Am I industry ready now? A reflection of industry placement

My time at Event and Conference Co. has come to a close and I feel like I have learnt a lot.

But do I feel ready to enter the Public Relations Industry?

Working for Event and Conference Co. as an intern was an eye opener into the way a small events businesses work. The business had minimal paid staff and quite a few interns. This posed it's own challenges and benefits.

While I felt comfortable knowing I could talk to the other interns and bounce ideas around, the owner of the business, however, having so many interns producing work meant everything needed to be proofed and reworked in more detail than, I think, if the work was produced by professionals. It meant I had less room to fail and I needed to learn to produce industry quality work quickly so she didn't need to review my work so much.

I learnt a lot from my industry placement that I only knew in theory before starting my placement. I have more confidence in myself and the skills I have learnt while at Curtin University. I now know for certain I chose to study a profession I will enjoy and excel at. I do not think small business event work is where I see my career path heading but working in that environment taught me a lot and gave me to tools, knowledge and experience to know where I want to head and know I will succeed in the Public Relations field.

How was your industry placement experience? Do you think the area you interned in is where you want your career to focus? Or, like me, did it show you you want to pursue other areas of public relations?

Over and Out,
Bridgette

Practice makes perfect: Perfecting a Media Release

Throughout my time at Event and Conference Co. I have had few chances to write media releases. One of the main reasons I chose an event based internship for this placement was because I presumed there would be many opportunities to work on my media release writing. While I've been busy enjoying completing lots of other work, the lack of media release writing has meant I haven't had the opportunity to gain confidence in my writing and my ability.

This week, Event and Conference Co. has been working with the City of Armadale and Perth Kilt Run to host the 2015 Perth's Largest Kilt Run. I've been researching prices for prizes, announcers, completing risk management plans and, I wrote a media release!

The core of a media release and important information is quite easy to write, but the headline and lead paragraph? I struggled. As a journalist, I struggled not to write it in an unbiased and 'newsy' way. I would then over compensate and it would come across selling the event too hard. I worked hard and eventually submitted a copy my supervisor was very impressed with.

I found this article quite handy to look over while writing the media release.
5 tips to follow when writing press releases

It's was very satisfying feeling when my supervisor is happy with the work I produced. Did you find that too? I'd feel proud that it was up to industry standard.

Did you have more opportunities to write media releases? Do you think it helped your confidence in writing them?

Bridgette

Work harder but smarter

               

My name is Annabelle Tan. I am studying a double degree at the moment. One is PR, the other one is Screen arts. Like you all, I am currently completing my 20 days internship at Whipper Snapper Distillery which is a Whisky Company located in east Perth. This is my first blog and I'd like to share my experience with you.

I started looked for my internship at the beginning of May and finally I found myself at the whisky distillery around June. I remembered when I studied PR principle in my first year. The tutor taught us about the ethics in PR. When we come into the real world to get a job, we have to be careful what we promote and sell, such as tobacco and alcohol. That’s where we have to obey PR ethics. The reason I took the position at the whisky distillery because this is the first one in Perth, plus it offers classes for educating people how to appreciate whisky instead of just drinking it.

The first day at my internship, I was a bit nervous. I don’t know whether my

knowledge is enough to be a part of the team. Luckily, I have a very helpful

supervisor named Onkie Cheng, who is head of the marketing department, assist and help me patiently. The first thing I got to do on my first day was to go out to get all kinds of newspapers, magazines etc and pay attention to who is in charge of the editorial for each section that was related to whisky such as Out About section in The West Australian Newspaper. I had to create the lists on Excel to write down all the information such as: the name of the newspaper, editor’s name, contact number and emails. The second day, my supervisor asked me to call them all and tell them about Whipper Snapper Distillery company to see who was interested in putting our story in their newspapers.

A couple days later, we had The West Australian came wrote a story named “Bourbon with a local flavour’; Perth Now News wrote’ East Perth warehouse home to Australia’s first bourbon-style whisky distillery’; Hospitality Magazine wrote ’Whipper Snapper release Perth’s first ‘bourbon ’etc.

