A Visit to the Local Radio Station

On 27th January 2015, I accompanied my supervisor to the local radio station, MiriFM at the RTM building. It was actually my first time going to the organization and I was really thankful for the opportunity given by my supervisor. 

As we ascended the hill to RTM compounds, I finally saw our local broadcasting building. Radio Television Malaysia, or RTM for short; is a government organization under the Ministry of Information. Being the nation's broadcast channel and radio station, it gave me an insight on a few important things crucial in Public Relations. 

We were there for a segment offered by MiriFM, titled Segmen Bersama Agensi (Segment with the Agency). It is a short segment where the representative of an agency will use the opportunity to announce any upcoming events or distributing information regarding the organization. The segment usually lasts for 15-20 minutes where the interactions are scripted between the radio DJ and the representative.

For that segment, we were on the business of promoting an upcoming event at Pustaka which is Minggu Warisan Bumi Kenyalang (Land of the Hornbill Heritage Week) event this end of February.

Before the live broadcast started, we mingled with the radio DJ and staff that were on duty that day. We chatted for a while as we sat in the radio set. Prior to arriving, I was told by my supervisor that she had done it for a few times in the previous years so it was not her first session with them.

As she greeted lots of the RTM staff, it made me realised that as a PR officer of an organization, it it true that good relations with the media; be it radio, television or prints, is essential in boosting the media presence of the organization. This is applicable to what we have learnt in Media Relations unit.

Apart from that, it was fun to see how a live radio broadcast is conducted, an inside view instead of the usual listeners' point-of-view.

It is definitely a good day to remember!


Cheers!
Alyssa Chin.

A day out of the office!

Over the past few weeks, I have been focusing and collating information and quotations from various hotels as one of our clients, is intending to host a breakfast seminar for 100 people here in Singapore.

This opportunity of planning an event excited me as I find it interesting! After listing out and collating the different proposals and prices, we sent them to the client for their final decision. After much consideration, the client decided to go with Shangri-La Hotel, located at Orchard.

Last week, my colleague and I headed down to Shangri-La, to do a site visit, and at the same time, discussed with the events’ coordinator on the layout and necessities needed for the event. The contract was then sent to us the next day. After discussion and confirmation with our client, we finalized the contract and secured the location!

This was the ballroom that I did the site visit at and booked. 

(Source of photo: Shangri-La Singapore)

Another thing in relation to this that I am working on is the checklist. Basically, the checklist consists of items needed for the seminar, its due date, and who would be responsible for the item. Doing this, reminds me of projects I have done in school. Next thing on the list is to book shuttle buses for the client’s guests to transport them from one hotel to another.

As smooth as it may sound, there were plenty of ups and downs while planning and securing a location. As there would be a 4-day event held at MBS during that period, most of the guest would be attending that event and would be staying at MBS. Our client initially wanted a hotel that is located closer to MBS as it would be more convenient for the guest to head over for the seminar.

I faced plenty of difficulties while searching for a location as most hotels located near MBS were all booked out during that period, and we would be placed on waitlist and would only be notified a month before the event date. Another difficulty encountered was the clash of choices. There were some locations that we felt was perfect for the event, however the client rejected it, as they did not like the venue. I then searched for more venues slightly further away and managed to come to a conclusion with the client and secured the booking with Shangri-la Hotel eventually. 

Before heading to Shangri-la Hotel, my colleague and I travelled to parts of Singapore to deliver books from another client to various media publications. This was my first experience going around delivering items to the media. However, I was disappointed, as I did not get to experience meeting and speaking to the media as we were only allowed to drop our items at the front desk counter. I feel that meeting and speaking to the media would give me a better experience and understanding the PR industry better.

This is me carrying the items that were delivered to the media

Nonetheless, I believe I would have another opportunity to expose myself to the PR industry and learn from these experiences.

Till then,

Sheryl