News
Six-star service at DUMCC – the inside story
1 November, 2011
Inside DeakinPrime
Matthew Cooper, Corporate Events Assistant at DeakinPrime
Mathew Cooper is a Corporate Events Assistant at Deakin University Melbourne City Centre (DUMCC). The Corporate Events Team work hard to service both University and DeakinPrime staff, providing high-quality hospitality, events and service to clients. Before working at DUMCC, Mathew worked in some of Melbourne’s top establishments including the Grand Hyatt Hotel and The Press Club. Mathew is also a Deakin Arts student, majoring in history and politics.
What are the differences between working at DeakinPrime and, say, the Press Club?
You don’t deal with the clientele at the Press Club as closely as you do here, as they just eat and leave! Both venues have repeat customers, but at DUMCC we aren’t just serving food; we’re servicing a wider range of events, from smaller VIP meetings to cocktail parties and conferences.
What benefits do you think you have as a Deakin student also working for Deakin?
Working here gives you a better understanding of the University and the way it works; most students wouldn’t have that sort of insight. You’re dealing with faculties more closely from a professional perspective rather than that of a student.
How do you find studying whilst working?
This semester is a non-contact semester with everything done remotely. Although it’s hard to juggle working full time with full-time study, it teaches you the discipline of managing your time effectively. It also allows you to build your professional experience, because you are working from an earlier age whilst you’re still studying.
What was your earliest memory?
When I was five years old we were at Luna Park and a Tarantula crawled up my sister’s face.
What is the hardest thing that you have ever done?
Move to the other side of the country from my family, from Perth to Melbourne, at the age of 19. Now I’m 21, I find it easier but there’s no place like home.
What did you want to be when you were a child?
Be Prime Minister, and I still do. This isn’t a dream, it’s an aspiration.
What would your last meal be?
A Hungry Jacks Angry Angus Burger. I haven’t had one. I think it would probably kill me and that’s why it would be the last thing I’d choose to eat!
How do your friends describe you?
Ditzy or clumsy.
What’s something that your mother or father taught you?
Never give up on your dreams.
