My first press conference experience

Hectic it was and I was only on my second week of internship.

This blogging will be lengthy but I want to share my experience of my first press conference.

Time passed by quickly that day as arrangements for the conference have to be made and phoning journalists if they were coming as per the work set by supervisor on that day.

Overall, I was happy and thrilled as it was the first time that I assist to a press conference and that I have participated in the good functioning of it. The job that I have done is that I had sent the invitations previously and phoned them back to inform them of the new time and date.

My work has finally paid off as the main journalists of the main media outlets came as well as others. I have been able to put a face on the journalists’ that I have been contacting.

I have done guest relations for the journalists on that day. PILS director had asked me if I was happy that the journalists had come, which I was evidently. The journalists have also been able to put a face to my name as this was asked by my director. He further added that I was the one who have been contacting them.

I have answered to some questions of the journalists and refer them to other people who knew all the answer to all the details.

On the right hand side: me with my paperworks and at the back, journalists asking an interview with PILS director

I have taken this opportunity to get the contact details of journalist who came and create ties with the latter. This has been added to the media contact list that I have created there.
The director praised all the team for the hard work and my supervisor praised me in front of everyone for contacting all these journalists. We were relieved that they came in such short schedule as they could have been busy on that day the conference was done.

This was not the end as other journalists contacted me afterwards for further details which I gave them as well as for those who could not make it on that date. Again, for more profound details that I did not have at hand, was referred to the assistant director and responsible for fundraising.

The recommendations that I can give you, buddies, are:
1. Remain humble
2. Be prepared
3. Do your work slowly but surely, because if you take it stressfully, everything will go wrong
4. Always be pleasant- ask journalists how they are doing, they will be pleased and will contact
you when they need you

Hope this has helped you to grasp the atmosphere of a press conference and the recommendations that follows.

Regards,
Joyce