Do You Even Event?

I can't believe it's Week 12 already! Uni is (almost) over, classes are finished and the two events I've been rabbiting on about all semester - the WA PCYC 75th Gala Dinner and the Youth & Community Justice Conference - have both been and gone. I was lucky enough to complete my internship at my place of employment (I work for WA PCYC as their Marketing Assistant 30 hours per week), so I have been working on those two events since February! These were my first big-budget events (so it was a steep learning curve) and I wish I had known what to expect as I feel it really would have calmed my nerves in the lead-up to the big days.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a mini-diary of what went down over the three days, so here goes...

Tuesday 25th October: WA PCYC 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner

Things they don't tell you #1: sometimes you'll have to put on really different hats
(in this case I became the in-house graphic designer).

 The WA PCYC 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner was scheduled to start with pre-dinner drinks at 6.30pm on Tuesday 25th October, but our day started much earlier than that, as we also had the Youth & Community Justice Conference the two days after this to set up for, too! We thought we would have plenty of time to set everything up for the Conference at Burswood on Swan (including an AV run-through) before we received access to Crown's Astral Ballroom at 4.00pm, and while we did, we didn't anticipate it to be such a tight squeeze! Due to unforeseen technical difficulties, the AV run-through took so long, and we ended up having only 45 minutes to shower and get ready in the hotel suite before we had to be at the Astral Ballroom to set up for the dinner. This is where I learnt an important lesson: whatever time you anticipate something to take, add another 25% onto it so it doesn't totally throw you off schedule!

Thankfully though, we got to the Astral right on time and commenced setting up the centrepieces (since we designed our own instead of hiring). With 217 attendees, it wasn't a small feat, but we had a small army of volunteers (including our incredible CEO) who ensured everything was placed to perfection while my boss and I sorted out this event's AV requirements with the technician. The AV run-through went really smoothly, and we even had time to pop back up to our rooms to freshen up before the event started at 6.30.

The table setup for the WA PCYC 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner

Like any event, I assume, there were things that didn't go to plan (like one act who was supposed to only have a 10 minute slot taking 30 minutes and going waaaaay off-brief), but this is where a great AV tech and an even better MC are worth their weight in gold; neither blinked an eye and the event carried on seamlessly. After the formalities finished at 9.30pm, everyone cut loose on the dance floor (including our centre managers, our Board President and the Chief Financial Officer). It was a really great night and all my pre-event stress was for nothing.

Wednesday 26th & Thursday 27 October: Youth and Community Justice Conference

Once the Gala Dinner finished, my boss and I managed to get a couple of hours sleep before we were up and off to Burswood on Swan for the first day of the Youth & Community Justice Conference. Aside from 30-off internal WA PCYC staff, attendees included 30 interstate and international PCYC/Blue Light, other youth services providers and government agencies. We had some really fantastic speakers across both days, but Day 1 was certainly jam-packed; we had a member of the Police Pipe Band kick the day off with a beautiful solo performance as a nod to WA PCYC's connection with WAPOL, and then the Deputy Premier and Minister of Police, the Hon. Liza Harvey, delivered the opening address before other speakers took to the stage. Our Day 1 speakers included:

• A representative from ASIO;
• Chief Justice of WA, Wayne Martin AC QC;
• Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission CEO, Chris Dawson;
• Director of the Bullshift group, Andrew Horabin.

Unfortunately I didn't get to listen to much of their presentations as there was always so much to do, but we did have some media at the event, with the CJs comments appearing on page 12 of the West Australian the next day. 

'Save kids from jail': The Chief Justice of WA's comments at the Youth & Community Justice Conference
appeared in the West on the 27th October 2016.

 On Day 2, the Commissioner of Police gave a key note address after a delicious breakfast. The media was again there, and you can read an article relating to the CoP's comments in the West Australian here and in the Kalgoorlie Miner here. The second half of Day 2 was an internal summit, where international and interstate PCYC/Blue Light organisations shared their trials, tribulations and successes. These information-sharing sessions usually happen once a year and are always so valuable for all involved.