Before I study PR, I never understood what the difference is between marketing and PR. Now, since I am practicing my knowledge in Whisky Company, I realize PR people work harder but smarter. PR can promote to wide variety of target audiences without financial contribution and it works!

Curtain Call

This journey that began a few months ago has come to an end. I’ve really enjoyed my time with the Department of Transport and it has enabled me to gain access to an important aspect of how our city is forecasted to deal with such rapid growth in the near future. By working for an organisation within the government sector I was given the opportunity to work across different areas which kept the experience interesting and helped me, not only broaden my public relations knowledge, but also helped me develop an interest in perhaps pursuing other areas of work.

I feel as though my entire course has helped me develop a better understanding of what pr is and this unit enabled me to get hands on knowledge and experience that has provided invaluable knowledge to me. Practical work has such a more significant impact on me than theory work. Because I’ve properly experienced something, I’m impacted in a way that makes me remember things learnt much better on the job rather than just talking about it in a classroom.

The biggest highlight I took out of my time at DoT was the ability to contribute and help out within a system I use constantly. Without our transport services I would not be able to get from A to B and being able to contribute and watch as people discussed ways in improving it was really great for me to experience.

What made this internship even better for me was seeing what I had been taught for the last three years actually applies within the industry. It would have been really discouraging if the principles and techniques I was taught were not actually part of what happens within the industry. Communication is the key, as has been conveyed to us as students from pretty much day one and the ability to create free flowing communication that allows for feedback on how to improve any public relations strategies is a vital aspect to the industry.

Informal is the new formal

In any corporate environment meetings are an important aspect to making sure everybody in the

organisation is heading in the same direction. I always imagined corporate meetings as a daunting

experience that just gave bosses a reason to complain about something they disagreed with you

on in front of others. That being said, my experiences at meetings within DoT have challenged my

previous assumptions.


I’ve experienced many meetings while here and, although I haven’t contributed to discussion too

often, I’ve observed what people are like in this setting. What surprised me is the equality within the

agenda. What I mean by that is no matter what your role, if you are involved in a meeting your input

is always well received.


There is obviously an agenda that is run through during any given meeting but that agenda is

flexible. I recently experienced a meeting where the entire thing was taken up by one item on the

agenda that included a PowerPoint presentation about transport changes to the City of Perth. The

discussion and cooperation amongst the various representatives of each transport portfolio caused

it to run quite over time. This was great to see because everyone was genuinely passionate about

making sure that the events discussed were as coherent as possible. What got me is these meetings

I’ve attended have a very casual feel to them. While people are filing into the room, there are little

conversations going on all around the room.


This environment has shown me that not everything is as formal as you’d anticipate. Obviously

people have a job to do but that doesn’t mean they’re robots. This office is just like any other

workplace. I work in retail and the way I act is very similar to how I act here at DoT. I have a job to do

but I don’t mind stopping and chatting with the people I work with. There is so much going on with

transport here in Perth right now and I’m grateful I am able to see projects starting to take shape

around the city.

PRofessionalism

Being among professionals in their field is quite a learning experience. When you come into an environment that is foreign to you, you tend to recoil and hold back personality wise. Stepping on people’s toes, at least for me, is something I don’t like to do.

My internship involves dealing with people who are quite professional and on top of their game when it comes to their field. Government sector jobs don’t come easy and it takes some talented people to keep jobs like this.

Having said that, pretty much every expectation that I had has come out completely different, but that’s a good thing. For example, I pretty much expected to come in and be the office kitchen hand, serving everybody and doing the tasks others didn’t want to do. I know we aren’t supposed to be doing those things but that doesn’t mean I didn’t think it was coming. Having said that, my experience has been the complete opposite.

I came in and straight away was given tasks within the communication team. I had my doubts about this unit but in terms of practicality and hands on experience, it has been great. I’ve actually been included in the team and have been working on tasks that have meaning and that are relied upon by others.

Having work to do makes the days go so much faster. I remember from a previous work experience place times where I would just sit at a desk with nothing to do and stare at a blank screen. Here, I’m given work and if I finish it I’m able to jump across departments and help out others with any problems they’re experiencing. This ability to go across departments will also help me in the future, giving me knowledge of what goes on in a whole organisation, rather than a part of it.

