Im sure there are
plenty of us PR students that hold the idealistic view of Samantha from Sex in
the City as the glamourous and supreme role of PR... why not its all celebrities and parties!? The very wise Nigel announced that this
portrayal was a far cry from the realty in my very first PR lecture. As humorous as it seemed at the time, the reality of this has just started to resonate with me
now that I ‘am coordinating my very own event.
Its hard work, there
are so many factors and elements that come together to constitute an ‘event’
and still there is always more to consider! Working with the weenie budget of a
not-for-profit organisation does also present some added challenges. All I can say
is timelines and deadlines...
Needless to say the biggest challenge is actually selling tickets! Working for suicide prevention and awareness of depression is something people love to back but it some how lacks the association of an incredibly fun and extraordinary cocktail party...I guess thats where PR really comes into play.
Event coordination is the more exciting and
interesting side of Public Relations; Lets hope I can do a decent job of it, stay
tuned to see how the event actually goes!
Madi
5 comments:
Hi Madi
It sounds pretty exciting that you have an opportunity to plan a whole event, what a wicked opportunity!
I too am working for a not-for-profit organisation and in working on a new event have had the task of meeting deadlines and stretching money.
Do you have a media plan for your event, i think if you got some media outlets on board then ticket sales might increase. You should try contacting the community papers or even bite the bullet and send something to The West Australia, it sounds like an incredible cause that people would want to help.
All the best,
Kim
Thanks Kim,
Great suggestion! I have been emailing a variety of publications today so hopefully we can continue to get the word out!
All the best with your placement,
Madi
Hi Madi,
I look forward to helping you out at the event - I can't wait to see what you've come up with!
Good luck with the ticket sales!
Kind regards,
Lauren Hannah
Madi so impressed that you are planning an event! To think we are finally putting all our public relations study in to practice is surreal. Completing a placement for a non-for-profit organisation would be not far from home, considering we have completed projects for such organisations through university. Public Relations is definitely a far cry from Samantha Jones from Sex and the City! At least there is still some action and time pressure in planning an event that keeps us on our toes! Has event coordination been your main role at Zero2Hero?
I'm sure with your dedication and determination that the event will turn out to be a success!
Can't wait to hear more about the event as it comes together!
Alexandra
Hi Madi,
Events management is a lot about timelines and deadlines! With working at my placement Mellen Events (Music Event Planners), I have discovered the deadlines they have to stick too are non-negotiables at times and if things don't get finished on time then it becomes a domino affect with other jobs not being able to be completed.
In saying this, time management has to be your best friend. Coordinating your own event is such a big achievement and at the same time a stressful process.
I love your reference (as Nigel said) about Samantha from sex in the city... it really is a far cry from that but once the event has finally been put together, on the night you will feel such satisfaction.
The cause you are promoting is fantastic and something that the world needs to be woken up to. But as you say, trying to hold a cocktail event for such a 'serious/sad' issue is more difficult than you think.
With a small budget this does limit how much press and paid advertising you can use. Does the organisation you work for have a website?
Even street promotions and activities in popular areas can grab peoples attention where you can even taken photos of the people participating in them and place on the website .. allowing them to tag themselves and generate traffic to the website/information about the event?
Even maildrops can be an affective tool as word of mouth can travel a long way. Have you tried promoting the university you are at? Place information/have activities around campus or online?
Anyway I do hope you succeed with this event and goodluck with the rest of your placement.
You can do it, this is what PR is made for :)
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