Last day... sigh...

Vera Bradley interns, summer 2010!

May 24, 2010 through August 13, 2010: my summer living the dream as a Vera Bradley intern. I honestly cannot believe it went by so fast--it seems like only yesterday I was walking through the doors at Industrial and staring with awe at the cubicles decked out in Vera Bradley stationary items.

Time really does fly when you are having fun!

Here's my "Internship by the Numbers":

• 2: the number of my awesome supervisors, Shannon and Sarah, who went above and beyond to make my internship amazing
• 4: the number of states I visited (Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Texas, and Ohio)
• 13: the number of my unofficial mentors in Direct Sales
• 17: the number of wonderful interns this summer
• 29: the number of comments my brother Andy left on the blog
  
• 853: the number of words in the article I wrote for the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer's website
• 2,305: the number of visitors to the blog on July 11th--my one-day record!!
• ###: the number of Cookie Cottage cookies consumed this summer (the actual number would be too embarrassing to share)
  

But my most important numbers just can't be quantified. I have made countless memories this summer--new friends, new experiences, and new take-aways to carry into my professional and personal life. This summer has exceeded my wildest expectations--I never would have guessed I'd be on a Vera Bradley email, or be able to chat with co-founders Pat and Barb! Without a doubt, I would HIGHLY recommend a Vera Bradley internship. Amazing company, adorable bags, and awesome team? Sign me up all over again!

Just a few members of the talented Direct Sales team.

I am incredibly sad to have to leave (how important is year 4 of college anyway?), but I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here and to work for one of my favorite companies.

Shout-outs:

• The wonderful people at Vera Bradley--I will never stop talking about my wonderful summer here!
  
• Shannon, Sarah, and Emily--to quote Sarah, you guys are "jammin' like salmon"!
• Web team--we'll definitely be keeping in touch (in tweets--140 characters or less)
• Lovely blog fans and readers--I will definitely miss sharing my adventures, but stay up to date with more Vera Bradley news on Facebook, Twitter, and emails. I have loved reading your comments and you have made this blog very special!

Keep an eye out on the Vera Bradley Careers page. Around February, the summer 2011 internships will be posted... I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Big day at Vera Bradley!

Today is a pretty big day here at Industrial Road. Why?

1. It is Web Operations Manager Jason's birthday! His desk turned into a party saloon--complete with cowboy boot confetti and saloon doors! The web team was decked out in western wear (bandanas, cowboy hats, and sheriff badges)... although I think I was the only one that wore it all day...?

Jason, birthday boy and sheriff of the web team.

2. It is the day of the intern presentations! On day one, we were told about our final intern presentations that recap our summer and share what we have been working on. Then we found out that co-founders Barb and Pat, the executive team, the supervisors, and all of the interns will be present... and it was attack of the nerve butterflies!

We spent the morning listening to the presentations. It was very interesting finding out what everyone else has been working on, and how much they enjoyed their summers.

Funny extras: Finance boys modeling their favorite bags, a Sales and Operations version of "The Brady Bunch" theme song, and Product Development skit about a new system.

I decided to present my summer in a blog format. Nissa, a web designer, created another blog just like this one and I posted pictures and captions to act as notes and visuals. I was very, very nervous--but survived! I definitely couldn't have done it without Sarah and Emily's happy faces in the audience and Shannon's scrolling during my presentation.

The web team boys came to watch and then tweeted this Twitpic of me presenting! (Between the blog and Twitter, I seem to be all over the web!)

One of my projects: Web Benchmarking

Cover slide for last week's Web Benchmarking PowerPoint

Checking email and looking at Facebook? Meet my Web Benchmarking project! Web Benchmarking is a review of what Vera Bradley and other brands are doing throughout the web each week. It's a way to keep tabs on other brands and make sure that Vera Bradley is staying strong with our online activities.

There are several aspects of my Web Benchmarking project: Facebook, emails, and a Hitwise chart. In Hitwise, I look at how many visits the Vera Bradley site has (a lot!) in comparison to other handbag companies like Coach, Dooney & Bourke, etc.

For Facebook, my mission was to "like" different brands and then weekly see what kind of content they publish on their pages. Checking up on Tory Burch and J.Crew? No problem!

Vera Bradley on Facebook was busy last week--be colorful events and the Fall 2010 launch!

For emails, I have a special Gmail account that I use to sign up for different brand emails. I have quite a list going, and can always count on a pretty full inbox!


There are several categories that I look for--sales messaging, limited time offers ("Free shipping on all beach towels!"), points of interest, etc. Points of interest emails are my favorite to see because I like seeing what brands are doing besides advertising their summer sales and free shipping deals. It is the wild card category!

Points of Interest: anything interesting!

Back to campus already??

Back to campus emails have been majorly popping up in my inbox since the 4th of July. Seeing school-related emails is a bit bittersweet--it means I'm headed back to Butler University again (yay!) but also that my internship is over (MAJOR boo!). I guess I will just have to ease my pain by buying lots of Vera Bradley school supplies....

Step into my office...

I thought it was time to share my main Vera Bradley stomping grounds, the office on Industrial Road.

The logo welcomes everyone in!

The Direct Sales department moved to the second floor of Industrial Road right before I started in May, so I wasn't the only one new to the building. How do you know when you've entered web territory? Dim lights for the designers, records playing, and Twitter-speak... check, check, and check!