Unfortunately I didn't get many photos of this event, but I did get some lovely ones of the view of the Swan River from our Sundowner on the night of Day 1!

The hard work was worth it to get this view!

 All in all, I really enjoyed planning and executing these events. I'm not sure if I'd want to spend my entire career in events management, but it's certainly an interesting segue from my usual role.

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So, I guess this is it; now we're heading out into the real world. Go forth and conquer it, my fellow PR interns. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future brings us in our careers.

'Til we meet again,
Jess.

Beyond this internship – CTI

The semester is almost over and I’m finally going back home for the holidays. This module has motivated me to pursue another PR internship instead of laying around for the next four months. It would be another great opportunity if I would get the chance to work within the same industry that is aviation or tourism while the skills and knowledge from my current workplace is still ‘fresh’ in my mind. Unfortunately there is only one aviation headquarters in Seychelles; Air Seychelles-Etihad Airways, which means that the chance of working within this industry is very limited. My goal for this internship will hopefully to secure a job placement when I complete my studies in July 2017.

My internship is still ongoing after the 20 days and I am grateful that my Supervisor wants me to back after the holidays that is from March-July 2017. I said yes because I was proud of myself for getting the call back and felt appreciated for my work but now that I have time for myself, next semester will be my last and I don’t want added stress or having to juggle multiple assignments both for work and university. The past month and a half was really stressful and I found myself indulge in work and neglecting school work compared to the attention I use to give.

So what do you think I should do? Any advice on whether I should do both or stick to school?

My current pros;

·        • Work experience is of more value nowadays during job interviews

·        • Many students are part timers, I can do it too lol

·        • It is my dream industry and I love working for them

Overall I was pleasantly surprise with this module; PR Internship, from my placement to the tasks I completed and lessons learnt. I remember the first day like it was yesterday, I had butterflies in my stomach the whole morning of because I was thinking of the worst scenarios. This internship has also reassure me of my decision to be a PR practitioner and think beyond being merely an employee. The excitement of having to brag to my next interviewer about all the skills and tasks I am capable of doing, especially since some PR tasks were for international brand names such as Air Asia and Air France. This was really the chance of a lifetime to have my first ever work experience in a prestige company and I am thankful to Curtin for initiating such unit. My CV, LinkedIn profile and my professional reputation is finally starting to be of value within the PR industry.

Don’t forget to leave some advice in the comments below and all the best with the report. x 

Adulting during this internship - CTI

This post is about things I find myself doing differently ever since this internship initiated. I am an international student, living on my own hence I know the daily mundane routines of the stereotypical ''grown up''. This infographic presents an overview of the professional routines I've grown accustomed to during my internship hence shaping my adult self.

A Change of Scenery

Hey everyone,

Today’s reflection is dedicated to the somewhat unconventional workplaces I’ve worked in for the duration of my internship. I don’t think I would be alone in thinking ‘internship’ and having my mind go straight to a large office space, cubicles, a copy room and coffee runs. So I was pleasantly surprised to be welcomed into two relaxed environments over the semester.

Firstly, working for an entrepreneur that generally works from home means no official office or workspace. Although rather than me and the other interns going to her home, we did most of our work at the Wanneroo Business Association (WBA) located at the Enterprise House. This provided a positive experience, it allowed us four to work closely and collaborate as well as take our lunch breaks and chill out together.

At times it hardly felt like work as I was completing tasks while enjoying the company of Mikayla and my fellow interns which I am extremely grateful for! The relaxed environment combined with Mikayla’s mentoring style made for an experience equally educational as it was enjoyable.

When the WBA was too busy or not an appropriate environment on certain days, Mikayla, myself and my intern buddies Ophelia and Simone, would simply pack up and head across the road to the Wanneroo public library. One of the great advantages of working from home or providing services solely online like Mikayla, is that you can pick yourself up and set up your office anywhere essentially (with a wifi connection). The change of scenery was a positive, and in our case, conveniently located above Cafe Elixir should any of us need a mid-afternoon pick me up!

