Beth, 17, works as Front of House at Beachside Conference and Events Centre while finishing High School. Beth was offered the opportunity through a friend and thought it was a great fit for after school and weekend hours and it didn’t require any previous experience. Initially she started out in the kitchen, dishwashing, gradually expanding to food preparation and is now a valued Front of House team member three years later.
Beth’s role at Beachside Conference and Events is diverse due to the nature of their premises which allows them to host businesses for meetings and conferences as well as celebrations and funerals. Beachside also offers catering off site, where the staff supply food, both buffet and plated services, cutlery, waitressing services and set up and pack down for events. Beth’s main responsibilities are arrangement of rooms when setting up and packing down, setting tables, serving tea and coffee, canapés, clearing tables, and ensuring the customers are happy and comfortable.
Beth describes the hospitality industry as:
“fast paced, you’ve got to be on to it, there’s always something to do – being proactive is important.”
Coming into the role with no prior experience, this job has taught Beth a wide range of skills along the way, including the ability to take initiative, thrive under pressure, communicate effectively, and uphold reliability.
Her favourite part of working at Beachside Conference and Events is “being able to interact with lots of different people and being out in new places all the time. You’re never just at the same place doing the same thing every day – it’s varied. As well as the tight knit team.”
We asked Beth what she enjoys most about the Nelson Tasman region. It’s a nice close community, with everything very accessible in the region. “I have a great group of friends I spend time with on the weekends just hanging out and relaxing.”
Beth has some insightful advice for those wanting to follow similar footsteps:
“If you’re looking for a job and you don’t really have any idea what you want to do, hospitality is a great start because you can gain lots of life skills as well the ability to work with people.”
