Coming in to the last week of my internship at Mills Wilson,
I have had the chance to take part in a lot different activities and have
learnt so many tips and tricks about PR and the industry in general. Looking
back on my time, it was hard to choose a favourite aspect of my experience to
write about.
I enjoyed developing my writing skills and having the opportunity
to write for different clients. I enjoyed seeing all the theory I had learnt
through Uni be put in to practice. I enjoyed seeing a ‘real life’ consultancy
operating in all its glory.
There was however, one PR activity that interested me the
most – event planning.
I have always loved organising – everything – and event
planning is all about organising. Perhaps I would feel a little differently if
I wasn’t just helping out on the sidelines as everyone tells me it is one of
the more stressful aspects of PR, but it really appealed to me.
During the time I have spent at Mills Wilson, they have been
organising a large event for one of their major clients.
The event is to celebrate the opening of a new shopping
precinct. It will be a community event that will be held in the shopping
precinct just a few weeks after the new stores open their doors to the public
for the first time. The event will have live entertainment, rock climbing,
tack-less train, cooking demonstrations from Anna Gare (Junior Masterchef
Judge), face painting, balloon twisting, bouncy castles, stalls and more.
The event is expected to attract around 2000 people, so it
has taken a lot of work and organising in order to make happen. Watching the
amount of effort and planning that goes in to an event like this made me
appreciate every event I had ever been to.
There are so many aspects that I had never considered before
– letters to residents, ensuring
suppliers have all necessary information and insurance, council guidelines, informing emergency services, traffic
management and the list goes on! You have to think about every little
possibility and actively account for it.
I had the opportunity to play a part in the organising of
the event by drafting media material to promote the event, constructing
supplier files, drafting letters to residents and emergency services, updating
supplier databases, and more.
All the aspects that go in to event planning and all the
things that must be considered really is enough to send your head spinning -
but for some insane reason, I loved it.
Overall, my time at Mills Wilson has been more beneficial
than I had ever thought. In the beginning I wasn’t sure what I would get out of
the experience but I have definitely taken away some valuable skills and advice
that I will carry with me in the future. It has given me a clearer view of
where I want to go with my career after Uni and I know that consultancy is
definitely on that list!
