Planning the obvious and the not-so-obvious

My public relations placement at the Department for Communities was bustling with activities to carry through and events to help co-ordinate. Taken under the wing of Senior Communications officers, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the real-life applications of public relations in the workplace. Before I knew it I was right in the middle of the action at Parliament House, helping to ensure the smooth running of a ministerial event to promote International Youth Day.

Even though it was a small invite-only event for winners of the 2009 WA Youth Awards, Youth Minister Donna Faragher and the media, it soon became clear that its success still depended on a great deal of planning. As I assisted the Community Relations officers, I heard them voice their concerns over every possible detail, such as..

• “Which door will the guests be coming from?”
• “What is the best way to arrange the seating for maximum viewing?”
• “Where are the nearest toilets?”

I found it helped to imagine myself as a young guest attending the International Youth Day event, and to think of the questions I would be asking. I probably would have wanted to find out where the nearest toilets were…and also be warned of the fact that they are unisex at Parliament House!

As public relations specialists, we also needed to make sure media opportunities were maximised to gain as much coverage as possible. Eagerly listening to the Community Relations officers at work, their comments provided some useful insights into ways to make the venue more media friendly such as...

• “Maybe we should place the DfC banners and signage behind the lectern to provide the media with good photo opportunities”
• “Would the media prefer us to close the blinds for better photos?”

By scouring all the things that need to be addressed for good event management, I realised that any simple and unforseen aspect could contribute to a bad impression of the event…and this would reflect badly on the Minister and their department. Ministerial events can be a lot of pressure! I guess the best way to address this is to plan as thoroughly as possible in the event’s lead up and set up. You particularly need to be on the ball during the event in case any mishaps occur. Then after the event you should be checking the media monitoring system for any successful (or detrimental!) coverage.

Overall, the event ended well and this was clearly due to good planning. A Ministerial Brief was required before the event to inform the Minister of a International Youth Day’s background and history, as well as the day’s speakers and sponsors, the order of proceedings, speech points and any related media releases promoting the event. Looking at how much detail went into the Ministerial Brief, there wasn’t much room for misunderstandings or errors that could be embarrassing in the media limelight.

I’m grateful to have worked alongside the Community Relations team in an event management capacity for International Youth Day. I also enjoyed listening to young ambassadors talk about their positive contributions to the community during the event. It proved to be a learning experience both on a professional and personal level.

Any other Curtin students up to the age of 25 who are interested in building their leadership, teamwork and life-skills through a variety of activities can find out more information at http://www.communities.wa.gov.au/serviceareas/youth/Pages/FundedPrograms.aspx. The Office for Youth currently provides funding to 14 community-based youth organisations through its Youth Community Service Program.

(Note to blog authors: Please excuse this late blog submission as well as others as I’m still recovering from being sick and have had problems accessing my account).

-Alana
Curtin University, Bentley