Steve, Web Creative Director

Emily, Ecommerce Analyst

(From L to R) web designers Mark, Tommy, Nissa, and copy writer Courtney--holding down the fort in the web area.

My desk--I have moved since my first desk picture to be closer to the web action!

One of the great parts of web area is the Inspiration Room. With just a few trips to the craft store, a little bit of organizing, and a touch of wall paper (with the roller thoughtfully regifted afterward), the web team turned a storage room into an inspiring spot.

The latest addition to the room is a giant TV that can hook up to a laptop and display on a larger screen so everyone can see. It has been great for our weekly "Creative Show & Tell" meetings--no more printing!

The decorating scheme: English cottage with a touch of web flair!

"My" boxes have arrived for Open the Box!

I'm currently taking up a small corner in the Inspiration Room with my boxes for the Open the Box project. It's very hard having to keep everything unopened!

Love: a bulletin board that covers the whole wall and this little blog was on an an email!

On another--more musical--note: here's a picture of fellow Industrial Road intern (for Finance) Bret competing in the Battle of the Bands competition last night with his band, Morose. He was great!

Bret on the right... taking a break from the office and hitting the stage!

Forget ninety degree weather... fall is here!

Fort Wayne may still be hot, but my mind is on fall... fall colors, that is! Yesterday marked the launch of the new fall 2010 colors and styles, and the Vera Bradley offices were buzzing with excitement--and color!

The Customer Service desks welcomed color with open arms.

Some members of the web team came into the office at 11PM on Wednesday night to get the site ready to go with fall items. They updated verabradley.com and Vera Bradley on Facebook, youtube, and Twitter in the wee hours of the night so when Vera Bradley fans woke up on Thursday, it would be like Christmas morning...in fall!

As a treat for their hard work, Dave (of birthday fame) took us to Jefferson Pointe to see the Vera Bradley store and to have lunch. I have been to the store quite a few times this summer and loved seeing new products lining the shelves this time around. My mental wish list grew by the second--I know I will be going back to school in style!

I'd choose Very Berry Paisley any day!

Emily and Nissa enjoy a sweet treat at the candy station.

I loved being a part of the fall launch! The web team did a great job of transitioning the site and it was fun to hear about their late-night adventures (I heard Steak 'n Shake and a meat and cheese tray were involved...) And talk about dedication--they didn't leave until 3AM on Thursday!

The web team at Jefferson Pointe--looking good in our "be colorful" t-shirts (check out other employees sporting color on Facebook!)

Standing tall for Vera Bradley :)

Shopped 'til I dropped

My purchases for Vera Bradley: Large Duffel and Clutch Wallet

Yesterday I was assigned an important task: online shopping....with a corporate credit card... at my favorite stores.

Have I mentioned how amazing this internship is yet??

Yes, I did spend the day armed with the credit card, but it was for business, not pleasure, and all items will be returned! Vera Bradley is taking a closer look at our packaging for web orders and want to see what other companies are up to. When all of my packages arrive, we will have a big meeting and look at what I ordered! Everyone will open a box and the entire opening process will be documented: is there a gift box? What does the tissue paper looked like? Is the packaging pretty?

Even just thinking about a J.Crew gift appearing at my door makes me happy!

Checking out a Janie and Jack pint-sized apron... all in a day's work!

Seeing so many different check-out processes really started making me fussy! I became quite the demanding online shopper: I want to be able to see graphics or my item the whole time I am filling out the shipping and billing forms AND want an online confirmation email sent to me seconds after I place the order. My critical eye is being fine-tuned by "behind the scenes" experiences with web and retail... I am well on my way to becoming an expert shopper!

I highly recommend a little online retail therapy as a treat. (And for those who don't have a corporate card, our summer sale is still going strong!)

A walk on the wild side with CheetahMail

Yesterday the Vera Bradley web team had a visit from Experian CheetahMail, an email marketing and customer intelligence company. CheetahMail works with Vera Bradley in sending out the emails the web team creates.

I thought they gave a very interesting presentation! They presented on email trends, how to keep the interest of email subscribers, and even the most effective subject line content. Since listening to their presentation I have already started to look at my email inbox differently!

David Hirsch, Doug Turpel, and Liz Gould from CheetahMail (with new Vera Bradley ties and a tote!) with my mentor Sarah and I.

And the moment everyone had been waiting for? Chick-fil-A for lunch! Now that is what I call mixing business with pleasure :)

A Direct Sales birthday!

Industrial Road started the week off with a bang with the birthday of the Vice President of Direct Sales, Dave Thompson. The web team worked together and delivered a box of goodies that they had lovingly prepared for him. We waited until the end of the day to surprise Dave and crowded around his office to see his reactions...

A stuffed cheetah... just what he wanted...

Snack throwback: Star Crunch.

New 3D shades and wallpaper roller show that birthday wishes do come true!

I couldn't stop laughing while Dave was examining each gift. He asked if it was an intern project but I quickly redirected his teases-- I mean, thanks-- to the web team. Dave had a little quip about the usefulness or origin of each item: "Oh mints! ... Probably from lunch today..." (Yes, from Biaggi's!)

Best birthday ever? I think so!