My Final Entry: The Perth Arena Experience (4)

Hello all,
my fourth and final entry in my public relations reflective blog for 2014 is going to focus on the fantastic experience and opportunity I had to be apart of the media team for the Fever's game at Perth Arena!

This game was an event the organisation had been building up to for months, and was a point of focus (and personal excitement at the opportunity) from the day I started. In the weeks leading up to the blockbuster clash, I was often involved in promotional work to build anticipation for the game, including calling fellow netball associations and writing up pieces for the game.

As the day finally approached, I was informed my role would revolve around sitting on the media bench, organising social media and assisting with the match report. All in all, this was always going to be a great chance to gain some high-level media exposure. The arena has been renowned in it's short existence as one of the best venues in Perth. It was good from a PR side of things to be involved internally, socialising with media and doing things to ensure the event runs smoothly, (as opposed to purely writing like I'd done in previous occasions studying journalism) and the combination of different elements of event-management, media relations and PR made it a fantastic experience.

During the game I was always busy doing something, and with the game moving at such a fast pace you don't always get time to catch a breath!

Sitting alongside journalists from the West, Sunday Times etc, was also a good insight into their work process. Despite the Fever's loss, the atmosphere was truly incredible.

All in all, it was an awesome night - and really proved to be one of the most important under-goings during my internship. I've had such a good time working with the people there, and I know the stuff I've learnt will be skills I can take with me into the workforce.

Thanks for reading all,
I hope my blog has given you an idea on some of the things I've had the opportunity to do while working with Netball WA!
I'd love to hear your thoughts,

Tom

Gameday - Challenges and Preperation (2)

My second entry into our reflective blog this semester, is focusing on how much I was able to learn from working during my first gameday experience for Netball WA/West Coast Fever.

The days I was involved leading up to the game, I was primarily working with community newspapers to generate coverage at a grassroots level (which certainly gave me a chance to work on the things I picked up studying Media 250), but was able to observe from a distance at all the work that goes into organising an event like this! It's actually quite staggering, there's so much to do and I picked up alot in terms of the event management techniques and skills that are utilised when planning things for gameday.

As I mentioned, this week was mostly spent getting in contact with local newspapers and trying to generate coverage, which has since seen some success and I look forward to improving my skills in this area. Liaising with journalists and building community relations is certainly a skill in PR that I've always expected would be valuable! 

I also had the chance to put my media-release writing skills to the test, and thankfully I've managed to produce some good material that has been released surrounding some exciting things the Fever have been doing in terms of sponsorship and promotion! 

I was eagerly awaiting gameday, as I knew how fantastic it would be in getting the opportunity to see how it all comes together. As I worked from the media bench, the most important thing I got out of it on Sunday (aside from seeing the Fever notch a massive win at Challenge Stadium infront of their home fans) was the ability to actively observe. I was able to see how my supervisor coordinated everything on the day, moving players and coaches to speak to Fox Sports when needed, looking after the journalists in attendance and getting them the talent they needed to write a good story post-game - as well as writing the match report as things progressed. It was all happening so fast, and a good chance to soak it all up and see how works. Although it was fast-paced and a little intense at times, I really enjoyed it. I'll be experiencing the same thing this Sunday at another home game and I can't wait.

In terms of the Public Relations aspects of my internship, I feel like I'm learning a great deal everyday. Gamedays are really only a small portion of the work that goes into a sporting organisation like Netball WA, but it was awesome to see it all come together like it did. Just having the chance to be involved with it and watch how it all goes on when dealing with players, fans and a live broadcast is something I'll appreciate. Organisation is key, and finding solutions to overcome obstacles that arise when arranging events like this is of massive importance. Hopefully there's many more opportunities during my internship to pick up the knowledge needed to have success in the PR/communications industry going forward.

Tom 

A Real Learning Curve - Putting Everything Into Practice (1)

After completing the first four days of my internship with Netball WA/West Coast Fever, I can honestly say it's already been one of the best experiences I've been apart of during my time at university. It's also one which I've been looking forward to start reflecting on. I decided to wait a few days before my first post on the reflective blog, giving myself a bit of time to settle in and soak up the first part of my internship.

Since getting in contact with the organisation, I've already had some fantastic opportunities to branch out into a professional setting and put some of my skills to the test.
By good fortune I was able to find this placement, where my background and passion in the form of sport led Netball WA to think I could be a really handy fit to work for them as an intern across the season just beginning.
I was certainly beyond excited to get involved and make a good impression.

I was determined to find placement in a sports-related organisation, and to this point it's been a great fit for me. I've been able to work in the industry that I've always wanted, but at the same time it's a step away from the usual sports that I follow and it's been a great challenge working in a different environment.
I feel like I've learnt more in four days at Netball WA than I had about netball in the past 20 years!

To reflect on some of the things I've been doing so far, my role is predominantly being apart of some exciting new community engagement projects, advocating to connect with the community media and building the organisations profile at a grass-roots level. While The West Coast Fever have a good fan-base, Netball WA has untapped potential that we're trying to unlock! I've also been busy interviewing relevant people in the release of some content for the organisation's newsletter and website.  I'm also looking forward to Sunday where I'll be assisting with media/communications on Fever's matchday too, which should be a great learning experience.
I've thoroughly enjoyed it so far, with the people who work for the organisation doing a fantastic job of easing me into the role, while giving me plenty to focus on, enabling me to develop my PR/Media skills and put them into practice! There's a good culture here, and a sense of unity that I truly appreciate it. It feels good to feel apart of the team, and I'm going to continue to learn in this new role and do my best to contribute!

Thanks so much for reading, I'll continue to reflect on my experiences using this blog as my internship continues! It's been an exciting few days thus far and I'm sure it'll only get better as the season goes on.

Go Fever!

Tom