Day 1: IN THE FASHION PR WORLD //

Hello PR interns of 2014!

My name is Chebet Williams and I am interning at the Telstra Perth Fashion Festival. #bestinternshipever

I must admit this isn’t my first internship, it’s now my fourth in fact! However, it will be my first time blogging about it. Now, let me start off my saying that PR in Fashion isn't all glitz and glam, it's quite cut throat really, everyone is fighting for a job in such a lucrative market which causes tension however this is the case in so many industries. But what helps is having a close SUPPORTIVE team, which TPFF have and I am so grateful to be apart of. 

In regards to my style of blogging, I believe a blog should be an unfiltered reflection of thought, whether good or bad, so I promise to stay frank and true to my word. 

Throughout my internship hunt I had considered myself quite lucky to have secured a placement so early in the semester, not only that, The Festival is a perfect fit for me and I couldn’t be happier. You see, once I graduate I plan to work in the creative arts industry and to be given such an opportunity I aim to make a lasting impression which can open more doors for me. 

The Festival has appointed Chelsey Wayte as my mentor through all of this, she is considered a ‘Marketing Guru’ in the office, so you can only imagine how thrilled I am to be able to pick her brain and learn from her. My interview with her went seemingly well and she seemed to be excited to have me on board, so it is looking positive from here on out. All I need to do is not screw up! 

- SO DAY 1-

Here is how my first day unfolded. On July 19^th I awoke after a restless 8 hour sleep, hoping to look somewhat refreshed considering the best part of my night was spent tossing and turning over my nerves. Tense as ever, I continued to fuss over what sort of impression I would make but at the same time buzzing with excitement. 

Like most of us, we question ourselves as a PR amateurs, and as students we can find ourselves quite anxious about what to expect in the REAL WORLD. Yet, despite our insecurities we need to remain confident in your ability to grow as professionals. Other problems lie within outfit challenges in office attire, I myself avoided any morning meltdowns and organised my outfit the night before, so I guess you could say my 'crisis management plan' was a success. 

Anyways, there I was, sitting in the lobby of Telstra Perth Fashion Festival waiting for a familiar face to catch my eye. Thinking, have I arrived too early? Is it the wrong day? Am I dressed the part? So many questions were going through my mind. Soon enough I hear Chelsey voice appears, "Chebet come through to my office", I get up and sit next to Chelsey as she take a few minutes to finish typing up an email before she acknowledges me. 

I LOVE CHELS! She gave me real work! My first assignment was to come up with some creative promotions for PLAZA arcade. Given the nature of sponsorship contracts, TPFF will usually market a certain brand in exchange for funding, services or merchandise which is what the promotions were for. Separate to this, I also had to map out social media schedules in the lead up to 18th WAFA event. Including multiple other tasks, such as Media Monitoring and contact database updates. 

I could go on, but I should stop there. TPFF is off to a great start and my mentor and I get along really well, most importantly I feel my time there is appreciated and valued. Speak soon PR peeps! 

- THE END-