Beginning of a Journey

Although I'm well through my internship, I would like to reflect on the beginning of my experience and how I felt coming into an organisation I knew practically nothing about.

At the beginning of any sort of work, whether it be volunteer based or career based, nerves are common. In my case, I was put at ease by the staff that I was introduced to on my first day of my placement. I think people sometimes take for granted the impact that a simple smile and ‘hello’ or ‘how is your day?’ can have on someone that is exposed to a new environment. The ability to go around with my workplace mentor and be introduced to everyone around the office was good for me, because I now have a platform to find out more about everyone’s differing roles within the organisation.

The beginning of my placement was quite interesting. I was exposed to the glitz and glamour of setting up an organisational stall for an event. The event was the Australian Institute of Transport Planning and Management National Conference for 2013, held at the Perth Convention Centre. As the WA Department of Transport participated in the event, I was given the opportunity to see how events are set up first hand.

Listening to a speech by the Director General of Transport Reece Waldock and a room full of important people in suits can make a 19 year old university student feel pretty out of place, but I enjoyed learning new things about transport, improvements to Perth transport in particular. Being given things to proof read, articles to write and other jobs reiterates that this is all actually happening. As the train is my most common source of transport, it’s good to know that initiatives and programs are being put in place to make sure that Perth’s transport facilities remain sufficient.

To those that think public relations is all ‘razzle dazzle’ I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but it sometimes really isn’t. This is in no way a complaint about it, as a matter of fact I really enjoyed helping out in setting up the stall where I could but expect to get into situations where your art skills or assembly skills may come in handy (I’m now an expert at putting easels together and cutting out laminated stars).

I really feel I have a place in the office. Belonging somewhere can give people the confidence to voice their opinions freely and I feel as though I am free to contribute to tasks that people may need help with around the office. I’m looking forward to see what’s going to happen as I become more involved in the workplace.

The diverse environment of PR consultancy

Hello bloggers!

My name is Darcy and I am undertaking my placement at Mills Wilson, a relatively large consultancy that employs a number of PR staff. Each is responsible for portfolios of various high profile clients in Perth. From my first day I understood how diverse working in a consultancy is compared to previous work experience I have done for events and smaller organisations.  One of Mills Wilson’s key clients is a major developer of residential communities in Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland.  I was surprised by the amount of work that has to go into managing the PR for such a company. 

The girls are constantly compiling information for newsletters, briefs for photo shoots, press releases for local newspapers (as well as logging the subsequent clippings each day) and a myriad of other activities: it is a constant work flow. Some of the activities I have done so far include logging media clippings, preparing EDM’s (electronic direct mail) for events at the estates and preparing an event plan for the launch of a new estate. The last one in particular was more difficult than I expected - there are lot of different facets to planning a real event than I had learnt in class, including how many bins and fire extinguishers you will need!

The consultancy environment is a diverse one and a lot of work goes into each and every client. I am enjoying my internship so far as it has also been my first experience in a real office environment. I have learnt in recent months that I want to pursue a career in music management and won’t be working in an office like the one I am in now. But I can already see that the skills I have learnt in my degree and am practising now are going to be very useful in the future. I am aware that I need to work on writing more concisely and to the point, as well as working on my tone to properly convey the information. The girls at my placement have been going over my work and giving me helpful feedback that I hope will get me on track. It has been a great experience so far and I hope to leave with a better grasp on my writing. I think I’ll also come out of this with some important time management skills as I’m already struggling with the work load for my other units! I'll keep you posted on how I go with all this, wish me luck!

Darcy Rahn

There is no such thing as an ‘obligation free’ quote

Although Open Day is an event, I have quickly discovered that Asha’s role is definitely more project management than event management! Open Day is Curtin’s largest recruitment event and in 2012 over 17 000 prospective students and their families attended Open Day, which makes it an extremely important event in engagement of Curtin's key target market and their influencers. There is a lot of work involved in perfecting the event – branding, marketing, communications, event management, public relations - and so many staff members from different departments within Curtin come together to work on the project.

