Ariana Altieri ’21

The Williams Club, New York, NY

This summer, I had the honor of working as the Marketing and Membership Associate for the Williams Club of New York. The Williams Club is a private alumni club operating out of the Princeton Club of New York that serves alumni of Williams and its 36 affiliate institutions. Since 1913, the Club has served as a place for alumni to connect, network, and socialize. The Williams Club has continued to forge forward with preserving the ideals of Williams College through nurturing alumni camaraderie, and I have been privileged to help preserve these century long traditions.

As an intern this summer, I was able to foster alumni relations throughout the Club by coordinating and hosting the Williams Club’s various events. My first major assignment entailed working with the Williams at the Movies summer series. Williams at the Movies are weekly showings of movies that were written, directed, or based on novels written by Williams alumni. I was tasked with marketing the events to members (targeting undergraduate members due to low undergraduate participation in past events) to increase overall membership turnout. Through the creation of Facebook events, easy to read brochures, and a welcoming atmosphere, the series was an absolute success; The Graduate (based on a novel of the same name by Charles Webb ’61) was the movie that had the highest turnout, with about one third of the 65 attendees being undergraduates.

Priscilla Mercado ’21 and I working the NESCAC Happy Hour event.

Aside from spending a good amount of my time working on the Williams at the Movies series, I spent my time giving tours to prospective members, handling membership logistics, and giving input regarding the new Williams Club website. My second major assignment involved marketing for the Williams Club’s annual NESCAC Happy Hour. My team and I collaborated to advertise for the event on social media platforms, mass email, etcetera, and stressed the notion that the event would be a great way to network and socialize with other NESCAC attendees. I also supported the proposal that tours be offered during the event, as it would be a great opportunity for the Williams Club team to persuade attendees to join the Club permanently. Overall, the event was a tremendous success with over 200 guests in attendance, including some from non-NESCAC affiliate schools. I was able to persuade some guests into signing up for a club membership, making the NESCAC Happy Hour a great way to showcase the Williams Club’s membership packages and services.

Holding the President Cup with the attendees of the Annual Dinner from my graduating class.

My last and final major project for the Williams Club entailed marketing for this year’s Annual Dinner. The Annual Dinner occurs at the end of July and encompasses an annual Williams Club board meeting, a dinner, and guest speakers (all of which are open to the general public). My team and I were responsible for the social media marketing for the event, inviting undergraduates to the event, and setting up the space to provide an accommodating environment for both networking and dinner. The event was very enjoyable and it was so rewarding to see all of my hard work pay off. My graduating class was awarded the President’s Cup (an award given to the class with the highest attendance at the Annual Dinner), and the panelists at the dinner gave great insight on how to jump start my career. It was great to be able to facilitate and attend an event that not only served as being insightful for my own career aspirations, but provided a space for all attendees to network and get to know each other in an intimate setting.

On the last day of my internship, I had a meeting with my team where we discussed the protocol we should take in order to increase the Williams Club’s presence at Williams. In the brainstorming session, I suggested that the Williams Club set up a table at Paresky a few times a month to build relationships with current students while also giving them the option of joining the Club. We decided that we will use that method to increase the organization’s visibility while also making it clear to prospects that membership with the Williams Club will provide vast networking opportunities, accommodations, and a home away from home in Midtown Manhattan.

Overall, my experience as an intern at the Williams Club was a very positive one. I worked with a great team (including two Williams Alums, Dale Riehl ’72 and Joe Mastracchio ’10) that gave me insight into the hospitality industry as well as expanding my marketing repertoire. My internship was particularly self-driven, but I always knew that if I was stuck or confused about something my team would be more than willing to help me out.

Priscilla ’21 and I with Dale Riehl ’72 and Joe Mastracchio ’10 on the last day of my internship.

Until I started working at the Williams Club, I did not realize how many different tasks had to be performed by each person within the organization. Given that the office only had three to four people working in it at a time, I often had to balance numerous tasks and work simultaneously to meet deadlines. The internship helped me to develop my multitasking and critical thinking skills as I always had to be on my toes to come up with new and innovative ideas regarding making the Club experience an enjoyable one for all. I feel that many Williams students and alums often feel lost about career aspirations upon graduating, or may feel that they do not have a home away from home outside of Williams. This internship helped me address this problem as I learned more about how to market to a targeted demographic and how to persuade prospective members that the Williams Club could serve as their destination for networking opportunities and a luxury getaway from the distractions of the outside world. As I return to Williams in a few short weeks, I feel empowered to share what I have learned this summer and put my marketing and critical thinking skills to the test.

I would like to thank the ’68 Center for Career Exploration and the Class of 1951 specifically for sponsoring my internship this summer. Without their generosity, my fantastic summer at the Williams Club would not have been possible. I would also like to thank Dale Riehl ’72 and Joe Mastracchio ’10 for providing me with a summer experience that I will never forget.