See below the spacious corner of the library we called our own one Thursday, featuring Ophelia our graphic design intern.

Thanks for reading everyone!

-Bianca

The Great Stationery War of 2016

It all started when I came into work and saw that someone had been at my desk. No, that's not true. They hadn't just been 'at' my desk, but instead had raided and pilfered it of stationery. My stapler had disappeared. My pens were missing. Someone had moved my notebook.

Let the war begin.

 So naturally, I saw red. I gathered my troops. Wars raged. It was decreed that if the culprit was identified, they would be sacrificed on an altar to the gods of Officeworks. Civilisations rose and fell... and then I realised that I'd actually packed everything away the night before so the cleaners could do their thing after I left. Welcome to being so stressed you literally forget what you've done only 14 hours prior.

My official military portrait, painted during the Great Stationery War of 2016.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I'm doing my internship at my usual place of work and in October we have two massive events coming up. The first is our 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner and the second is the Youth and Community Justice Conference, both of which will be attended by high-profile delegates from WA, interstate and overseas. Besides being very involved in planning and coordinating the events, I've been coordinating the group accommodation booking through our accommodation provider - this has been taking up the bulk of my time for the last week, as I've liaised with corporate travel agents and our provider to ensure our delegates receive the highest standard of service possible. On top of a full course load at Uni, this has left me stressed, frazzled and feeling very "on edge" (hence being prepared to go to war - even jokingly - with my incredibly lovely colleagues over stationery). There is definitely a teaching moment thrown in here though: the importance of taking care of yourself.

Will Ferrell has your back.

In our field, not only do we work hard (of course), but when we're representing clients we always need to be 'on'; whether we're fielding calls during a crisis or doing one last check on our clients' social media accounts before we go to sleep, work has the opportunity to begin to take over every waking moment of your life (and sleeping moments too, if you're like me and dream about work). As great and productive as it can make us feel, that's also the fastest way to burn out and start to lose your passion and spark. So, to that end, I've decided to implement two self-care strategies and I thought I'd share them here - maybe they'll help you too.

1. Unless it is a dire emergency, I'm putting my phone down an hour before I'm going to go to bed. No checking emails, no checking social media mentions... nothing. Just tech-free bliss so I get a chance to wind-down and get some 'me' time.

2. I'm putting a ban on caffeine after 3.00pm; after that time, caffeine starts to interfere with a good night's sleep, and the last thing a stressed-out PR practitioner needs is to be sleep-deprived as well. Plus, I find caffeine makes me jittery and anxious if I consume too much - definitely not conducive to being able to switch off!

Tell me, how are you guys coping with the stress of work and uni?

What are your strategies for unwinding and 'switching off'?

Make sure to let me know!

'Til next time,
Jess.

Trying to sum it all – [So Far] Experience overload!

Isn’t it incredible how time flies? I am already at my last week as an intern at Flymates and to be honest I feel nostalgic about leaving the workplace. Without any doubt, my placement has enabled me to develop the Public Relations skills learned at University and acquired real-life experience. But above this; there is also the workplace experience which we sometimes neglect to talk about – the workplace values, ethics and behaviors acquired.

Public Relations tasks done [so far].

•   Newsletter
• Trianon career and guidance fair event plan
• Rose Belle Rotary club fair event plan
• Banners design
• Video creation
• Roadshow event planning for 2017
• E-mailing, phone calls
• Official letters drafting
• Facebook event page creation for Trianon
• Instagram page creation
•   Local press lists
• Media Audit

20 days have passed and I have already contributed in the above tasks.  I remember how calling people were stressful at first or how I was lost when having so much work to do at once.
The Flymates team and my supervisor helped me a lot in planning and scheduling my tasks and apart from the PR skills acquired and developed all along the journey, I now recognize that the key to evolve in a workplace is in establishing a good relationship with the team.

Apart from establishing a good relationship with the team, I recommend everyone to never underestimate themselves due to lack of experience in the PR sector. Do have the courage to propose new techniques , new ideas, new visions and do things differently but neatly.

