Tina from Hotel Management School Maastricht and Jesilyn from Hotelschool The Hague, our current interns at Conceptional, understand better than anyone how important it is to make a well-considered choice for your graduation internship. In this blog, they provide a clear picture of what you can expect from an internship at Conceptional by sharing their personal experiences.
F&B has always been deeply personal to Tina. ‘Through my studies I worked on several concept development projects, and I even won best concept during my New Business minor for a kopitiam I designed for the Dutch market. A kopitiam is a traditional coffee and food place rooted in Bruneian, Malaysian and Singaporean culture. Growing up visiting these places, I know how much food brings people together. I wanted to experience the industry from a more creative and strategic angle, and Conceptional felt like exactly the right place for that.’
Jesilyn approached it from a different starting point: ‘After my first internship in Tokyo and a few years working in operations, I knew I wanted to stay in the industry but explore a different perspective. A concept development internship gave me the opportunity to move beyond day-to-day execution and combine creativity with analytical thinking.’
Tina describes it as: ‘Everyone takes you seriously regardless of where you sit in the team. The people are genuinely warm and interested in getting to know you, not just as an intern but as a person. That made it easy to feel comfortable from the start.’
Jesilyn adds: ‘Communication is very transparent and team members are always willing to answer questions and give constructive feedback. You are trusted to take ownership of your work while still feeling supported, which makes it a really motivating place to learn and grow every day.’
For Tina, the biggest shift was learning to trust herself. ‘I tend to doubt my instincts, but the internship pushed me to back my ideas. I had a concept in mind for a project and wasn’t sure it would work, but I did the research, built the moodboard, brought it to the table and stood my ground while staying open to feedback. That taught me to see ideas through to the end even when I’m uncertain, and that my instincts are worth trusting.’
Jesilyn found herself challenged in a different way. ‘I set high expectations for myself and want to perform well from the beginning, so it was initially hard to get comfortable with making mistakes. Over time I realised that concept development is an iterative process. Ideas evolve through feedback and refinement, and they don’t need to be perfect from the start. That mindset shift was very valuable.’
Tina worked across both external and internal projects during her internship, covering two very different markets at the same time. ‘I contributed to concept development for a theme park in Belgium and supported masterplanning for an airport. Having two completely different atmospheres running in parallel was a real learning curve, each came with its own demands and ways of thinking.’ Internally, she supported the team’s integration of AI into their workflow and contributed to building a dashboard to improve team efficiency and research. ‘It involved a lot of self-study and making sure what I communicated to the team actually made sense in practice.’
Jesilyn worked across a range of external and internal projects. ‘Externally, I contributed to a strategy project for a Dutch restaurant chain looking to expand into the airport market and supported concepts for an American F&B operator. Internally, I worked on a trend report covering food developments, menu innovations and ingredient trends. That really helped me understand how macro trends influence concept development and business decisions.’
Tina found the biggest challenge was outside of the work itself. ‘Balancing the internship with my studies while also preparing for graduation made for an overwhelming period at times. There was a lot happening at once. What made it manageable was the people around me. At Conceptional, colleagues are the kind you can actually talk to, and that made a real difference.’
For Jesilyn, the challenge was adapting to a new way of working. ‘Coming from an operations background I was used to structured tasks and clear processes. Concept development requires a much more exploratory and non-linear approach. At first it was difficult to know where to start, but with time I became more comfortable navigating ambiguity and building a clear approach to projects.’
Tina came away with a sharper awareness of something that often gets overlooked. ‘People underestimate how important F&B is to their overall business. It looks straightforward from the outside but it rarely is. A big part of what we do at Conceptional is translate that expertise in a way that clients can genuinely understand and integrate. Seeing that process up close really changed how I think about the industry.’
Jesilyn describes a shift in how she sees concepts. ‘I moved from simply experiencing F&B concepts to analysing them in terms of positioning, target audience and business viability. The internship gave me a new lens and made me much more observant and thoughtful about what actually makes a concept successful.’
‘I developed strong communication skills and became more confident in my work intuition,’ says Tina. ‘I got sharper at making calculated decisions and building logical arguments to support them. But honestly, learning to trust myself was just as important as any professional skill I picked up.’
Jesilyn focused on the strategic side. ‘I significantly developed my ability to structure complex challenges and translate them into clear insights. I improved my strategic thinking and my communication skills, particularly in presenting ideas in a clear and compelling way. I became more confident in turning creative ideas into structured, actionable recommendations.’
Tina’s advice is straightforward: ‘Come in ready to back yourself. The freedom you are given is real, and the only way to make the most of it is to take your ideas seriously and see them through. Don’t wait until you feel fully ready to bring something to the table.’
Jesilyn adds: ‘Stay curious and keep asking questions. It is a learn-by-doing environment, so embrace the process and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Be proactive in seeking feedback and take ownership of your learning journey.’
Tina has a longer term goal firmly in mind. ‘I want to keep building experience in people coordination and continue understanding the industry from the inside out. Everything I do is working towards opening my own kopitiam one day. In the meantime I am also working towards a project management certification.’
Jesilyn is heading into further education. ‘After this internship I will start my Master’s in Business Information Management at Erasmus University Rotterdam. I am looking forward to building on what I have learned and developing my analytical and strategic skills further.’
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