Center Dinner
On April 11, 2024, our CENTER BAE interns got the opportunity to work alongside the incredible events team at the LGBT Center to help with their annual fundraising gala, CENTER DINNER. In preparation, students met with event production manager, Brian Doyle, to learn about the many different roles and responsibilities that go into producing an event on this scale. Our interns, who had been learning all semester about scheduling, budgeting, communications and marketing, quality assurance and risk management, got to see all of those elements of project management come to life before them.
But if you ask any of them, the most memorable parts of the evening were getting to rub shoulders with some of the celebrity guests. “The event was so fun!! I loved working and saying hi to all of the celebrities, “ said one intern. As guests arrived, our interns stood at the ready by the red carpet to welcome guests, telling them they looked amazing in their gala outfits, and ushering them into the main venue. “Talking with your hands and being more extroverted is something that I realized that many people do in this entertainment world, it was certainly something different from what I usually see in my daily life,” remarked another intern. “ I felt like I learned a lot on how to run events.”
After shadowing the pros, the interns got the chance to implement what they learned and manage the operations, sound, and lights for BAE’s Art Share that following weekend.
CENTER BAE interns and program leaders pose with Q and Nymphia Wind from Season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race at the Center Dinner fundraiser.