My very first task was to look over what had been done for the ‘Fun Zone’ in previous years and come up with new and exciting ideas. This involved a lot of research of what is on offer in Perth in terms of performers and entertainment. Perth has an extremely small community of entertainers and suppliers so some of our options were quite limited, which created a problem as we needed our amusements to be family friendly, weather resistant, different to what other universities use at their open days and fit in with an overall theme for the Fun Zone. We initially considered having an amusement park attraction, such as a cup and saucer ride, but there is only one supplier in Perth and they are unavailable on Open Day. Considering that this ride could not be placed under a marquee in case of rain, this idea was totally abandoned.

I have also been heavily involved in negotiating with suppliers, which has been extremely interesting. As soon as an external businesses realises you are from a university, sometimes all they see are dollar signs because they assume Curtin has endless amounts of money to spend. This can be extremely frustrating as Open Day does have budget constraints, but some suppliers would still email-stalk me even if I had told them we were unsure or would not require their services. There is no such thing as an obligation free quote! Despite this being a frustrating experience, studying public relations has taught me to always be professional when communicating with stakeholders, I had to maintain a professional line of communication with all suppliers as someone at Curtin may need to use them in the future and I needed to maintain a good reputation with all suppliers, even those we did not use on the day.   

In my first week as Open Day intern I was introduced to the amazing project management software – Trello. Trello looks a little like a Pinterest board but allows you to collaborate with co-workers to see who has completed what, you can have boards with titles such as ‘Do,’ ‘Doing,’ ‘Done’ and drag specific tasks to different boards once you are completing or have completed them. My boss and I are using it to communicate (and remember) all the tasks I have completed or need to complete.  I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in project or event management!

When you’re not looking, you will find something.

I’ll start by introducing myself  - I’m Katie and have just commenced my final semester of a Bachelor of Commerce (Public Relations) degree.  When considering places to intern I wasn’t quite sure where to start, but knew I wanted to gain experience in corporate communications. 

I had completed work experience in a boutique consultancy during my first year and felt consultancy just wasn’t for me. Whilst most of my PR peers are interested in consultancy I have to say I would definitely prefer to work in-house!

So, knowing that I wanted to gain experience in corporate comms provided me with some sort of direction.  I was starting to stress as I wanted to secure a placement over the semester break so I did not have to worry about fitting a placement around studies and work during Semester Two. 

About three quarters of the way through Semester One this year I noticed on Blackboard that University Marketing at Curtin was looking for an intern to assist with Open Day. I had not even started looking for an internship but the perfect opportunity had just surfaced so I applied straight away. Within a few days I was contacted by the Open Day Project & Brand Consultant and was asked to meet for an informal interview. 

I met with Asha, the Open Day Project & Brand Consultant, she explained the main role of the Open Day intern would be coordinating family/ children’s activities for the ‘Fun Zone,’ and helping with signage and the central volunteer briefings. 

I also work in a paid position at the Curtin Careers Centre which has taught me a few things about how to interview (alongside what I learned in PR classes!). I made sure that I dressed professionally and went over-prepared with copies of my resume and samples of my work, even though this was not requested by Asha. In the end, Asha did look at a communications strategy I had completed in my role at the Careers Centre and was impressed ideas that I had come up with. It's definitely better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. 

After the meeting Asha told me that I would hear back in a few days as to whether I had been successful or not, and right on time she emailed me to let me know she would like to have me on board as Open Day intern! This was extremely exciting as I had heard so many stories about students’ difficulty in finding a placement and I had successfully landed an internship in my preferred field on my very first try.

I am extremely excited to update you on my experience working in corporate communications and project management, I hope to learn a lot about during my time at University Marketing and I look forward to hearing about other placements that people are undertaking this semester. 

(Written on May 18, 2013)

Evaluations: the end but also the beginning

I’ve just completed the evaluation for an event and it has been a very rewarding process. I can see positive results from the hard work and am able to see how we can improve on future events.

