Dressing up and looking up!

Hey everyone,

This unfortunately is my last and final blog post so please don't get emotional!
Over the last 2 months, I have had an amazing experience working alongside the events management team at PMH Foundation. Throughout the 2 months I have better grasped the relevance of public relations in everyday business as well as within the not-for-profit industry.

Throughout the last several weeks, much engagement with stakeholders as occurred in relation to the upcoming 'Bear By Night Ball'. It has involved informing guests online on the latest updates including sponsors as well the production and delivery of invitations. This involved tiresome work in the office, packing and sealing envelopes which is always fun... But seeing the invitations for the first time was an exciting experience considering all the time and effort that has gone into making the invitations alone.

As I stated in my previous blog, I was in the process of planning an upcoming corporate sports day package for the foundation. There has not been much progress on this apart from more site visits, visiting potential sports grounds to get a better feel of what we are trying to achieve. Through several relationships existing at PMH Foundation, we have visited one sports facility that looks extremley promising! It is unfortunate I will not be assisting in the completion of this package but I can gladly say I will be watching its progress from within the foundation as I was recently offered a casual job! *cue celebratory music* Not much details on the position but I will be moving in with the marketing team and expanding my horizons even more, so wish me luck!

One... interesting... task that I had undertaken in the last week though involved me getting hairy and sweaty.... literally. As one of the volunteers could not make it in on the day of a hospital visit, I happened to be the back-up and was asked to be the foundations mascot, Stitches the bear. This involved me walking around the hospital cheering up the sick kids with free hugs and free gifts, dressed as Stitches. It was extremely hot in the massive costume but was actually good fun as I was able to be a kid again, jumping and dancing around. Apart from having fun, I was also able see how the foundation makes an impact on the sick children at PMH. The picture below gives you an idea of the craziness I had whilst being Stitches!

Again, this professional experience has been amazing and worthwhile. I am so thankful for my time spent with Simone, Guy and Lauren in the events team as well as the rest of them team at PMH Foundation! Hope everyone else had amazing time like myself and good luck with everything else!

Brodie

:)

Running into sports!

Hey everyone,

As I am now nearing the end of my professional practise at PMH Foundation, I am starting to get a much better understanding for the foundation as well as the not-for-profit industry itself and how PR is a vital tool in succeeding in this challenging industry.

If there was one thing I could take away from this and find the most important trait to carry when working in a professional world, it is to create connections, relationships and networks. As the big events are soon approaching for the foundation such as the Bear By Night Ball, Melbourne Cup Luncheon and the Urban Descent, this trait is being forced into me as I observe and assist with what is going on behind the scenes. This is something I hope use a lot soon as I am in the early stages of assisting and developing a corporate sports day for the foundation. This corporate sports day is something we hope to tailor into a package and make readily available for corporate organisations to use and therefore increase the funding received for the organisation. It is an exciting package to plan as it involves a sport that I love, but I won’t disclose which one though ;)

Getting this plan off the ground though was supported through the use of current relationships between certain staff members at the foundation and certain personalities within Perth, reinforcing the notion the value of relationships and connections.

As I am only in early and research stages of this, I will have to keep you all updated on my progress and also the ending of my placement as that is soon approaching. In planning this, I hope to create some great relationships that will benefit and support me within my professional career after university!

Thanks,

Brodie!

Ready Set Race! and The Power of Social Media

I completed my internship at Corporate Sports Australia who are the event organisers for the Chevron City to Surf for Activ. The City to Surf is WA’s largest sporting community event and includes the 42km Marathon, 21km Half Marathon, 12km Run/Walk, 4km Run/Walk and 4km Wheelchair. I was both nervous and excited to start my placement - especially since this was the first work experience I would be doing in the PR industry.

In 2011, the event had close to 41,000, breaking participant records in the Marathon and Half Marathon field. It is the seventh year that Corporate Sports Australia have been the event organisers, before Activ, the event’s charity partner, organised the event in-house. 

To launch the event, and announce that Australia's greatest marathon runner Rob de Castella will again be the event ambassador, the organisers wanted to be creative instead of just using a media release or media announcement and give themselves a chance to interact with their stakeholders on Friday July 6. 

Developing a fun and creative idea can be a challenge that many PR professionals may face wih daily, making it not only an interesting and enjoyable experience for their publics but for themselves as well. This was the first time that this was going ahead.

They came up with a ‘Run with Rob’, a 5km run around Kings Park with event ambassador Rob de Castella. This was promoted through social media sites Facebook and Twitter. The City to Surf Facebook page has over 3,000 ‘likes’ and has almost 800 followers on Twitter. 

The launch was also published on PerthNow the morning of the run.

Organisers were expecting around 50-100 people to attend the ‘Run with Rob’ and media partners Channel Nine and The Sunday Times were notified to generate some media coverage that night/weekend.

The turn out was amazing with over 200 people arriving at Kings Park to partake in the ‘Run with Rob’. For something that was only published through social media sites and on a news website it reached enough people to exceed expectations and is a true example of how social media and the online world can benefit organisations and adapt with the public relations industry.

Rob de Castella in a Channel Nine media interview

A snap shot of some of the participants waiting for the run to start

Today, social media is a great opportunity in the ever growing business of public relations. Rather than the classic mode of communication professionals liaising with official news channels, blogs and social networking sites now offer content on organisations and these organisations can distribute their own information without any control from corporate communication professionals or the reliance of the media. 

The internet can be seen as a leading edge of what is a major communication revolution. The digital world has changed the way communication is produced and reaches a large audience. With Facebook reaching around 10 million Facebook uses, it is no wonder why so many companies are using it. 

Without the use of social media would this launch been as successful as it was? If organisers only chose to send out a media release would the media have picked it up and would the public have taken greater notice? 

Looking back on the event, it was evident that social media was an opportunity rather than a threat or weakness to the organisers. It is examples like this that are able to give us a first hand insight into what can be created from a short post on Facebook as long as it is presented in a professional and ethical manner. I do understand, however, the risks that could have arised from using Facebook and Twitter to announce an event which could have gone south with a small number of people attending. But when these risks are taken and have a successful outcome is what makes it all worth while. If they don't produce the expected outcome, many lessons are taken from it.

Screenshot of the Facebook post

Have an experience where social media has worked in your favour at your internship or perhaps the opposite? Please share! 

Thanks,

Steph Sbrocco