BLOG ENTRY ONE: LONDON TOWN

My first blog post ever! 

My name is Emma Ferguson; I am Journalism and Public Relations soon to be graduate (fingers crossed) at Curtin University.

Week one into my internship and I am feeling absolutely exhausted. At this stage I am not too sure if it’s the jet lag, the internship or the fact that it doesn’t get dark until 10:30pm over here, either way I love it. My overseas industry placement is with lifestyle and entertainment communications company The Movement. My internship partner and myself had been set the task to work in-house for an exclusive bikram yoga studio, So Hot Yoga based in So-Ho and Victoria.

It took only days for me to realise how fast pace and overwhelming (in a good way) my internship and the next 4 weeks are going to be! Working as a full-time intern doesn’t allow any time for rest or relaxation. I know they call New York the city that never sleeps, but London is close to second best. My partner and I have quickly learnt that preparation is key. After understanding the public transport system and the London way of life with a bit of help from our supervisor we are fitting in quite nicely. If you can already tell, yes I never want to go home. Day one included meeting our client, the owner and creative director of So Hot Bikram Yoga Studios Bill and Elaine. I have to say my partner and I are not complaining about the client. Working with calm vegan yogi’s is probably as calm as it goes, where bare feet are compulsory. 

After learning are tasks and goals for our placement, my partner and I begin drafting up our first task, our social media plan. Our client’s main focus is social media engagement through a variety of streams and platforms. Not only to engage their clients, but staff as well.

I am fitting into my work routine with the added bonus of enjoying the London life. Did I mention we have been given a bikram yoga membership for the time of our placement? Bonus!

Hope you are all enjoying this whirlwind as much as I am?

Emma

A Ruby event...

Not only does Magenta specialise in Public Relations they also focus on Special Events. Events are an effective way of promoting a brand, corporation or cause and are a platform for a diverse range of PR opportunities. I was lucky enough to have recently worked a special event for one of Magenta’s clients.

Having done an event management unit at Curtin I wasn’t entering totally foreign territory however learning the theory in class and actually executing an event in a real life situation are two very different experiences. If I took away one vital piece of information from my time spent working the event it would be to never underestimate the amount of hard work and pre planning required to execute a flawless event. I believe it is a common misconception that events seem simple to pull together, when you’re an attendee you are oblivious to the months of hard work and planning that went into every little detail that seems so natural on the night.

Events are a key component in the PR plans created for clients at Magenta and are strategically planned to tie into the clients overall objectives and goals. The event was a true reflection of the client and successfully generated interest and interacted with key stakeholders and the public.

The event was:

·                Targeted

·                Well executed

·                Newsworthy

It is also extremely important to gain as much media coverage in the lead up to, during and post your special event. This will raise the profile of your event and brand and increase overall awareness. I was introduced to a term called the “drip-drip-drip” technique. After planning an event the key to success is to create and maintain interest up to and following the event. The drip-drip-drip technique of publicity is essentially the constant release of relevant information to really generate and stimulate interest for the media which is then conveyed to the public. The aim of the technique is to build anticipation and demand. Preparing the Publicity report for this event was a true reflection of this technique being executed effectively, with extensive media coverage gained in the lead up to the event, a big media interest on the night but also wide spread coverage post event across print and online media.

The first event I was involved with was to find a new face for a contemporary, urban shopping centre, in Perth. A competition was run over a couple of months prior to the night on the clients Facebook page. The public were invited to enter and upload a photo of them to the page and tell us why they were exciting and engaging. From the hundreds of talented entrants a top 50 were chosen and invited to attend on the night to publicly name the winner and the fresh new face of the shopping center. The winner’s prize included a $1000 wardrobe, an STM photo shoot and the opportunity to feature in all of the shopping centers promotional advertising. This year the competition attracted national attention with the queen of cool Ruby Rose DJing at the Winners Announcement Party and revealing the winner.

Here is a snapshot of my day working the event:

My day started at 8am, the office was buzzing and everyone was focused on doing what needed to be done to have tonight run as smoothly as possible. First up I helped style and shoot an Easter spread that featured in the Easter edition of the Home lift out. This was a great opportunity for us to feature all of our client’s products and get them some free PR.

Once I had arrived at the shopping center we sussed out the event site and directed the technicians as to where the stage needed to be set up and the speakers placed. I was then put in charge of filling the gift bags for the top 50 entrants with all the goodies we had collected from stores located in the center. The event kicked off at 6.30pm and the top 50 along with invited guests, VIP’S and the media all arrived to anxiously await the announcement of the winner. Models stood on the door and greeted guests, while waiters walked around with delectable finger foods and sparkling champagne.

My task for the night was the walk around with another colleague and take photos of all of the attendees which were going to appear on our clients Facebook page. It was important that the photos captured the mood of the evening, the top 50 entrants and invited guests. Writing down peoples name with correct spelling while Ruby Rose was blaring the music proved a little harder than I thought.

The winner was announced at about 8pm along with the Peoples Choice Winner. The people’s choice could be voted for on PerthNow prior to the evening. Both the girls who won were very deserving and reflected the values the shopping centre were hoping to find in their ‘new face’. It was an exhausting 14 hour day in heels, but the experience will be something I take away with me and use in my future career.

Would love to hear of any experiences you have all had working events in your placements.

Tess x