Parting with Roots Asia Pacific

The moment was very emotional. In the past two months I had become so attached to these people whom now I had to part with. they were more like family to me than they were colleagues. They helped me grow, both as a PR person and as an individual. Everyday I learned something new and it is with so much pleasure that i was attached with them for my period of internship.

Through the help of my supervisor, i got to learn that every task is very important whether big or small. my supervisor instilled in me the spirit of being meticulous. Though I still was before joining the company, i grew in it and took everything i did very seriously. whether it was cutting of paper or writing a piece, I knew I had to be extremely careful in every punctuation or grammar i want to put in practice.

I leave amidst the preparation of the highly anticipated event of the year, the Go Penang International 2010. My company is very ecstatic about it and I watch them plan every detail of the event with so much joy.

I had the pleasure of updating the company's website by filling in the FAQ or anything that a visitor would want to know about Penang. You can check out the following site, maybe you just might want to join us for the event ;)
http://www.gopenang.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=58

In short, it has been a pleasure being a part of Roots Asia Pacific and assisting them in every way I could. I believe I learned a lot and will be able to put it into practice after i graduate.

Hoping all of you who are still doing their internship are having a ball. To all those who have completed, I hope you had a good one, and have something to write home about..

Cheers..

Basuti Ms

Coffee anyone..?

I would have never imagined coffee linked to a bank event. One thing about public relations is the ability to think outside the box in order to make your client's event a memorable one. It is always such a pleasure to work with my colleagues as they have a very dynamic mindset and always ensure that their clients' events are a success.

Our client, HSBC was launching their HSBC Amanah Premier, which is a service that allows their customers to have access to their accounts and do all sorts of transactions when they are around the world for free.

As one of the activities to entertain the guests during the event, our company thought of a coffee drinking session. One may ask, why coffee..?well the idea came about as coffee is an international thing. The aspect of it planted in different countries and enjoyed in very different ways matched the service HSBC brought forth to their customers through this launch. HSBC customers were about to experience better banking services and sealing the deal with a cup of coffee was the perfect finish.

It was very hectic around the office as the public relations team worked hand in hand with the event management department in preparation for this huge event. A day prior to the event I had to do media calls and ask the respective media if they will be sending any representatives to the event. I only had to call the magazines. Though only around five of them confirmed they will be coming the following day, we were glad to have around nine of them show up for the event.

The event started at 11 in the morning. My task for the day was to get the guests to register and present to them their door gifts while my colleague did the media registration. After this was done and the launch was over, me and my colleague had to usher the guests to the coffee drinking corner. Here they had the opportunity to taste the finely brewed coffees prepared and presented in may different ways ranging from cappuccinos and lattes just to mention a few..

The client was pleased at the way the event turned out. At the end of the day, seeing a smile on the client's face is all that matters and we know we are going to have them as our baby for a very long time. :)

Cash In a Flash Book Launch

We made our way to Traders Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Friday the 8^th of January 2010. Looking all corporate in black, my work mates and I hosted a press conference for one of our clients, USANA and ushered in Mr Robert G Allen from America as he launched his book entitled Cash in a Flash.

During the event, the author explained Cash in a flash as a book that basically gives tips on how to make money fast in the hard times we are living in. It assesses the power possessed by the mind and forces an individual to think critically by getting their mind set right and knowing that everything is within their reach only if they put their mind to it.

The event was a success. We arrived at around 9 in the morning and started setting up the place. The task I was assigned to do was to ensure that each representative from different media houses was ushered in and signed the attendance sheet. I was also the photographer for the day and had to write down the questions that the reporters had to ask Mr Allen after his speech.

From what my colleagues said, an event can be dull to an extend that the reporters leave halfway through it. With this one however, the day started off well and lively as the author kept everyone at their toes and engaging them in the discussion. By the time the question and answer session was over, all the reporters stayed back for a one on one interview with the author and the client was very pleased at the way the event turned out.

The day ended with the author signing the books for the reporters and later everyone proceeded to have the very sumptuous buffet lunch served at the hotel’s dining area. I also got the opportunity to engage in a conversation with the country’s top papers like Bissme from The Sun and Pauline from Malaysian Today newspapers. Ooh yeah did I mention that I also got a copy of the book..? Not meaning to brag but just showing the advantages of being in a good PR Team hey..