I am also helping with planning for ‘Fruit and Veg September’¹. I usually love the feeling of starting on a new project however this one felt a little overwhelming. The ‘2 Fruit and 5 Veg’ message seems simple, but the statistics highlight the challenges we face:

•  World Health Organisation attributes 1.7 million deaths per year due to inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, making it one of the top 10 health risk factors face globally.²

• According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2012 yearbook only 6% of Australians eat the recommended daily serves of both fruit and vegetables.³ 

So where do we start… by looking at past strategies and their evaluations. This helped me see what has worked in the past and what hasn’t. It helped identify local public perceptions and barriers to adoption of the 2 and 5 messages. I was also able to see where grants, donations and sponsorship have come from and what types of stories gained media coverage. After looking at the evaluations I didn’t feel so lost and was able to start setting goals and planning for ‘Fruit and Veg September’.

Just as they taught us at university, in strategic public relations the evaluation is not only the end of a cycle but the start of the next one.

 

1: http://www.crunchandsip.com.au/celebrate-crunchsip/fruit-veg-september/   

2:  http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/fruit/en/index2.html

3: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/1301.0Main+Features2362012

Branding: Much more than just a logo

I am now 10 days into my internship at Corporate Sports Australia working on the Chevron City to Surf for Activ and I have very quickly realised the importance of corporate branding.

Branding is defined by the American Marketing Association as a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. 

In the instance of the Chevron City to Surf for Activ, branding is vital due to partnership and sponsorship agreements made with external parties.

Every piece of documentation including but not limited to; press releases, emails, newsletters, event guides and marketing material needs to have the official Chevron City to Surf for Activ logo on it, as seen below.

Additionally, in written communication such as emails, press releases and published media it is essential that the event name is written in full, being the 'Chevron City to Surf for Activ' not the City to Surf or Chevron City to Surf.

Even when emailing press releases I am required to include a disclaimer note reading:
**Note: Please be sure to refer to the event by the official event name 'Chevron City to Surf for Activ' in all media.

By mentioning the disclaimer in my email I have reiterated the importance of branding and secondly I have covered myself in the instance that the event is not referred to correctly.

Due to Chevron's agreement as the exclusive naming rights sponsor for the event, Chevron must approve all logos and marketing material that is produced. This communication between Corporate Sports Australia and Chevron regarding the branding of the event allows both parties to have a sound understanding of the Chevron City to Surf for Activ brand and what it stands for within the community.

The first press release I produced I had several instances where I referred to the event as the 'City to Surf' but today having produced 15+ press releases it has become second nature to write the event name out in full.

In the instance of events; branding also allows the public to make the connection between the event and social media initiatives. In the case of the Chevron City to Surf for Activ, the hash tag #CTSjourney is being used via social media platforms including Twitter and Instagram. Through the branding efforts made by Corporate Sports Australia and associated parties this hash tag is immediately recognisable to the public to be in relation to the Chevron City to Surf for Activ.

So far I am very much enjoying my internship at Corporate Sports Australia and am looking forward to seeing all the behind the scenes preparation come together on the 25th of August. I look forward to updating you all on my progress and sharing my experiences with you.

Crowning Moments

The past two weeks have gone by in a flash!

Starting my PR internship at Crown Perth was daunting, exciting and absolutely terrifying at the same time. Meeting the team was eye opening- who knew so many things happen in such a small department. I was given a run down by the General Manager- a PR maven in WA- and incredibly impressed by the standards needed to be successful in the multibillion dollar company. The emphasis on teamwork is apparent as everyone needs to pitch in to make things work. No job is to small for anyone...if invitations need to be sent out everyone is there to lend a helping hand.

My first two weeks at Crown were filled with plenty of writing, whether it be media releases, staff alerts, copy for the intranet or promotions. Internal communication is vital to this company- with over 6000 employees, communication to all staff members is crucial in building strong employee relationships and knowledge on whats happening throughout the business- and this is what I focused on  predominately in my first two weeks. And trust me when I say a lot happens!

These two weeks were filled with many highlights and learning opportunities. Crown uses a number of different avenues to communicate with staff. For me, I was lucky enough to work on the staff magazine, CHAT, which is published quarterly. I sat in on editorial meetings where we discussed who would be contributing to what pages. Here, I learnt the importance of time management and getting things done right the first time round due to tight deadlines.  

