Farewell ????

Its time to bid my farewell to my 20 days of work placement with Badminton WA. It has been a great learning experience and i have thoroughly enjoyed my time working. I must admit, at the start of the semester, i dreaded the thought of having to start my work placement. I was worried that i couldn't keep up to my boss' expectations.

But this work placement turned out to be a pleasant experience. My boss has been very patient in teaching the ropes of the industry and my colleagues have been very helpful and accommodating. I have accomplished a lot in my time as an intern with Badminton WA.

A few things that i have learnt;

1) Securing sponsorships sounds easy but........

Not at all! This is perhaps one of the hardest task of a PR practitioner; to come out with a win-win deal for both parties.

2) Once said, never back out........

As with all other professions, you are worth what you say!

3) Timeliness

Being punctual is important, plan ahead as everything in PR is about meeting deadlines.

4) Listen and do not speak.........

Unless you need to make a valid point. Being fresh graduates, we must listen and learn more than we speak.

5) Dress appropriately

We all want to look nice and presentable, don't we?

6) Be proactive and ......

Be responsive!

7) Be prepared for the 'unprepared'

There will always be something that crops up at the last minute irregardless of how well we plan it to be.

8) Always smile

A smile will go a long long way.

These are some of the many things that i learnt in my 20 days at Badminton WA. And for my good work, Badminton WA has requested for me to stay on to work for them on a casual basis, which i agreed. I hope to be learning much more even after my graduation!!! Good luck everyone!!

Best regards,
Ronald Pang

The difficulty of sponsorships

Australians love the outdoors. Be it the beach or on the field, they just love being active outdoors. When it comes to sports; footie, cricket, hockey, soccer, rugby remains the most popular sports in Australia. So when it comes to promoting a sport like badminton in Australia, it becomes a huge challenge.

In order to promote the sport, funding and sponsorship support is essential. This is what Badminton WA lacks in. No matter the amount of enthusiasm or passion shown by members of Badminton WA, it is still not good enough as financial assistance is needed to promote the sport. I have been actively involved in helping Badminton WA secure sponsorships throughout. But the answer that i get from corporates are "Badminton is not a top-tier sport".

It is very discouraging for a Public Relations student like me, someone who is highly motivated and anticipating success. I sat down with my bosses to discuss the issues and after much brain-storming, we have decided to hold a corporate league.

The success of badminton in the European region was due to the introduction of the corporate league. Badminton WA aims to take a leaf from their European counterparts with hopes for success.

Many times, the success of a PR campaign lies on following other's footsteps. Of course, innovations and new ideas are needed but it is important to observe what others are doing.

Badminton WA- Autumn Tournament

In the public relations field, event organizing is a very important aspect in establishing a successful PR campaign. During my time with Badminton WA, i have had the good fortune of over-seeing one event. The Autumn Tournament which is an annual event was held over the weekend of 16-17 April 2011.

Like many other events, this event had its challenges. One of the main challenge was to garner a good size entry field. To get on top of this, i had to diligently network around the badminton communities in Perth. Attending social sessions held by clubs around Perth was one key way of spreading awareness of the tournament. In fact, many of the tournament entry forms were disseminated through this channel. Due to the fact that Badminton WA do not have the funds to run a proper PR/Marketing campaign such as advertisements on media channels, word of mouth worked best in a small badminton community.

Another challenge was to mend stakeholders relations. Over the years, many active badminton players have decided to stop participating in Badminton WA's event initiatives. This was due to unhappiness with the way Badminton WA organized and ran the association. Many players were unhappy that previous tournaments did not have cash prizes and felt that participating in tournaments organized by Badminton WA was a rip-off. I had taken the initiative to promote the fact that from this tournament onwards, cash prizes will be offered.

The steps i had taken under the supervision of Badminton WA had been effective. The number of participants was 170 players which was a vast improvement from last year's number. The tournament was played in a competitive yet friendly manner. I had also prepared a survey form for players in order to identify the problems that might exist in Badminton WA and also the relations with stakeholders.

Overall, the campaign for the Autumn Tournament prove to be successful based on the number of participant entries.

Badminton WA

Hi, I'm Ronald Pang, a Malaysian student studying in Curtin University, Bentley campus. I'm currently in my final semester and I've been very fortunate to have found a internship placement within the organization of Badminton Association of Western Australia (Badminton WA). I am a passionate fan of the sport and to be offered a role to help promote the sport in Western Australia makes my 20 days even more enjoyable.

My first day at work was basically to touch-base with the operations and people behind the scenes. I was assigned to work under the directions of Badminton WA's executive officer, Mr Himanshu Thacker. My main role in the organization is to promote the sport through writing articles to be published in community newspapers, event organizing and also ensuring stakeholders' satisfaction.

My first task was to write an article regarding the State Under-17s team who will be travelling to Wellington, New Zealand to compete in the Under 17 Australasian Championships. It was a good feeling given i was able to put my skills acquired from my Public Relations units in Curtin University.

After completing that task, i was assigned to be part of the planning and organizing committee for the Australian Under 15 Junior Championships. The tournament to be held in Perth on 2 October 2011 will attract junior players from all over the country. The objective is to ensure the tournament goes smoothly and provide the players a fun and enjoyable experience of West Australia.

The Autumn Tournament which will be held on 16-17 April (this coming weekend) will also be part of my jobscope. I have been promoting the tournament in order to increase participations. Traditionally, tournaments organized by Badminton WA attracts 130-150 entries and i hope that with my hard work, tournament entries will increase. (Pictures and end result of my hard work will be posted up soon)

Right after this tournament, i will be back performing office tasks. I am targeting to approach a few corporate companies to be sponsors of Badminton WA. As badminton is not a top-tier sport in Australia, funding is a struggle. I will be looking forward to that challenge.

I still have another 10 days of work left with Badminton WA. And during this time, i hope to be even more productive. I hope that my 20 days with Badminton WA will be though of as a positive addition rather than a surplus to requirements.