Happy that my proposal for an Instagram account was accepted 

Tools used [so far]:

• Basecamp
•  Photoshop
• Corel
• Visio
• Canvas

Here are some tools which I used so far. Basecamp is the online project management tools used by Flymates team to communicate. At first it was a headache for me to understand it but now I acknowledge the importance of having an online communication platform between colleagues and would recommend every business to settle one for internal communication.  I have also learned to use new tools such as Corel for designing newsletters and visio for designing procedures. It is always good as a PR person to learn using new tools. And no need to say that Canvas really helped me creating quick teasers for events Facebook page!

Some workplace values, ethics and behaviors learned [so far].

Dedication and commitment.

I learned that dedication to your work is paramount. It is what increases productivity and quality of work.  I learned that commitment to a task reinforces the team and supervisor’s positive opinions about me and makes it easier for them to trust and assign to me new responsibilities.

Teamwork and cooperation.

Teamwork is the key to evolve in a business. At Flymates I saw some clashes between team members but what I learned is that even if some colleagues do not share affinities with each other, they respect their work enough to work in team and makes the most of it.

Integrity and reliability.

An important work ethic which I learned is integrity and reliability. To be honest and to have strong moral principles is paramount and even more in the PR sector. It does not only show dedication but reveal the personality and character of someone making him/her a reliable and trustworthy colleague.

So far, I hope that, like me, you are enjoying your workplace experience and remember: 

The expert in anything was once a beginner – Helen Hayes. 

Doralie Lebrasse.
18044151
CTI

Where Worlds Collide: The Marketing & PR Overlap

Tweet this quote now! 

When I first started my PR & Marketing degree, I always imagined that these two majors would rarely overlap in the real world. How wrong I was! I'm currently completing my internship at my place of work - I work 30 hours a week as the Marketing Assistant at WA PCYC - and my role has really proven how much all communications roles are intertwined. Even though PR isn't even included in my job title, about 50% of my role could be considered PR-based activities.

For example...

• I manage 1 Twitter page and 3 Facebook pages, and then oversee another 19 Facebook pages that our individual centres also have access to.
• I write media releases regularly and liaise with (mostly local) media most weeks - we need to have a great relationship with local media as our centres are scattered all over the State.
• With the above also comes maintaining media distribution lists, tracking which stories were picked up and ensuring we have copies for our records, which I'm also responsible for.
• I'm accountable for producing WA PCYC's bi-monthly newsletter, Intervention (which I'm excited to say will be getting a fresh new look soon!).
• I am currently on a three-person planning team for WA PCYC's 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner, which involves working closely with our internal stakeholders and various suppliers.
• I'm also on a three-person planning team for the 2016 Youth and Community Justice Conference, which will be held in October. The Conference boasts speakers like WA Police Commissioner Dr Karl O'Callaghan, Chief Justice of WA Wayne Martin AC QC, ACIC CEO Chris Dawson APM and the 2IC of ASIO, so stakeholder management is essential.
• For the above two events, I'm responsible for creating and implementing a PR plan to maximise ticket sales and secure media coverage of the events. I've also designed the invitations and programs for both events.
• Even in the more marketing-type duties I do, my PR skills are so valuable - you're not taught how to write succinct yet engaging copy in your marketing degree.

Since the cross-over between disciplines and duties can be pretty large (especially when you're working in an in-house comms role), I think having extra skills can always be helpful and can even give you a bit of an edge in interviews! If there were 3 tips I could give first year PR students, they would be:

1. Learn your way around the Adobe Suite.
   Having a basic knowledge of InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator will help you so much! I know that we now have Canva for creating social media tiles, but I sometimes find some of my favourite fonts aren't supported by the platform - plus it's not a photo-editing software. Adobe offers a great deal on their student subscription, so it's worth checking out. There are heaps of free tutorials on Youtube to help you on your way.   
2. Learn how to read and code basic HTML.
   I'm not saying that you need to know how to code an entire website, but even knowing how to insert a picture or create bold text through code will put you in good stead. In fact, while formatting this post I had to go in to the HTML editor to override the rich-text "compose" mode, as it wasn't formatting the way I wanted it to look. Codecademy has some FREE basic courses you can take if you're unsure where to start.
3. Learn how to use different communications platforms.
   MailChimp, SurveyMonkey, PRWire and Hootsuite are just some of the platforms you'll encounter in your travels, and if you're a proficient user of them you'll be making your bosses life so much easier. Plus, if your boss hasn't used that specific platform before, you've now got a unique skill to bring to the table. Win-win! 

