Checklists: The Event Planning Bible

My only experience of event planning has only been at university level, where students are given hypothetical situations and simulation clients. I could go extravaganza with ideas. With unlimited budget, the sky is the limit (actually, I've also had ideas involving outer space so there is no actual limit) when it comes to event planning. While hypothetical and simulation clients in university helped give me an idea about public relations campaigns and events, experiencing an actual event and the process of pulling it together cannot get more real than running an actual event with real life clients and involving an actual budget that I have to adhere to strictly.

For some, event planning and management is second nature, perhaps even talent. I'm amazed to see bloggers here at PR393 handling tasks related to event management so smoothly, while I can't help but feel more than a little scared about event management. The upcoming event at Identitywa is not the first event that I've supported my supervisor in planning and managing, but it's still rather daunting to me.

Fortunately, the staff at Identitywa are experienced and were willing to help me out whenever I had questions. Whenever I felt lost, or didn't know what else to do, I also found that the event checklist was my map to let me know where I am at, and how far I am from my destination.

I had the opportunity to do up a checklist for this event early in the planning process. As I thought about the checklist, I was reminded to consider a few things before starting on a checklist.

Budget
In a non-profit organisation, financial resources can be limited. Thinking about deliverables can go a long way. For example, I discussed with my supervisor to consider the option of in-house printing for invitation letters as opposed to printing agencies. This would save cost and time. Of course, the quality of the invitation cards should not be compromised to save cost. It's arguable that the quality of deliverables and presentation can go a long way as well, but that's another story.

Online versions of the invitation cards can also save cost, and this is a method that will be implemented for inviting guests.

Contingencies

Back up items and contacts
Perhaps at the last minute, the food and beverage caterer may not be able to make the trip for the event. Perhaps there might be more guests than expected. What if it rains? This may be included in risk management, but it is also important to consider back up items and contacts in a check list, just to overcome possible negative situations on the day of the event.

Time
Ideally, everything should follow a schedule and its deadlines. However, things may not always go as planned. Considering extra time, or having a deadline as soon as possible may save time in case there is unavoidable holdups in the process of planning.


Having thought about these aspects when writing a checklist have saved precious resources, even though there were a few bumps along the process of managing this event. Following the checklist has also prepared enough time to iron out unforeseen circumstances in the process of planning the event. I cannot stress enough how important it is to put extra time and thought into a checklist before managing or even planning an event.

This is what the event invitation looks like. It's a private event, so I'm only showing the front of the card, and not the details at the back :)

Have I missed out anything for checklists? Do let me know what you think in the comments section :)



Regards,
Debbie Goh
15007119
Curtin University, Bentley

Corporate Identity: Yet another aspect to look out for!

It's been a while since I last blogged, simply because time and tide will wait for no man (or woman!). Tasks will not be easier either just because heavier commitments are starting to reach their deadlines. One of the bigger communication tasks that has been taking place in Identitywa is the launch of the new website. If you've recalled, my first blog post didn't include a website to Identitywa solely because it was under construction.

With a bigger role for communications as part of their Strategic Plan 2013-2016, the website has been revamped to cater to a number of issues, including accessibility glitches, extensive loading time, and inability to pop up in results of search engines.

This is how what the previous website looked like:

Below is the recently launched website.

The new website is still using its old address at www.identitywa.com.au but is much more interactive as compared to the old one. It is using a different web domain and because of that the communications team will have to export existing files for internal communications and its archive. It can cater to different target audience groups more specifically now, in terms of web content, whether clients or staff members.

As part of its Strategic Plan and direction for 2013-2016, a corporate identity has been set in place. So, the website is not the only aspect to undergo a revamp. While the website was under construction, internal magazines and brochures have also undergone a significant change according to their corporate identity, aesthetically and content-wise. 

I realise that although corporate identity is not entirely in the public relations practitioner's field, it is also important to take it into consideration. An organisation's corporate image is what makes it distinguishable from its competitors and as an organisation. An organisation's corporate identity will cover a range of specific style for choice of images, colours and even tone of written documents pertinent to the target audience. And because of that, materials published on the website have to be in sync with the corporate image. 

In terms of aesthetics, a consistent corporate image can omit a sense of trust between organisation and target audience. In terms of content, there must be a consistent tone that enables the target audience to recognise the organisation's identity. 

Overall, a public relations practitioner has to take a number of things into consideration, and the corporate identity is only one aspect out of many, many more issues. 

That's all for today! Look out for my next post about what else has been going on at Identitywa.

Regards,

Debbie Goh

15007119

Curtin University Bentley

Media Releases: Beyond the Basic Knowledge

Hello again, everyone!

The past couple of weeks have been on the faster track of work at Identitywa, and it is no exception for the public relations and communication side of work.

I have been working on a couple of media releases and it can be rather tricky when it comes to the seemingly small detail of choice of words. Language is another important part of tying the whole media release together to reduce to risk of problems in future. Although I've learnt much about writing media releases from the PR units I've taken here at Curtin, these two aspects proved me that I needed to work on this skill more to be ready for the real world. And there I thought, "Hah, it'll be an easy task, since I'm well versed in the English langauge." How wrong I was.

