Placement Completion

When I first heard about this unit, in my first year, I associated this with slave labour! Who wants to work for free? Now, having completed my placement, I am surprised to state that this unit has been a highlight of my degree. Prior to my

placement, I had not considered developing an events-based career. However, upon completion of my placement, a career in events is definitely at the forefront of my options.

My placement at the City of Bunbury began at crunch time. I was thrown straight into the events team, who were severely understaffed.  And by that, I mean there was one events assistant, and a brand spanking new events officer, who had been contracted to organise an event to cater for an expected 6000 plus sized crowd.

I assisted with the three-day Kids festival, Kidsfest, which was held, in Bunbury, on October 5^th- 7th. I came in at the right time. In the lead up to the event, I had to verify, create and distribute individual volunteer rosters and information packages. I learned that the Public Relations Techniques second year unit, was actually very helpful. The events run sheets that we had all created were actually key documents useful in real life events. Never the less, I discovered I am able to create a cracking good run sheet on my own.

Throughout the event, I liaised with suppliers, entertainers and organised accommodation and transport for national acts, which were flown in from the Eastern States. A highlight of my placement, during Kidsfest, was being assigned as the Festival Theatre Manager. This entailed managing the daily schedule of performers, volunteers, dealing with lost children and a personal highlight, working with The Collective.

 Having not worked with any celebrity groups before, this was a chance to interact and learn about the Management Industry. I was able to run the ‘meet and greet’ sessions after the show, which exposed me to the associated problems, which came with this event, e.g. overbearing mothers, hormonal teenage girls, stolen tickets and performer injuries.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed liaising with security guards, drivers, agents and media to organise The Collectives travel, shows and the meet and greets. I enjoyed it so much that I am definitely, now, considering entering the Australian Management Industry. 

I learned so much about what I want to do and how the events industry works. I pulled fourteen hour days, improved my cardio fitness, lugging multiple boxes of equipment to and from the venue, but mostly, I experienced the feeling of completion.  The satisfaction which you gain, when you have helped plan, produce and pack-down an event that brought joy to so many peoples lives.

Enjoy it while it lasts!

As I sit here piecing together the whirlwind experience of my PR internship, I am finding it hard to believe how quickly it has come and gone. Just as I placed my foot in the door of a professional workplace, I have been drawn back to the reality of a new university semester, with assignments, tests and readings galore. However, motivating me through the final months of my degree is that I have now accumulated and applied enough knowledge to hit the ground running.

As an intern at 32dsg, I have applied theoretical concepts to client projects, developed professional and ethical practice skills, as well as experienced the demanding nature of the public relations profession.

Throughout my internship, I worked with highly recognised clients and events, namely the Department of Commerce, the Liver Foundation of Western Australia and the Omnivore World Tour. On a daily basis I put years of theory in to practice, completing media releases, facts sheets, news articles, newsletters, social media strategies, feature articles and everything in between. Applying these skills to such vast and influential clients has given me a sense of pride and accomplishment, and has assured me that my degree is relevant; equipping me with the foundations I need to succeed.

Whilst at 32dsg, I was not exposed to any ethical dilemmas; however I grasped the importance of ethical practices within the workplace. A particular example involves 32dsg client, the Liver Foundation of WA, and their new Remote Outreach Program which is targeted particularly at Aboriginal men in rural WA. As this program affects individuals suffering from illness and addiction, care had to be taken in terms of how the program was run, which professionals participated in the program, and how communication would take place. This experience subjected me to the sensitivity required for particular areas of public relations, a concept I had not yet thoroughly considered. When confronted with similar clients in the future, it is essential that I maximise my understanding of the target public, including cultural differences, health and privacy concerns and how these influence methods of communication.

In relation to professional practice, I was surprised to see the lack of importance placed on punctuality in reality (however this may be a result of the small nature of 32dsg). With such emphasis placed on promptness at university, I was shocked to see fellow employees traipsing in to the office at 10am. I was also amazed at the level of professional communication which took place over the phone. In today’s technological society, I had assumed communication took place primarily through online channels such as email and social media. I have since realised that the importance of personal contact remains paramount, and it is unlikely online forums will ever completely replace direct communication through traditional channels.

Furthermore, as 32dsg is a relatively small communications agency, I have discovered the importance of diversifying my skills across various roles. This awareness came as employees at 32dsg perform over a range of areas including event management, marketing, public relations and sponsorship. As a result, I now know that as a public relations practitioner I will not be confined by a specific job description – instead, it is likely that I will perform a range of functions that require me to be dynamic and flexible.

Reflecting on what I enjoyed most is difficult as this experience has equipped me with the skills, wisdom and confidence that I need to excel. I have begun formulating a number of contacts within the profession who have already shared more advice than I hoped for. I now have a strong perception of the public relations profession and where I wish to work, as well as a clear path for my future, including completing my Honours to ensure I am distinguished from fellow graduates. I am happy to say that there is nothing I did not like about my internship; however I would have enjoyed more experience out of the office, for instance at events or press calls.

Concluding my final blog with you, I am excited to announce that 32dsg has offered me a freelance consultancy position that will commence immediately. I am beyond excited and grateful for what this unit unveiled and I wish everyone luck who is still completing their placement. My advice to you, enjoy every moment while it lasts.

