Research, Relationships and Repuatation

Hi all,

Hope everyone’s enjoying their internships and advancing their understanding of PR practices, I know I am!

From my personal experiences and reading other student’s blogs, I think most of us are really seeing the relevance of PR theories and methods in real world business practices. Notably for me; research, reputation, maintaining relationships and communication. Why they are so imperative and how they assist with company’s success, effectiveness and reach.

Research is so vital in knowing who you are communicating with, the appropriate way to address them and best communicate with them. I have been working on gaining corporate sponsorships for certain Momentum events, which has really tested my research and development skills learnt at university.  I was assigned the task of finding suitable businesses who the event is relevant to, their company information and who to directly approach and contact. Then I assisted my supervisor in creating proposals and which she will then follow up. This has enabled me to see the use of excellent communication skills demonstrated in liaising with the potential corporate sponsors.

At my internship, I’ve really come to appreciate the importance of networking, building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders in Public Relations. Predominantly with companies and people that they have worked with or have sponsored previous Momentum events. Particularly because Momentum Forum holds various successful annual events which have guests and sponsors who return every year.

For example for a company that sponsored one of Momentum’s recent events, my supervisor actively made efforts to remain in contact with them and support their businesses work. This was relevant in working towards the Men in Black Ball, because the same company jumped on board straight away to be a sponsor and purchase a table, due to the effective relationship management and reputation built.

Another example I’ve seen stakeholder relations come into play is when seeking venues for future events. Due to strong built relationships with various significant venues such as the Pan Pacific Hotel and the Perth Convention Centre, Momentum is able to use the reputable settings every year. 

It's awesome to see these techniques used in the professional world and being able to gain insight into how companies actually go about different public relations practices such as these.

Thanks for reading!

Till next time,

Bianca