My name is Katherine (Kat) Innes and I am Erie Downtown Partnership’s newest marketing and events intern! I am a recent graduate of Slippery Rock University where I was studying communication and marketing. Since starting my internship with the EDP, I have been exposed to all of the fun behind-the-scenes things that go into marketing for the downtown events. I have lived in Erie for a large portion of my life and also have been working downtown for the past year. My dad, JB Innes, the owner of Local Eat & Pour, which was previously 1201 Kitchen, has been located downtown since we moved to Erie in 2007. Watching him open up and rebrand a restaurant has been such an amazing learning experience, and the downtown community has been so open to my family. When thinking of a name for the restaurant, my dad wanted to incorporate Erie into the brand somehow. Using local vendors was the perfect way to do that. Because Local is located in the heart of downtown Erie, we wanted to represent everything good that comes out of Erie. Having this experience with the restaurant has helped me so much with my professional career. At the end of 2021, I found a marketing internship with Kristen Santiago from Gone Local. I was able to help her with social media content, photography, fixing the website and much more. She also works with local Erie vendors so I had a bit of previous knowledge about that going into it. Everything that I have learned from those two experiences has formed me into the person I am today. I do not think I would be here, working for the Downtown Partnership if I didn't have those experiences. Being in communication with all of the amazing Erie vendors, whether that is with the restaurant, Gone Local, or the EDP, has opened my eyes to what Erie is all about. I am very excited to see what the Erie Downtown Partnership has in store for me for the rest of the summer. I am looking forward to going to all of the fun events that are already planned. I am also looking forward to being a familiar face for people downtown who might be attending our events frequently!