A Day in the Life

One of my favourite things about the PR Internship Reflective Blog is that, as our internships are across all different industries, every week (and day!) of ours differs so much. I really love reading everyone's blogs and seeing what you're all doing, and while I've spoken about the two events we're working on at the moment, I've not really gone into detail about what a day in my internship involves... so what better time than now to do it?

Gratuitous picture inclusion - tick.

Monday, 3rd October 2016

8.10am: I arrive at work. We all have flexi-time, and so I can start my day between 7.45am and 9.00am. As we have an informal office meeting on Mondays at 8.30am though, I try to get there at least 15 minutes early to grab a quick coffee and check my emails and the work SM accounts.

8.30am: Office meeting. We're only a small office with a very close team of about 20, and after the formalities each department will give a quick run-down on what they've been up to. Our CEO is really great and cracks a few jokes throughout the meeting - laughter is the best way to start a Monday off right!

9.00am: The booking window for the Youth & Community Justice Conference has now officially closed, so I log in to TryBooking and export the booking data. I also make sure the system has actually closed off the booking - we definitely don't want any late bookings as numbers need to be finalised so we can confirm numbers with our caterers and printer. As it happens, we field a few calls over the day with people wanting to book late (AHHHH!) - we make it work, but I feel sorry for the people down the line that it affects. My boss and I confirm with one another that after today, we will no longer make exceptions for late bookings.

9.10am: I compile all the booking data for this event and our 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner into a spreadsheet in preparation for our meeting with our CEO. My boss and I also quickly update the final numbers into our budget spreadsheet, as we're paying on-consumption for some of the components of our event and the final guest number affects the final projected cost. I double-check dietary requirements and who has RSVP'd to sub-events within the Conference (the Sundowner and the Breakfast with the Police Commissioner), and print everything in preparation for a meeting at 10.30am.

10.00am: WA PCYC is producing a lift-out with the West Australian (to be published Wednesday the 26th October), and so I go over the final story briefs and draft copy one last time before sending them off to our journalist, who will re-work them for us.

10.20am: I grab another coffee and head to the boardroom to prep for our meeting.

10.30am: My boss and I meet with our CEO and his PA about the upcoming events. We confirm details for final site visits before the events, go over the projected final budget for the Conference and go over who has RSVP'd. We confirm the room layout and who will be responsible for which of the final nitty-gritty tasks we have left to complete for both the Gala Dinner and the Conference.

12.00pm: The meeting has finished and I head back to my desk to review the accommodation list the Group Booking Coordinator at Crown has just sent through (of course, just that little bit too late for me to take to the meeting). There are a few changes that need to be made, so I send them through. We go back and forth over email as she's having issues with her system, but we get there eventually.

12.50pm: Lunch! I'm supposed to take a half hour, but lately it's been so busy that I've eaten lunch at my desk... who said PR was glamorous?

1.00pm: I continue replying to emails from staff and volunteers - with 20 Centre locations across WA and about 15 Blue Light Disco locations, I get multiple requests for posters, DL flyers, banners and other signage each week. Normally I try to create a unique poster for each event, but lately I've been relying on templates I've made previously as I just don't have the time! I also start designing some metal signage for one of our centres and get some quotes from our printer.

2.00pm: The rest of my afternoon consists of scheduling some SM posts, starting to write two media releases and liaising with suppliers about the final touches for our two events. Our table decorations for the Gala Dinner also arrive, and most of the office gathers round to see what we'll be creating. 'Ooohs' and 'ahhhhs' abound, so hopefully this is a good sign!

4.15pm: I was supposed to finish 5 minutes ago, but I like to spend the last 15 minutes of my day creating a new to-do list for the next day - I find that if I don't, I forget what I need to do by the time the next morning rolls around.

4.30pm: Home time!


This coming week, I'll be doing the final site visits for the two events, so I'll try to grab some photos for you all and will include them in my fourth and final post (which I'll put up on the weekend of the 29-30th October, after the events have run). Good luck with the final four weeks of the Uni semester, guys and girls! I can't believe we're almost done...


'Til next time,
Jess.