Like Francois Vatel did before her, Isabel supervises the banquets in one of the most beautiful hotels in the world.
A 2016 alumnus, she tells us about the years she spent at Vatel, her job and her life in the Netherlands.
Of Dutch nationality, born in Rotterdam, Isabel de Koning left the Netherlands to study at Vatel Lyon in 2011.
Five years later, with a Bachelor and an MBA in International Hotel Management, she landed her first job: Banquets Supervisor at the Amsterdam Okura Hotel in her native country.
THREE HASHTAGS THAT DESCRIBE YOU:
#friendly #ambitious #problemsolver
BEST MEMORIES OF YOUR THEORETICAL COURSES AT VATEL:
The management courses! For the tools I learned how to work with and that I use every day and for all the concrete case studies that we had to solve as a group. Each one of them brought us a little closer to reality in the workplace and helped me become the professional that I am today.
BEST MEMORIES OF YOUR PRACTICAL COURSES AT VATEL:
The week I spent in the kitchens, in the sauce division with Chef Luquet. That’s where I learned that you can work seriously without taking yourself seriously. I spent the whole week laughing but I also learned how to adapt myself, because you never know what the customers will be ordering and how much you’ll have to prepare.
YOUR BEST INTERNSHIP MEMORY:
How kind everyone was at the Grand Hotel Amrâth Kurhaus The Hague, and how they gave me the strength to meet all the challenges. I discovered that I loved organizing banquets and seminars and that I had a gift for doing so. Truly a part of Francois Vatel’s extended family. Because of this experience I was able to apply for the job I now have in one of the Netherlands’ most famous hotels.
YOUR JOB AS THE BANQUETS AND SEMINARS MANAGER IN A FEW WORDS:
The Banquets and Seminars Manager works after the sales department, when an event has been reserved.
Everything starts out with building blocks: 10 tailorable rooms that I can make into up to 19 meeting rooms.
After that you’ve got the managerial aspects: I supervise a team of butlers who set up the rooms and a team of outsourced employees for the restaurant services.
Each event to be managed is different and each person that you manage is also different. What I love about this line of work is that you’re never bored!
2 HANDS-ON MISSIONS IN YOUR JOB:
2 OFFICE MISSIONS IN YOUR JOB:
YOUR FAVORITE PLACE AT THE HOTEL:
The 360° view over Amsterdam from the 23rd floor! The Amsterdam Okura Hotel is a five-star hotel with 300 rooms and four restaurants.
THREE THINGS YOU LOVE ABOUT AMSTERDAM:
3 VATEL ALUMNI WHO INFLUENCED YOU:
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