Tweet this quote now!

I'm by no means professing to be an expert, so I'd love to learn from you!
What are your top three tips for PR students/graduates to help put them a step above their competition? 

'Til next time,
Jess.

The Search for The One

Credit: Anna Ginsburg (http://annaginsburg.tumblr.com/)

People often say applying for an internship is difficult, however I found the search for the type of internship the hardest part. In my first blog post, I wanted to share my experience with the processes involved in finding the right internship.

After interning around town and figuring out what I don’t want to be doing after graduation, the search for the industry I wanted to try next was proving a very hard task. With a PR degree there are so many options! From media advising in politics, to events management in fashion, and strategic planning for the government – the possibilities are endless.

The great thing about interning is that you can try out different fields (with little risk) and see where your interests lie.

After months of consideration (and probably procrastination and some help from this Tedx Talk), a couple of days before semester started I decided on the arts for my industry placement, and narrowed it down to performing arts. It gave me a lot more motivation once I figured out what I truly wanted to pursue.

I researched a little online, but figured that I wanted to work at an organisation that is less well-known in Perth.

With my interest in contemporary dance and the not-for-profit sector, I called up my organisation and asked whether they took on interns (knowing that an admin person usually answers and the standard response is “email us your CV”). In the email that went along with my CV, I pitched myself in a brief summary of my skills and exactly what I wanted from an internship with them, and didn’t beat around the bush.

I think a good tip is to research an organisation and kind of figure out what area they are potentially lacking in, and try and sell yourself for a position that would help with that, as they’ve probably realised they need help in that area too.

Anyway, discussing my role with the executive director was really interesting and has shown me that a lot of people see PR and marketing as the same thing (Maybe I should have shown him this) . It was good to clearly talk about my role beforehand and confirm exactly what I can bring to the organisation, what they can do for me and projects I would be working on within the PR department.  

Maybe you had a completely different process of going about finding your internship? Let me know in the comments! This is just some food for thought for future PR industry placement students, which I hope is helpful for the initial stages of finding somewhere to get experience.

Tl;dr: Don’t be discouraged if you don’t exactly know where you want to go, take time to figure out what interests you, research the industry and pitch yourself.  

- Aimee

Cue Reality Check

To say that I have been thrown in the deep end would be an understatement.

But it's not the workload that has me shook, nor is it the environment I find myself in each week. It is instead what I have discovered about myself just four weeks into my placement with Mikayla and my two intern buddies; I have learnt more about myself than ever.

Working at a boutique consultancy and for Mikayla’s own businesses I have been given an invaluable insight into what is actually involved in not only running your own business, but an in-depth knowledge of what PR involves in a ‘real world’ situation.

Aside from what I’m quickly learning about the industry, my placement has also forced me to learn a lot about myself and how I operate in a professional environment after 2.5 years in a classroom environment. The most standout realisation is that I have some serious time management issues, something that I once thought was a strength of mine. This realisation meant a not so productive first two weeks and resulted in only productive weeks from then on, which I can appreciate as it meant I had no choice but to focus, re-evaluate my work habits and make some changes for the long-term.

The dynamic in our workspace is more relaxed than a typical professional environment which means Mikayla is able to work alongside us as more of a mentor and relay her experiences as a Marketing/PR professional which has been invaluable. Her emphasis on the importance of both social media and organisation have helped influences decisions I make while working with her, and everything social-media related we’ve learned from Curtin is starting to make sense to me now. No wonder every assignment involved a social media aspect or we took a unit dedicated to the use of different social media platforms (Transmedia Storytelling).

