Goodbye and Good Luck! Three Winning Tips We Should All Bear in Mind

Hi everyone,

I finished my internship last Wednesday! I spent the morning working again at one of Event and Conference Co’s own events- The Winning Mindset. This was a corporate breakfast held at the Parmelia Hilton, complete with eggs benedict (my favourite meal in the world), journalist Katie Price as MC, and special guest, eagles star Josh Kennedy. Falling on World MS Day, Josh, an MS Society ambassador, spoke to the audience about his life on and off the football field, his business interests and his affiliation with the MS Society.

above (L-R): myself, Josh Kennedy and fellow intern/peer Emily.

The event was a great end to my internship, partly because I too got to enjoy the breakfast and also because it ran smoothly without a hitch. I’ve really enjoyed my time at Event and Conference Co and am sad to be saying goodbye to all the lovely people I’ve met along the way. I don’t know what I’ll do with my Mondays now! If I had three pieces of advice I could pass on to future interns, it would be these:

1.  Have confidence in yourself

Just because you’re an intern and inexperienced compared to others in your workplace does not mean you’re completely incompetent! Have faith in your abilities; you haven’t spent the past two and a half years writing media releases for no reason. An internship is a place to test your skills and build on them; no one is expecting you to get it right the first time. Accept that you can only learn from your mistakes, and what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. You’re there to learn, and to prepare yourself for life beyond uni, so make the most of it and prove to everyone around you that you’re ready to graduate and make it in the big bad world.

2.  Fake it ‘til you make it

This is something one of my supervisors told me on my last day. Working for a small business in the events management industry can be extremely competitive, and the pressure is always on to find new clients or coordinate events that occasionally staff members may have no experience in. Half the time our supervisors may not even know what they’re doing, but they’re confident in their abilities to pull off the event and that they are able to work in the best interests of their client. If you have confidence in yourself and your capabilities, people will have confidence in you. So don’t doubt yourself, and if you are for whatever reason- fake your confidence. Fake it until it comes naturally to you.

3.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help

We are interns and we are learning! Everyone understands that. If you don’t understand the task assigned to you, please don’t spend half an hour staring at your computer screen wondering what you should do or thinking of ways to procrastinate (I may/may not have done this). Just ask for help, no one is going to bite your head off for it. If anything, asking for help shows initiative, and proves to your supervisors that you’re eager to learn and to complete this task to the best standard possible.

This has been an unforgettable experience, and has given me much needed confidence and preparation for life outside of uni. I wish all of my peers the very best once they graduate, and good luck to everyone who is about to start their internships for next semester!

Signing off for the final time,

Clare


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Bentley Campus

Putting Practice to the Test: My First Event!

After weeks of planning I finally got to participate in one of Event and Conference Co's own events! The Creativity in Practice Workshop showcased some of Perth's most creative minds, who gave guests their own top tips on how to run flawless events. The workshop was targeted at event planners, wedding planners, EAs and PAs, and anyone interested in all things creative.

The event was held at Mercedes College- a unique but central location- on the evening of Wednesday May 18. Throughout the workshop I had numerous jobs to fulfil, including assisting with the set-up and pack-up of speakers' presentations, directing latecomers to the workshop from the carpark and handing out refreshments. Having worked on the planning of this event for the past two months, it was extremely rewarding to see the whole thing come together. Being an interactive workshop, it was also interesting to observe the different techniques and tips that the speakers/vendors in the event industry utilise to ensure their event is a success. 

above: Bites By D creations.

above: Michael Algeri, of Micktric Events, speaks to guests about the importance of lighting at events.

The workshop itself also allowed me to gain a further understanding into the events industry. As I said in my first blog post, I've never really had much interest in the event industry. But now that I've had first-hand experience in coordinating and planning an event as a team, and have been able to execute it successfully, I'm beginning to reconsider. Working as a team, the task seems a lot more manageable than it does daunting, and researching the finer details is almost exciting. This experience has increased my level of interest so much so that I found myself considering whether I would make the same decisions that had been made for this event, as I would with my own event. 

