Network Ahead!

One of my earliest memories as a young Curtin PR student back in 2010 was my tutors fervor in ensuring we learnt how to 'network, network, network!'

I remember thinking back at how tedious this "networking" business sounded and my head swam with visions of suited men and women discussing topics beyond my realm of first year knowledge. 

This may have attributed to my severe lack of networking experience until I started my work at my current job/internship placement at the not-for-profit organisation MWLP in Campbelltown, NSW.

I was to learn (and quite quickly at that) the power and significance of networking for the not-for-profit. For many NFP organisations the budget left over for marketing and communications can be small and it is the role of the person in charge to try to stretch this as much as they can.
Networking is a budget saving and personal way a NFP can work to circulate their brand within the community at a fraction of the cost! Business owners and professionals will often take a keen interest in hearing what you do and if dome right, remember your name (and hopefully your organisation) in the future.
Moreover, networking is that perfect opportunity to make industry contacts and meet with people who represent organisations you may want (or need) further contact with in the future.
When offering forward a proposal, having that personal contact with a person can be invaluable, particularly in the case of a NFP seeking something in return.

I am proud to say that to this date I have hosted over 40 networking events and have attended just a many, if not more. The contacts and relationships I have made and maintained during these events has been invaluable to me personally and professionally and my trepidation for these types of events is a thing of the past. 

Kirby Scanlan - Blog Post #1 The Deep End....

My first day of my internship was Momentum Forum Events’ first big event of the year. So when I say I was thrown in the deep end... I mean it. I arrived early to the office and was immediately sent to a computer to return emails and then write a media release (not 24 hours ago I had told Barbara (founder and CEO of Momentum in my interview that media releases were probably my weakest PR skill so either she was putting my skills to test straight of the bat, or she was just too stressed to care). After I did that, she proofed it and it was sent straight off to channel 7, ABC and SBS. In the hope that one or all of them would show up at the event later that day. 

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I then drove myself to the PCEC where I met other interns and got straight to work on the 400+ gift bags. By the time we had finished them it was almost time for the event to start. It was quite exciting and glamorous, Barbara along with the MC and Charlotte Dawson (who was this year’s testimonial speaker) were getting their makeup done by Saviour Faire (major sponsors of the event) and once all the “ important people” got taken care of, we all got to get some bright lipstick put on us too (Momentum’s event trademark)! Soon after, people started arriving in herds and our next task was to usher people to their correct seats, we had a massive seating chart which we all had access too but not too soon after the first person got seated that we realised that there were A LOT of mistakes on the seating chart, as well as guests wanting to sit with friends etc – this, I found was quite stressful, mainly because not having worked on the lead up to the event and not having helped with the seating chart or was familiar with the guest list, I felt like a fish out of water and struggled with ideas on how to rectify the situation, but we got it sorted eventually, it just meant that, before  the event had already started, we were already running at least 30 minutes behind schedule. 

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The rest of the day was much more calm and organised, I helped with the drawing of the raffle and the live auction and got to sit and take in the whole event. I must admit, I have done lots of work experience before for many different large and small companies, and I have never been so looked after as I have at Momentum. All the volunteers get a table AT the event, in the ballroom with everyone and we get the same three course lunch as all the guests, which I was very impressed with. I got to listen to and later meet Charlotte Dawson, whose speech was very moving and inspiring and at the end got to meet some of Barbara’s clients and have a glass of champagne with herself and her family to end the successful day. 

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I felt this was a great start to the internship, and although I realised (of course) that everyday wasn’t going to be like this, It really made me excited for the next event and to actually be there from the very first promotion or media release all the way up to the event day and then see that through, it also gave me a very detailed insight into the great work that Barbara and Momentum does for different causes and made me very honored to get to be a part of it. 

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