Some days the universe seems to have the sole goal of
messing everything up for you. Today was one of those days. Things went wrong.
It is the last business day before the Clubs WA Awards for
Excellence ceremony on Sunday. For weeks the marketing and communications team
have been preparing and prepping for the evening; writing press releases,
organising table settings, writing speeches and finalising schedules. After a
short lived feeling of achievement for being ahead of schedule and seemingly
well prepared for the evening, a spanner was thrown into the works.
Upon arrival to the office this morning I had received and
email from Crown Perth (our venue for the awards) detailing the specifications
for a widescreen power point presentation to be displayed on their screens. As
it happened, the way I had carefully and meticulously formatted my presentation
for weeks was not compatible with the Crown facilities.
Days of work needed to be re-arranged before the day was
out. I frantically copied, pasted, created and adjusted ensuring that all the
information and timed animations were transferred to a new presentation. The
team was quite stressed but staying focused and ensuring I was saving each new
addition to the presentation as I went in days gone past I was able to bring
together a presentation just as spectacular as my original pride and joy.
The lesson I learned today was possibly the most valuable
thus far. Things are going to go wrong. It is inevitable. As a PR practitioner I
need to be as prepared as possible for anything that might take a turn for the
worst.
The change in formatting prompted me to think assertively
and double check if the rest of our videos, music and audio visual equipment or
items could be played at the venue. After a discussion with the events manager
of the ballroom I was assured we would be fine. I knew forward planning and
organization were important but this internship has made me value the two qualities
more than anything.
Watch this space for information on how the awards night
plays out and whether or not I run into any more disasters.
