Event Planning: The Good, The Bad and the Not-So-Glamorous

One of the first hard lessons that are drummed into you when you begin the study of Public Relations at Curtin University is despite the numerous perks that come within this interesting field...it is not all the glitz and glamour associated with 'Sex and the City' and other dangerously unrealistic television shows aimed at naive fashion-worshipping females (and a few males inclined that way, I suppose) whose day dreams consist of sipping cosmopolitans with their three successful and filthy rich best friends in an exclusive bar in the Upper East Side.

In fact, once you enter the real world and start working, don't expect your quiz night to have a million-dollar budget with a celebrity attendance or to be splashed across the society pages. If you keep up these expectations...you'll only be setting yourself up for disappointment and clinical depression. Don't get me wrong, there's amazing aspects of the Public Relations world that make it a worthwhile career but it's best to keep expectations realistic.

I have recently been working on a cocktail event for CCIWA Apprenticeship Solutions in celebration of the launch of the new website and a number of new initiatives. The guests will primarily consist of the various clients the organisations work with along with a number of representatives from registered training organisations.  A few hurdles that I have encountered are: trying to accumulate an adequate amount of guests for it to be deemed a 'success' and simply trying to elicit an RSVP.

I was given the unfortunate role of bulk e-mailing and phoning guests. It was a tedious and frankly unpleasant task taking up my whole day but it gathered results and it was an invaluable trip back down to earth. That being said, it was an experience to learn from and the reality of 'the business'.