Go time!

Hey all!

So this is my third blog, and no matter how complex and varied day to day PR activities can be, I always find myself wondering what topics to address in each post. This time, after having attended my first big event in a professional context, I thought I would share my experiences, and how, unexpectedly, my PR skills were put into action on the night, and not just in the lead up to the event.

So Mellen Events first event of the season was Godskitchen 3D, on Friday night at Metro City (I did mention in a previous blog my attendance at Thirsty Merc gigs, but due to the small scale of the event, I found myself offering my friendly services on the door rather than assisting in the actual event proceedings). I thought I would be required to do a similar job this time, since I am very new to the game and haven't had any hands on event experience as of yet. But Mellen had other ideas for me, getting me involved in everything from the get go! I got to the venue a couple of hours before the artists were due to arrive, to set up the venue and backstage rooms, and ensure the artist riders and requests were all good to go.

I was the first point of contact for the VIP prize winners of a competition run through Facebook. After organising a hotel room and limousine ride to the event, I then had to meet the guests and welcome them on behalf of Mellen Events before escorting them to their VIP designated area for the remainder of the night. Throughout the night, I was to make sure that they were happy and generally having a good time.

I found that for most of the night I was ‘checking up’ on the artists and VIP guests to ensure that all their needs where met. This was an eye opener to me, to show that the nurturing of relationships doesn’t stop once the planning stages of the event are complete. I had to make sure that a positive and professional impression was left on behalf of Mellen Events, so that the artists had a good experiencing dealing with us, and would consider doing so again in the future, as well as giving the VIP’s a positive experience to discuss on our social networking pages, which they did.

I often had a hard time pin pointing PR activities on event days; it was obvious how they are implemented in the planning stages, but I was lost as to how a communicator can help on the day. But that was exactly it, my job was to communicate! I have discovered from this experience, that PR professionals are required to maintain relationships before, during and after the events (I am now speaking with media guests from the night, to encourage positive reviews in their publications). Even if it was just having a casual chat with the event staff, patrons or artists, I was providing my assistance wherever it was needed to maintain that positive and professional impression of the company.

Feel free to share your events experiences too! Each and every event is different so I am sure there are so many other examples of PR being activated on event days :)

Thanks,
Mel