As a student who have been writing countless academic essays and reports with complex terms, I often forget that I am writing for a different set of audience now. Wilcox (2009) states that "college-educated writers often forget that words common to their vocabulary are not readily understood by large segments of the public" and it rings true to me. A few times, my supervisor has raised the issue to me, that my choice of words are far too complex for media release standards. I ended up having to rewrite the drafts a few more times than I usually do in university assignments.

Wilcox (2009) also gave tips on writing for media releases, that s short word--one with fewer syllables--is more easily understood than a longer one. 'Reader-friendly' words, as he puts it, simplifies the message and makes it easier for a wider audience to read.

However, it is important to keep in mind the audience and their receptiveness to the style of the media release. Keeping in mind the audience is key to writing a spot-on media release.

Stemming from choice of words is the language used for the media release. As an organisation for people with disability, it is important to use politically correct terms. Wilcox (2009) wrote that writers should be sensitive to words that may offend individuals or groups.

It reminded me of a Malaysian article I read titled "No Benefit in Being Fat" that was published both in print and online versions. The writer for the article made many remarks that were offensive, such as labeling plus-sized people "whale-like". The article created an uproar among the Malaysians, with many of them complaining to the editor of the newspaper agency for allowing such an article.

As an organisation that provides services to people with disability, writing media releases can be risky without knowing the politically correct and incorrect language. Language, and its connotations are changing constantly, and more than ever now that communication is becoming more globalised. As a result, public relations writers must be aware of these changes to make informed decisions based on factors related to the sensitivity to the audience among accuracy and clarity of communication.

I'm glad that I learnt more about media releases through this mistake. I would have never known until I practiced.

Stay tuned for more exciting posts about my placement!


Regards,
Debbie Goh
15007119
Curtin University Bentley



References:

1. Wilcox, D. L. 2009. Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques. 6th ed.. USA: Pearson International Edition
2. Shanin, S. 2013. "No Benefit in Being Fat" receives backlash from net citizens. Astro Awani, July 23. http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/no-benefit-in-being-fat-receives-backlash-from-net-citizens-18915 (accessed September 1, 2013).

Knowing Your Organisation on a Deeper Level

Hello everyone!

I’m Debbie Goh from Curtin University in Bentley, WA. This is the first week of my part-time internship at Identitywa, a not-for-profit organisation. While I have worked at Identitywa as a volunteer in 2012, I decided to work as an intern this semester to focus on the public relations aspect of the organisation.

Before anything else, let me briefly explain what Identitywa is all about. Identitywa is a not-for-profit organisation that provides support and services for people with disability. The organisation began in 1977 and is one of Western Australia’s leading agencies in this area. Their services mainly focus on supporting the needs of their clients in terms of future planning, finding a home and work alternative. However, Identitywa also makes it a point to attend to the desires of their clients, such as areas in seeking friends and community connections, developing skills for life, and family well-being.

Identitywa’s Communications Manager, Ms Tania Clarke provided me with some materials to have an idea about the organisation, and raised a few tasks that needed attention. The tasks for the week included drafting a few media releases and managing social media content. The organisation is currently implementing a new Strategic Plan from 2013 to 2016, and the public relations and communication area of this plan will have to be on the ball at all times. So, this is great timing for an opportunity to expand my learning horizons in terms of public relations work.

Before I began my placement, I realised two things that I needed to attend to in order to make the most of this opportunity. Firstly, I needed to dispel the I-am-only-a-student mentality. If I want to be ready for work, I have to be mentally ready as well. Secondly, in order to maximise my learning curve with the opportunity of a placement, I had to maximise my abilities as an intern in this organisation. By being capable of completing various tasks, I will be able to learn more, and thus gain more experience. But I was unsure of how I could be as capable as I intended to be. However, I found out the answer to that pretty quickly during my first week.

During the first week of my placement, I had quite a bit of time on my hands, so I felt that the extra time could be used to develop something bigger for the company. So I used that time to get to know the organisation a little more, in hopes that I will be able to provide some kind of input that will be useful in future. The research gave me insight to draft media releases while keeping in mind the organisation’s values, vision and mission. This helped me identify the purpose of the media release. I also came to know about ethics, codes and conventions when drafting media releases related to intellectual disability. I could go on forever about the benefits of research and how is so important, especially in the beginning, but I will summarise it to:

• you understand the organisation better, and therefore you will be in sync with their values, vision and mission
• you will be able to work with increased efficiency
• reduced risk of making mistakes related to areas such as ethics, codes and conventions

Overall, a thorough research in the beginning enables one to be contribute valuable and quality input for the organisation.

My manager was pleased with what I've come up with, which I found encouraging for me to keep giving my best. Before I began my work, my father told me to give my best wherever and for whoever I am working for. He told me, "if you are earning $1, make sure you put in a $3 effort!"

In this week alone, I learnt about the organisation and the importance of knowing the organisation/company I am working for. In the next few months, I can only imagine how much more I can learn. I'm really looking forward to the next few months of my placement!

I hope you all enjoyed reading my post. Stay tuned for my next post!

Regards,
Debbie Goh
15007119
Curtin Bentley