Daunting media calls..? Which daunting media calls..??

Ok I know you all are going to kill me but I think I’ll be the first to say that I quite enjoy doing media calls. Recently I posted an entry on how I had procrastinated for a while before finally doing the calling. Well Thursday didn’t give me a chance to beat around the bush about the deed as we were to host a press conference on Friday.

One of our clients, USANA had brought down an author from America to launch his book entitled CASH in a Flash. I had to call all the media houses and do follow up on whether they had received the invite from us and whether they would be sending someone to the event.

The morning started off well while I was calling the magazines. Though most of them were saying they will not be sending anyone, they were being polite about it, and gave me the opportunity to explain why I was calling. The first thing I would say is tell them who I am, where I am calling from and ask whether they had received the invite or not.

Upon them saying they received it, I would ask if they were sending someone for the event and if they would like to have a one on one interview with the author.

Things were pretty demanding if they said they did not receive it. Then I would have to:

• explain what the invite was for
• ask if they will be sending someone
• try and find out their reason for not coming and try to persuade them to come.

Of all the magazines I called, only 3 confirmed that they will be sending someone to the event. And by the time I knocked off I had only called 3 newspapers who all said they were not sure they were sending anyone for the event.

I guess what made the task an enjoyable one this time around is the required oomph I added to it. My supervisor has this thing of coming in and trying to put pressure on me as he was once interning with the company before becoming a full time employee. He does it in a fun way though and im always out to impress and show that I know what im doing. In that way I find pleasure in every little thing I do. Hope u have fun in calling the media

And so we had a merry little Christmas…

The festive season was a cheerful one. Well it’s gone and now it’s back to serious business. This entry is just a recap on how things were over the festive season. Roots celebrated the festive season in style as we were privileged to get an invite to the launch/Christmas party of M2 Magazine. It was the first function I went to since joining the company and boy did we have a ball!

Our own Christmas dinner was held on Christmas Eve. It was sad that I could not attend due to other circumstances but I hear the occasion was a great one. The Christmas season was proof that the pr profession not only comprises of work but gives people a chance to go out and have a breather as well. We are all in the office now. The duties have not changed that much but things are hectic in the office as we prepare for the highly anticipated event of the year being Go Penang 2010.. Watch this space for more :)

The downfall this far..

I would be lying if I said everyday has been a joyful one at work. But then that's how the working environment is. You can't be perfect, and at some point there will be someone who will not be happy with something you have done.

Having to work under the supervision of 4 people, I would say one thing that has been the downfall in my time as an intern is not being able to please all of them. Its so good that they are teaching me new things but its something else when every one of them teaches it in a different way.

The person who first introduced me to counting ROI did it differently from the one who assigned me to do it for one client of ours. I had to explain to her why I was doing it in that way. Realising she was not pleased with my explanation I figured that the best thing to do was to call my other supervisor and explain while she is there so that it is clear that i'm not just making things up.

In the end they explained that it was ok to use both methods. It still becomes a hard task when they have assigned me something, as i'm often torn between which way to do things..

Maybe one of you guys can tell me how you would handle the problem if you were caught in the same situation..

Segomotso

LUCT

The media calls

My supervisor told me that i'l eventually have to call the media to update the company's media list. I dreaded this and was procrastinating for a very long time until the day finally arrived when i finally made my first call. i guess the fear of doing the much dreaded deed came from the way one of my co-workers was always ill-treated by an editor from one newspaper when doing media calls.

I finally made my first call only to realise that it wasn't as much a hard task as i had thought it would be. The person who answered was very friendly and patient as i panicked at some point. The second call on the other hand was not an easy one. the lady kept on saying she could not understand my reason for calling. i tried to be as audible as i possibly could but the conversation was futile.

The media calls have been going on well. i can't say that calling the media is an easy task but i always remember my boss in the first meeting i attended advising us that we should avoid getting emotional when dealing with the media and that we should always ensure we are clear of the reason we are calling in the first place. That way i don't get intimidated when making a phone call.

Segomotso

LUCT