Hey everyone!

im sad to report that im currently in my last week of my placement (thursday is my official last day at ANZ) :(.I have learnt a great deal throughout my time here and it has been a really valuable public relations experience.

I would just like to share with you the opportunity that i was fortunate enough to have on monday night. I was lucky enough to get the chance to volunteer at the West Coast Fever game, for those of you who dont follow netball the WA team played the Sydney Swifts. ANZ are a major sponsor of the WA team. My role included handing out ANZ branded clapper sticks prior to the commencement of the game, and at quarter time i assisted with the ANZ shoot for cash competition on the court. I had a great time! This opportunity really highlighted the variety of events and sponsorships that ANZ has, and the huge role that the company plays within the community. Ivana (the ANZ PR manager) was also there assisting at the game and beleive it or not she actually had to be the "Kevin ATM" mascot because one of the volunteers did not show up. i was very shocked that it was her duty to be the mascot of all things, but again this just showed me that no matter how important you are, there are always going to be things that you have to do and things (like your dignity!!!) that you might have to sacrifice in order to succeed in your job.

On tuesday i was privlidged enough to sit in on a meeting that Ivana and John Atkins (chairman of ANZ WA) had with the Perth International Arts Festival organisers. basically the meeting was about renewing ANZ principle partnership for 2011. I learnt that ANZ are the principle partners of the Summerville and Joondalup outdoor cinema film festival! it was a really cool experience as i was privy to confidential information about peformances for next year etc. I couldnt help but think of the public relation law unit that im currently studying and the importance of maintaining confidentiality between corporate partnerships.
i did also discover that while ANZ are definatly going to renew their support for next year, Ivana wanted there to be clearer ANZ branding at the cinemas as most of the feedback she got indicated that customers were unaware that ANZ is a principle partner of the festival. Again this issue reinforced the signifiance the company places on branding and repuatation.

I hope you have all enjoyed reading my posts and that everyone can keep in touch and informed about new PR experiences :)
Bye for now.

Charlotte, PR 393 Curtin Bentley