Sales, Marketing, Public Relations - All in One!

After having internship in my placement organisation- PackCity Everly Hotel Miri for one month, I start to understand that as an organisation which do not have a specific PR department, everyone is a PR practitioner in the hotel. The PR tasks are divided among the departments and person-in-charge according to the capability of one and another. There are no clear line between sales, marketing and PR job scope. "It's all about common sense!" this is the sentence I heard the most from my managers. They always advice me that what we learn in the university is only 'software' which we can 'top up' or change at anytime but what is important is the 'hardware', which is our personality. If your personality is attractive and you are willing to learn, the Degree that you have is just an added-on advantage for you; and I agreed that throughout my internship period till now.

As a intern for Sales and Marketing department, I also do part of the communication process particularly towards maintaining relationship with our clients. When Christmas is just around the corner, I helped my managers to prepare the list of regular clients that we need to send gift-away for and arrange with the pastry and kitchen to prepare the items such as turkey and cakes. Besides, we also start practice for Christmas songs one week before we go to our owners' office- Samling Group to do Christmas Caroling. 

During the practice in our hotel's Ruai Lounge

 

On the Christmas Eve Day, we brought lucky draw prizes and nice foods to Samling headquarter office to entertain the staffs with Christmas songs and lucky draw session. This is the first time I can sing so many Christmas songs in front of a hall-fulled of people and I can really feel that it's Christmas!

 

Christmas Caroling at Samling office

In addition, on the Christmas Day, we also entertain our hotel guest with our Christmas songs in few places in the hotel included the lobby, the lounge and the coffee house. We also have Santa Clause to go around to give sweets to the kids while we are singing.

Entertaining our hotel guests with Christmas songs at the Coffee House

Time flies, when I didn't even realize, 2014 is here. On the morning we just come back to work after the New Year public holiday, I met my General Manager and he just stand in front of me and stared at me. Just before I realize what is going on, he said "Girl! You haven't greet me 'Happy New Year'." Then, I just aware that as a Public Relations student, people expect more from us especially when it comes to festive celebration, we are expect to be more alert towards those festive greeting not only to greet our superior but most importantly our clients.

Grace Chia

Curtin Miri, Sarawak

15647544