Sssshhh, it's a secret

I am currently interning at the Public Transport Authority and finding it really interesting to be working in a department whose actions actually affect everyday people. The PTA is responsible for the public transport infrastructure, this includes building train lines, stations, bus stops ext.

Stakeholders

There are so many different stakeholders to consider, from local residents opposing plans for a new train station being built near their home, to the state premier who needs to ensure the PTA deliver on his election promises.

PTA projects can have significant effects on various communities and individuals. When making decisions about projects the PTA must consult with various other government departments, shires, agencies and of course the public. It is important that the public are consulted, because the projects are being funded by tax payers contributions.

Keeping it under wraps

From a communications point of view including so many people can be problematic in preventing information from being leaked to the general public. The more people that know a secret, the harder it is to keep.

Last week the PTA had a case where information about the new underground Perth Busport’s second entry had been leaked to the media. At that point in time the PTA had not yet informed the public of the decision to include a second entry in the busport.

Fly through animation of the new underground Perth Busport.

For more information on the Perth Busport second entry click here.

The art of being prepared

Information leakages are difficult to manage because so many other departments and agencies have to have access to the information. I was very impressed with how my supervisor, the Communication Project Manager handled the situation. She had all the documentation already written and ready to be sent out. Had she not been prepared she would have had to work all night writing and finalising fact sheets, media releases and speech notes.

It just goes to show how much being organised pays off.

Whitney

In-house vs consultancy

I am 15 days into my second internship at the Public Transport Authority (PTA). The PTA is responsible for the public transport infrastructure; this includes building train lines, stations, bus stops ext.

My experience working at the PTA has been the complete opposite to my time at GO Communications (GO). GO is a public relations consultancy firm in Malaysia, while my role at the PTA is in-house for a Western Australian Government department. As far as public relations goes I think they are as different as you can get.

Media communication

Working in a government communications department is different to consultancy in so many ways. One area that particularly stands out is media communication. 

At GO we tried so hard to get media attention, whereas the PTA never has trouble getting media to a press conference. In fact they are often trying to deter media in an effort to keep information quite to avoid premature release.

I guess this is because the PTA are working on projects that directly affect so many people. As well as this, they are spending tax payers money. The media will report on what people want to know about, and everyone wants to know if their tax dollars are being invested wisely.

Budget

Another thing that is very different is the budget. Working in a consultancy the client determines the budget. I was surprised to see the extravagant things clients expect for such little expenditure.

In a government department the state treasurer determines the department’s budget. It is interesting to see how big the project budgets are for government, and just how much things actually cost.

At the PTA I am currently organising the opening of the new Butler Train Station (click here for more information on Butler Station). It is my job to arrange the stagging, seating, the community activities, signage, the opening plaque and the budget, among various other articles. In sourcing quotes, ordering numerous items and keeping track of the budget, I was very shocked to see how quickly costs add up. 

In a consultancy you have to try and convince the client to spend money on all these extra little things to make the event perfect. This can be a hard task. At GO, my team spent days trying to convince a client to hire a professional photographer to capture their event.

PTA

I have really enjoyed my time at the PTA so far. I have had loads of exposure to all kinds of different communications. I have written stories for the intranet, attended meetings with internal and external stakeholders and been involved in event coordination. I like working for the PTA because I feel like I am contributing to making our state a better place, rather than simply helping big corporations get richer.

I am interested to experience working in-house for private organisation so I can compare it to consultancy and government.

I'd love to hear whether you'd prefer to work in-house or in a consultancy?

Whitney

For the love of football

From the very first day of my internship at GO Communications (GO) I have been assisting in preparing for an event for our client Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad.

Zurich is running a Corporate Social Responsibility campaign called ‘Love for Football’. The campaign is in conjunction with Little League Malaysia and involves going to schools and teaching children essential football skills. Zurich will also be donating money to each school to be put towards football related expenses.

GO Communications’ role is to ensure the event gets coverage in the media. Two and a half weeks before the event my team members and I delivered the invitations to the media in the form of a yellow card. The invitations were hand delivered to about 15 media and emailed to over 50. For more information on the delivery of the media invitations refer to my previous blog ‘same same but different’ posted on 13^th June 2014.

In the days leading up to the event it was my job to call the media to get their RSVP. Unfortunately for us, most media departments do not assign their reporters until 6pm the night before. This means we often have to wait until 7pm at night before we can call them for their RSVP. On some occasions I was told to call back at 10pm. Zurich however, want to know final media numbers by 3pm the day before, a somewhat impossible task.

Today was the day the event finally took place. I woke up at 5am to arrive at the Football stadium by 6am. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself having to wake up so early, until I got to the stadium and met the event crew who had arrived at 1am in order to set everything up in time.

The event was MC’d by two local Malaysia personalities. The event program included a speech from Zurich CEO, a speech from the King’s brother, a performance by the keepie uppies and a friendly indoor football match between a local school versing some football legends and Little League coaches. The football legends include Datuk Santokh Singh and Abbas Saad who use to play for Australia.

Wondering what a Keepie Uppie performance looks like? Watch the video below.

My job on the day was to register the media and ensure they were well catered for and comfortable. It was really good to be a part of an event and see how much preparation goes into it. We ran through the script with the MC’s at least five times.

My fellow intern Felicity and I with our 'event crew' passes.

It was interesting to see the things that went wrong that you could simply never predict. During this event the wind picked up and blowing the balloon arch over and ants infested the media desk. It made me realise no matter how much you prepare something can always go wrong on the day that you hadn’t thought of. I guess now I have experienced those things going wrong I can prepare for them at future events. Note to self, always bring extra string and fly spray to an event.

Whitney