into showing a product from start to finish. Some of my projects included wiring demos for webinars throughout the summer with Sal and updating the Crestron Experience Center with new products for demos. Even though I was not able to get the traditional feel for what it is like to execute typical tradeshow, I was able to see how Crestron moved with change during this pandemic. With the introduction of Crestron Next, I was able to see how employees shifted with that change and prepared for a new segment in the company’s life. As the internship comes to a close, I have been working on the Crestron Next Studio filming process as products are brought in, wired, and then ready to be shot. It has been amazing to be a part of the process and see all the hard work that goes into each and every product demo. In addition to this campus experience, all interns were remotely given Zoom webinars, run by Christopher Fitzpatrick, with Crestron panel discussions, information about emotional intelligence, and even managing student finances. The entire program was very inclusive and I was able to bond with fellow marketing interns and with others from around the country for our Internnovation project.
Overall, I have had a great experience here where I was not only mentored, but I became a part of the family. I am now confident in my technical and marketing abilities which I will use in my final year at school and in my future career.

-Kiana

My experience with Crestron has been far more valuable than I could have ever imagined it to be. My manager, Sarah Beggs, as well as my mentor, Josh Stene, both did an absolutely amazing job of showing me and allowing me to work on different facets of marketing from data analytics to B2B marketing and customer relationship management to consumer behavior. Before working at Crestron, most of these things were simply concepts that I learned in school, so I’m really grateful that I had the opportunity to apply what I had learned in class to the “real” world.
The company culture at Crestron is very warm and bright. The Marketing department is made up of so many incredible people who are always willing to help you learn and grow. People say that there’s no such thing as a stupid question, but I know for a fact that I ask a lot of them. However, no one ever made me feel like my questions were stupid and they always validated my curiosities. The Marketing department is also a really fun group of people who aren’t afraid to let loose and throw a couple of jokes around. It kind of makes me a little sad that I wasn’t able to experience this in the office, but really glad that the it was something that still shined through despite our work from home situation.
Overall, these past 11 weeks have been unforgettable. I was pushed and challenged by my team and grew so much professionally and personally. I feel better equipped to go out and achieve all of my goals and dreams when it comes to my Marketing career and could not be more thankful for this feeling of empowerment.

-Joanne