Well-played internship, you were a real spectacle

Hola Amigos,

And that’s a wrap… last week marked 22 days and 11 weeks interning in the energetic team, that is HBF. All I can say is, what an experience!

Whilst it was an extremely busy time mastering how to study full time, continue working and also give me absolute all to my internship, I am truly sad to be leaving a team that I have learned so much from.

So let’s recap… I honestly could not have imagined having a better internship experience. From day 1, the team were so welcoming, helpful and willing to teach me whatever they could to fulfil my time with them. I got to be part of three truly rewarding events (the surprise video, T-shirt Day and the HBF Run for a Reason) that were filled with energy, positive messages and giving back to the community. Playing an active role in the lead up and throughout each of these events, made me realise how being proud to work for a company and resonating with its values, will make your so much more willing to work to the best of your ability for them. 

The most valuable lessons I've learnt throughout my experience:
- How to tweak your writing style for certain audiences (from social media, crisis communication prep statements, to feature stories in The West)
- You won’t always have the answers, so don’t be afraid to ask questions
- Know the relationship PR has with other departments and collaborate
- Build and nurture relationships – the industry really is so small
- Be yourself – let this reflect in your work and your communication with others

Spending my last day with the team was lovely, but had moments of sadness. They shouted me to lunch (Japanese, yum!) and all signed a card leaving lovely and encouraging messages (I won’t lie, they drew a tear or two). It truly made me feel like whilst it was a fantastic experience for me, my contributions to the team were also valued.

Well it was entertaining feeling like a little executive wearing my badge, but it’s time I hang her up and reflect on my time with HBF and how I can best prepare for what’s next. While I still have a semester to complete before graduation, but I am eager to gain as much industry experience as I can to continue learning and become a valuable contender for a career in PR.

Fellow interns, it’s been an absolute pleasure. I have gained so much insight this whole experience; from the intern itself, critically thinking for myself and reading about your experiences which have all helped me to evaluate what path I would like to take in the future. I hope it has also been invaluable for you.

Good luck and god bless,
Ashleigh

31,000 participants, 31,000 different reasons – 1 unforgettable experience

I've go to pinch myself that I was part of the ‘HBF Run for a Reason’ that took place on Sunday 24 May. Over 31,000 Western Australians participated, each with their own reason. On the day I was managing HBF’s Instagram and Twitter accounts to ensure there was real-time posts of the event. It sounds easy enough, (Instagram for work, hell yeah!) but a lot of thinking went into each post to ensure different groups were targeted, that the picture or tweet captured the essence of HBF and its objectives of the day, not to mention  being careful not to ‘overkill’ the newsfeeds.

7:30AM marked the start of the first race – the first ever half marathon for HBF. My preparation time started much earlier. After a restless sleep (anxious I would not wake up or would make a critical error on the day), I got out of bed in the pitch black and made the commute into the city on my push bike, battling against the blistering cold wind. I arrived to see thousands of participants already preparing for the 21.1km run. Okay, it was crunch time. Time to start capturing ‘in the moment’ photos of the various sights and runners. I was so nervous to post my first picture and tweet without any guidance, however I got a great shot of the first race at the start line and shared this to social media. 

Sunrise saw more participants and spectators merge from far and wide covering the town in blue. The atmosphere was simply electric. While it was fantastic fun, it was also important to maintain focused about what had to be done while also helping people, answering questions, giving directions and making sure everybody was enjoying the day.

I had the privilege of being in the lead car heading the 4km run. We mapped the way to the finish line where I was exposed to even more hype amongst thousands of people at the finish line. There were fantastic stalls set up and it was important that I captured these to show the measures that HBF had gone to facilitate such a fantastic event for the community.

The event was an absolute thrill that taught me many valuable lessons:
- The importance of being organised prior to an event
- Have a plan in mind, but be open to change if necessary
- Ensure phone is fully charged when running social media channels!!!
- Know the area you are working and important points on the map
- Not everybody works well under stress, but it’s important note to retaliate
- Smile and enjoy the experience

Seeing thousands of people smiling and having fun made the early starts, the commitment and the moments of stress truly worth it. I could not account for such a rewarding experience; to be part of something that means so much to so many people. It is something that will stay with me for a very long time and I feel very proud to have been part of the magic.


Follow the magic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gewYvLdvXpQ

Confessions of a rookie blogger

Hello fellow PR Intern bloggers,

I have to fess up about something and there really is nothing to excuse it; I have had major troubleshooting problems with the blogging link, and it is almost unforgivable that I’ve turned a blind eye to submitting my entries until the very last minute. Literally. However I have been keeping these blog posts up my sleeve for some time and I thought I ought to share with you before it is too late. Again, I do apologise. Okay here we go…

17 March marked my first day interning with HBF. Starting in a new company as a minion, of course I was ultra nervous but also excited at the same time. I got to work on time (phew) and waited to be taken up to Level 4 – where all the public relations magic happens. Wow, the buzz in the office was electric; like no other work environment I’d been part of before. There were plenty of new faces to meet and greet, but there experience was made all the less daunting as the team were so friendly and welcoming.

It is an exciting time for HBF at the moment, as there is a great sense of run fever with the much anticipated ‘HBF Run for a Reason’ taking place Sunday 24 May. For some, I’m sure this comes with bundles of stress but it’s been great to see what happens behinds the scenes of an event that attracts thousands of West Australians.

My first few days, I was taken under the wing of HBF’s social media guru. Many tricks of the trade were taught about putting together punchy posts to please the audience. I will admit, that writing succinct has never been a strong suit of mine so it did pose quite the challenge.

HBF have just released their first ever fitness training app to coincide the fun run in May. I was given the job to use the social media channels to promote the new app, and it looked a little like this…

Facebook  post 

Tweet

My tips for using social media platforms in business:
- Get to the point
- Be friendly, not formal
- Use positive and motivational language
- Make sure information is clear
- Exclamations are okay here and there, but avoid emoticons
- You only have few characters, use them wisely!

Well that’s it from me for me now. So far I've loved the intern experience and am looking forward to the next few weeks ahead!

I shall keep you posted

Ashleigh