 

WORKPLACE, FIRE and the ROAD AHEAD

Completing my internship at the Confederation of Meningitis Organisation (CoMO) was a great opportunity where I had many new experiences and learnt a lot about social media and what it feels like to have a job in a non for profit organisation.

Reflecting on my time at my internship it was great to learn what it feels like to work in an office and with a close-knit team of workers. Through university we undertake group assignments where we have to work with different people and the experience from that was definitely influential in meeting knew people at my internship and working with new styles of working.

I learnt that it is very important to edit your work, and that communication is the key to success. I am happy with the work I produced and the overall experience. It was a positive time of learning and I look forward to being in a full time position.

On my last day there was a fire! Understanding the workplace is such an important part of working. Throughout my degree I was taught about working with different cultures and in different environments however I never realised how important it is to understand this. I completed my internship at the CoMO which is located in the Telethon House for Child Research. Often they have fire drills to ensure everyone knows what to do when there is a fire. Unexpectedly the fire alarm went off one afternoon and we assumed it was a drill, however there was actually a real fire in the car park. It didn’t take long for the fire department to contain the fire so we could all resume work. This was quite an exciting though scary part of my internship because had the car that was on fire blown up or spread to the building there could have been quite some damage as the building is a high risk area.  I learnt that even if you think it’s a drill you should get out because you never know what could happen if there is a real fire.

After learning many new things throughout my internship it has now come to an end. The question now is where to go from here? University prepares you for the workplace providing you with the knowledge but now it’s up to me to find a job. It’s now time to get on the road and find a path I want to go down for my future career.

-Alyce

Time to say goodbye!

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all continuing to enjoy your placements. Sadly, yesterday was my last day at PPR. I would like to take this opportunity to publically thank all of the team at PPR; everyone at PPR is friendly and welcoming which has made my internship so enjoyable. It is definitely WA’s best PR consultancy for a reason! The staff work so hard for their clients I have been proud to be an intern at PPR.

So in my final week I have been involved in a number of activities that I have never done before but before I explain all of this I would like to draw your attention to the photo above which relates to the Chinese delegation I mentioned in my last post. The shovels pictured in the photo are the same shovels I slaved over, taking of the sticky labels and making them look presentable for the groundbreaking ceremony at the Midwest mine site. I was pleasantly surprised when one of the consultants showed me the photo which featured in an article in the West Australian. It proves my point that even the little tasks help to achieve the overall goal!

Now on to the things I managed to achieve during my final week. I was able to attend Greenland Day Conference which is run by the Government of Greenland to promote their resource rich country to WA investors and other interested individuals. PPR has been able to host this event for the last two years. I had never been to a conference before attending Greenland Day so this was a very new experience for me. I was assigned to the registration table which involved not only giving out name tags but also creating name tags for those delegates who didn’t register, giving out USBs when delegates entered the business card draw as well as answering any of the delegates’ questions. I was also able to sit in on the conference for a period of time so that I was able to experience what it is like during the presentations. I found the session I attended interesting although at times the geological terms and industry terms being thrown around were hard to grasp, however I understood the general discussion. I now know what a conference should be set out like and what kinds of things need to be taken into consideration i.e. food, drinks and what to do if a speaker finishes early/late. This was a great hands-on learning experience.

Also this week I have been able lucky enough complete some writing, I hadn’t been given an opportunity yet to write any content. One of consultants asked me to complete a question and answer sheet for a journalist who had enquired about ways to liven up your garden and outdoor area for the Christmas season. This content would then been approved and attributed to the specific client. I was able to source the information from previous media releases approved by the client along with information from the client’s website. The answers I had written were only slightly changed by the consultant which was good as it shows that my writing skills are improving. Being able to write concise and consistent content requires practice so I am happy to have gained a little practice while at my internship.

Also this week I was able to experience my first large scale mail out. Luckily I was assisted by another consultant as this mail out consisted of over 600 letters to stakeholders. Even though this task is highly repetitive and time consuming, I enjoyed the change of tasks as the majority of the tasks I have been involved in have required use of a computer. It’s nice to do manual labour every now and again!

As I leave the PPR office, I reflect on the main things I got out of my internship;

1. Exceed your clients’ expectations – Clients have particular expectations of what needs to be completed. It is important to understand their expectations and go above and beyond them. By proving to your clients that you can provide outstanding results every time, they will come back with more business and ultimately create a beneficial client consultant relationship with you.

2. Networks – Never forget those you have worked with and meet along the way as they may become vital contacts into the future.

3. Laugh & enjoy it – Having a sense of humour and being able to enjoy your work is vital in having a passion for public relations.

I have also found a great article that gives some tips to us, the next generation of public relations professionals. So please take a look and keep these in mind for the future. http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/10280.aspx

Once again, I’d like to thank PPR for taking me on as an intern and giving me the opportunity to learn from public relations professionals.

I would like to wish all those completing their PR393 placement all the best into the future.

I look forward to completing my degree and securing a full time position as a public relations professional.

Best wishes,

Deanne

Bentley Campus