Throughout my
20-day placement with Event and Conference Co I have been able to understand
the implications of Public Relations. Gaining the hands on experience in a
broad variety of public relation activities I am more appreciative, aware and open
minded of how much research and effort PR practitioners undertake daily.
Zawawi and Johnston (2009) quote "The
deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual
understanding between an organisation (or individual) and its (or their)
publics."
I understand now the true meaning of PR and how important it is for an organisation
to communicate effectively to their publics on a regular basis. In this modern
diverse society it is essential for organisations to maintain Grunig’s two-way communication
model in order to maintain ongoing overall business success. Moreover having
the skills to multi –task, always open for comments/criticisms, being
self-effacing, continuously engaging with publics daily, and to help and support
others is essentially required.
This is a broad
overview of activities I have conducted throughout my PR internship:
- Hands on experience at the Perth Tourism Industry Exchange Awards.
- Brainstorm: Marketing, ways to build the ECC business.
- Conduct blogs for their website.
- Conduct media releases.
- Consider sponsorship opportunities for Event Series events.
- Communicate with key vendors and research quotes for venues.
- Brainstorm ideas for donated gift ideas for the Creativity in Practice workshop.
- Create a list of event stylists/designers to present at the creative workshop.
- Research and develop a database of bloggers for the #INSTAGRAM event, and ideas to help the bloggers interact with one another at the event (prior and during)
- Research and create a database for potential guest speakers for the PTSD Gala Dinner.
From writing
blogs, media releases, creating event plans, risk management plans, creating ideas
for social media tactics, to basic coffee runs and posting letters, this all
matters! Whichever task they assign me to will be a reflection on how I can
effectively and efficiently work as a potential PR practitioner within the real
world. Having both Rebecca and Anna as my mentors have opened my eyes up to the
importance of events, why we need events, and how PR is implemented to planning
and evaluating events.
Throughout the Public Relations course of
study I have gained an understanding that, a public relations graduate should
strive for a set of specialized skills. These skills include strong communication
skills, strong writing skills, international mindset, creativity, and an
understanding of how communications theory and PR informs public relations
practice. My goals at the beginning of the placement were to develop all of
these specialized skills and become an important asset to
their organisation. I have been able to gain most of these specialised
skills at ECC however I want to achieve higher and continuously work on these
skills throughout my career. This particular unit has been the foremost beneficial unit throughout my
degree, for the very first time I now know what drives me to go further in my
career. I have realised my future lies more with managing events, rather than
just focusing on public relations alone. Although my internship has come to an
end, I am still supporting Event and Conference Co by volunteering at their
events. Given that working at Crown Perth,
Perth Arena or even specialise in planning weddings and music festivals would
be my ideal career.
Follow me on INSTAGRAM @siobhansmith to gain more of an insight of
my work experience placement!
Thank you for your time guys!
~ Siobhan Smith ~
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