It's really interesting to note how much my views on the events industry have changed over the course of my internships. I really enjoy planning and putting together the events, as they are always different and can challenge you in all sorts of ways depending on the event. They also allow you to exhibit a more creative flair than what you would be able to whilst writing media releases. I really enjoyed working on this workshop, as it not only allowed me to exhibit my professionalism and work ethic whilst running the event, but it also gave me the chance to learn more about working with vendors, and what kind of vendors would be suitable of various events.

Let's see what the next event brings!

Until next time,

Clare

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Bentley Campus

Changing the World with PR: Putting the name on the map!

Hi all.

Before i knew it, Topdog Factory is part of a competition in Bintulu (they're listed in before i entered my internship), held from the 9th to 13th of March, 2016 at the Old Airport, Bintulu. I myself never been to a Muay Thai competition or seen a proper Muay Thai fight (live) excluding the ones I watched on YouTube. I was anxious, excited and all, but i had a few task during this period, and it was

Media Monitoring!

Oh how great it was (honest!).

But before that, the organisers required some photos of our fighters from Topdog Factory, which was our coach and director. For a new establishment (less than a year old),  this was really an important fight to put our name on to the map of combat sports in Sarawak! They were being featured onto the buntings and posters for the event, all around Bintulu!



So i did as such like a list to crosscheck the papers, categorised by the language, and publishers.

Our trip to Bintulu itself was an engagement with our client. Our main support came from them, and we figured out that it'll be better for us to go to the competition together. So a week before the competition, I would talk to our clients after their training and plan something together for the trip. It was out of the ordinary. Although i've only been here for only almost a month, i sense there was a 'team spirit' behind the willingness of our client to come along and support our director and coach. The fact that all these clients are relatively new to Muay Thai, it seems like they're more than keen to come and support.
On the day itself, we had a few clients driving us to Bintulu and back. These act of goodwill and willingness from our clients just show how important the daily conversations we have, before and after their training. The things that we talked about does not have to be about training-related conversations, but even by asking how are they and greeting them in a friendly manner, i believed has made it possible. 


Our Director (left) and Coach.


PR is easy when your brand ambassador are natural being friendly with fans.


TYT of Sarawak.

Although we didn't win both fights that night, one thing is for sure, we definitely had Topdog Factory's name made known.

These are the Topdog Factory fight team together with our supporters! It was ecstatic. It gave a lot of insight to our client on how a Muay Thai fight is, and it definitely inspired many to up their game during training.

The fight has definitely impacted those that came to support as once we got back from Bintulu, our clients were so enthusiastic and refreshed to train harder and stronger.
Our likes on FB has also increased after the competition! What a great publicity it was! :D

here's a vid of the trip.

Topdog Factory- TYT3rd Cup Throwback Video from Joshua Hajok on Vimeo.

Signing off.

Joshua Anthony Hajok
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End of my Internship

Hi Bloggers,

So it has come to the end of my internship, and must I say I have thoroughly enjoyed very minuet of it.  Through completing my internship at the Department of Government Housing I feel as if I have learnt the true importance of this PR unit. As I was given the opportunity to gain experience in an environment where they constantly encouraged me to challenge myself when it came to handling clients, organising events, liaising with media organisations and attending business meetings.  As part of the PR corporate communications team at the department of housing I felt as if was able to gain deeper insight into how the roles and responsibilities are expected to be carried out in an organisation such as the Government. 

Through working alongside the corporate communication general manager at the Department of Government Housing, Steve Athem I was able to understand how PR jobs such as his was indeed stressful at times however, was all about remaining efficient and organised in all areas of work. Throughout my time spent at the organisation I had the opportunity to make lifetime relationships and friendships with my colleagues, as I found my co-workers to be very friendly and approachable at all times.

Despite being heavily nervous about this internship I soon learnt that it was a priceless experience, and one that will never be forgotten about. As all the tips and professional practices I have been taught will stay with me forever and will guide me into leading a successful career in PR.

Overall it wasn’t for this unit I wouldn’t have been able to be given the opportunity to gain an insight and further understanding of how a PR organisation operates. So I am very thankful to the department of Government Housing for allowing me to have such n amazing experience! Furthermore it was through incorporating the learning outcomes and key messages in the study I have completed thus far that enabled me to feel ready and capable of taking on this internship.  

Georgia Whyte 

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