I’m eager to continue my internship and see more of what I’ve learned in theory come to life in front of me as PR in the ‘real world’. 

See attached: our very cute, very authentic workspace decor. One of Mikayla's brands Broadspace is a communal workspace which is currently where we work. 

Unconventional workspace(s)

I have been very fortunate and grateful to been offered an internship position in Coogee Beach Surf Life Saving Club. Not because I can *finally* find an internship placement, but because it is an area in which I know I am familiar with and also a field in which I am passionate in. I knew from day one of enrolling to this PR internship unit, that I want to have a placement in which I am passionate in; not just another placement to gain the marks and graduate in. Even though my current job as a state teams manager and project officer at Rowing WA can probably count as an internship placement, I want to open up my opportunities for the future.

Similarly to the current job, it is a sporting organisation in which dedicated volunteers and part-time staffs is the main key to the success of this entity. This means that mainstream work-spaces (read: cubicles) is not an option and you will have to do tasks in which are not in your job description. For some, this may be troublesome... but not for me. Am up for the challenge. I guess my current job and other past experiences have set me up for this mentality, in which I am extremely thankful for. Over the past couple of weeks, I find myself trying to juggle both of these jobs and also other club committee stuff that I am involved in. If I say it has been a smooth sailing week, then I will be lying. However, I have managed to find a way in which can satisfy all parties (and bosses) - with the permission of supervisors and due to the limited space in my internship placement venue, I have been working away and reporting back on a regular basis. A lot of people have recommended me to do my internship tasks whilst I'm at work, as this may seem as the most practical thing to do. However, I have committed that if I am at work, I'm going to focus on my job and nothing else. This leads to me digging deep into my creativity zone. Snapshots of some of my workspaces over the past couple of weeks (or follow me on twitter here):

University Abacus Lab - free high speed internet and arguably comfortable chairs. perfect. 

Balcony - away from the six months old puppy

Dining table - because who needs to eat anyways?

As you can tell by now, it's not exactly your mainstream office space cubicle. By working from different coffee shops, home office and Abacus labs, I have been able to do both jobs at the same time. If I ran out of energy or focus on one of the jobs, I bounce off to the other without feeling guilty nor inefficient. A few coffee shops have been transformed into my workspace and meeting spaces. A lot of long blacks have been and waiting to be consumed.

First week down. Two bosses to impress. Three more weeks to go. 10000000 more unconventional work spaces waiting to be set up. Any tips on how to multitask?

It's Not Just a Post

Content creation is something we over look. Especially when you get bombarded with pictures, videos, graphics and so forth scrolling down your social media news feed. How often do you see a picture of smashed avocado on toast in a day? Or a flat lay usually consisting of a few products to create a feeling in the image #perthisok.

No matter who you are or how many followers you have, you actually create content every time you upload something. Of course as part of an organisation, your content is important to communicate and support ideas and activities surrounding a cause.

What I’ve learnt so far in my internship is using appropriate images to support up coming stories in the magazine that is yet to be released.

There’s more thought and consideration in these images then one would imagine. Like mentioned before, we see so many on the daily through our own social media feeds. An image is just an image. But when you’re creating social media content, your image has to be engaging, appealing and translate the message across.

You think about the time to post, how many posts to posts, what kind of filters you use to reflect the brand. Not to mention the consistent hash tags for association. I’ve also downloaded a range of apps that help with creating graphics. Not to undermine the laborious degree of smart graphic designers, but these apps (yes to technology!) can give anyone a very very short crash course in the simplest graphic design. If you can call it that.

One day, I spent 3 hours, walking around taking pictures for up- coming and future social media posts. Apart from the many weird glares and confused looked; I enjoyed scouting for content and thinking of how images could be posted.

This internship has taught me that you definitely have to get out of your comfort zone, even if it is walking up and down a street taking pictures! 

What have you done so far in your internship that has brought you out of your comfort zone?