I also had the privilege of running my own staff promotion. Here I had to develop my own artwork through InDesign, write terms and conditions and communicate the action to all staff. This was a different aspect to PR I hadn't come across in my degree but I feel is an important concept to know how to do. 

My first two weeks at Crown taught me the value of effective employee communication and how important it is to keep staff informed. I also learnt the importance of a good reputation- this was drilled into me the moment I walked into the office and will forever be in the back of my mind for any task I'm asked to complete.

I can tell this is going to be an amazing experience- the amount of knowledge I have already gained is immense and the corporate environment is one I'm keen to enter.  Bring on the next 8 weeks!

Time To Say Goodbye: PR 393 Internship

They say we meet to part and part to meet. Until when you have bonded so much with an environment and suddenly have to leave, you don't know the true meaning behind that say.

Hi fellow interns!

After a short lived month, I finally had to come to the end of my enjoyed and educative journey. Time to say good bye to my fellow work mates at Office of The President arrived before I knew it.

It has been a very good experience putting theories I learnt in class in practice. I salute Curtin University for giving us this opportunity to prepare us for the harsh and tough world out there before we can actually face it all. Job hunting wont be easy but at least we all know what to expect.

Back to business though, the last of my days where more focused on planning upcoming events, in which one was going to be held on March 1st. I was asigned to help draft a media plan for that day which I did and later on my bosses went through it and told me it was indeed impressive and that they will make a few corrections before sending it in.

In that whole month, I realized PR was not only based on theory but it was in the  heart of an individual practitioner. If it feels right, then it definitely is right but if you feel its wrong then it is wrong on the next person as well. So it is basically the values and morals of an individual practitioner guiding them to do right by their stakeholders.

One more thing I came to uncover true is that the public are the ones who build an organization or company and they have the power to break it into pieces, that is to say, one good word that spreads around about a certain organization paints it 'good' but if one bad word spreads, the organization is doomed. That cleared, I realize it is good to communicate, keep the public in the loop and not darkness because once they start assuming, nothing goes right.

Am glad I had the chance to do this placement because then I saw Public Relations in different eyes and it was a great experience.

I should really say, I enjoyed my time with everyone and I do hope we meet again soon. 

It was indeed nice to share what I went through, done and learnt with you guys and I hope you have rather enjoyed my posts.

Neo here, thank you all.

and then the sun sets on my degree...

I never thought I would see the day, were I was finally finishing my last ever university assignment. My final assignment would be my professional practise report for this unit. Even though this report would be the biggest I have ever written or had the most percentage worth within my entire degree. I would have to say that I have actually thoroughly enjoyed writing every component of it. You could tell that I enjoyed writing it because it would be one of the only assignments that I have started weeks before hand, unlike the majority of my assignments, which would have most likely been products of the night before caffeine fueled cramming sessions. I think it’s safe to say that all of the Public Relations students, who are winding up their studying days like myself, are all experiencing a variety of emotions. To be honest,I’m feeling a variety of emotions, mostly feelings of relief and excitement for the new chapter of my life and that I have finally reached this milestone in my life. It’s taken me a lot of obstacles, tears, caffeine and sleepless nights but it is great to reach the finishing line.

As it’s come to my end of my internship, I have been exposed to an entirely different industry, in which I have taken in every moment of the experience. I was very lucky to be placed within an organization with such down to earth people especially Janelle and Angel. I don’t think I could have asked for better supervisors to be placed with, were they didn’t mind answering any of my questions I had, or showing me multiple times on how to correctly transfer a call with the new hi tech telephone system (which I think I mastered finally, -thanks angel).  They made me feel incredibly welcome, and not like a work experience student, and that my contribution and assistance was appreciated. PR393 would be one of the most valuable units I have ever completed within my degree, because it’s one thing to know and master the theory, but it’s completely different ball game in real life. You need to know how to take this knowledge from the last 3 years and put it in practise within the work place, and some people may struggle with that and some may been incredibly successful. I have defiantly seen the other side of events and festivals, something many will never see- the amount of work, time and effort that goes into to planning just one of these events is enormous. There is a lot of love and passion for music and culture, especially within the team.

To all the students reading my final blog, I wish you all the best with your future endeavors!

We finally got here :D