20 Days Fly By

This will be my final post and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best with your assignments, which I hope are proving less challenging then my own.

Out of all the units that we have studied, I would have to say that I have found this one the most valuable to my career outside of university. Should I not be working full time in the PR industry and this had been a real internship then I would have learned more in my 20 days at work then in my entire career at university. Furthermore, I have been shown just how much I have learnt in my years at university and how affectively I can apply it to my work.

During my 20 days there have been many challenging issues from heavy work loads to suffocating time constraints but these have also served as an important learning curve.

Writing these blogs and preparing the assignment has forced me to readdress the tasks that I seem to have just taken for granted and almost begun to just "go through the motions" instead of constantly critically analysing them, seeing how I could better perform them or more efficiently complete them by asking the simple question "What is the real reason behind me performing this task".

This, I feel, is an important thing to remember not only for my work but also in every aspect of my life including university.

I thoroughly enjoy my job at Amplifier Capitol and Metropolis Fremantle and I hope that everyone is as fortunate as I am with finding their dream job in the industry they want to work in.

All the best with the rest of you internships and I wish everyone the best of luck with their assignments.

Annnnd I'm done. Sort of...

So my internship at Infamous Events came to an end this past weekend. My formal time at least. There is still one project that I was working with them on that I will continue on with. It all should have been wrapped up but there were a few delays. We have booked a weekend run of shows for Perth band Refrain's final shows. They were a very popular band in the scene, and everyone is sad to see them go. This hasn't been officially announced yet (hence the delays and why I'm going to keep working with them on the promotion of these shows) as the person in charge of all the graphic design at Infamous Events has been away for the past week, but they will be getting announced next week. We have booked an all ages and an 18+ show over one weekend in late June, with some of the best local bands (in this scene, definitely not everyones taste) as supports. It will be great to be able to implement a few different things we haven't tried before to promote the shows, from suggestions I've made and things I've noticed at my time already working with the company.

The past few weeks have been a great learning experience, and I've been very lucky to work with this company. While they are only a small business that haven't been around very long, I learned a lot from the way they work, and how much time and effort really goes in to putting on concerts. Not to mention the financial risk they take in bringing out bands from overseas (trust me it's scary! A gamble I'd be scared to take for sure).

I will post more details about the final show once it's announced on this blog, which will be hopefully later this week/next week. In the mean time if you are in to punk, hardcore or any form of heavy music check out the link to the band above, definitely not for everyone but given it a listen and you may like it...

Graphs are great when I don't have to draw them...

So my time interning at Infamous Events is nearing the end. I have two days left to work at the company early next week. Getting sick in the middle of it all really made things tough, especially when we had real deadlines to meet!

Over the past few weeks I have been managing the online presence for Infamous Events... specifically it's Facebook Page and it's blog. This is ever evolving, and new things have become available even on the Facebook page in the short time I have been working here.

One new feature on the Facebook page is it actually shows you how far your posts are getting, how many people they are reaching and can measure how many people are reading and commenting on the posts in exact figures. Now this only for the past week, where there hasn't been a whole lot to announce on there, but you can see how much it changes when you do post something, even something small. It keeps the companies name fresh in peoples minds, and from the data you can see the impact it has for a few days.

You can see how many new likes the page gets too which is also great.

From this we can see that Facebook could be even a more valuable tool than we thought, as you can actually see the impact just one post has. It's a lot harder to get real figures of the impact your work is having utilising other sources.

The owner has now obviously decided he will using the Facebook page a lot more!

Feeling the opposite of the blues at West Coast Blues N' Roots...

Well, another fantastic festival run by Sunset Events has been and gone! And once again, I feel so lucky to have been a part of it!

Over 10 000 people enjoyed the laid back music at West Coast Blues n’ Roots last Sunday at Fremantle Park, with some of the crowd even getting up for a boogie as the sun went down! It was a great atmosphere with a more mature crowd than the other festivals, which is understandable as I didn’t know any of the artists but my Dad knew them all!

(A picture I grabbed on my phone of the crowd sitting down at the main stage as the sun was going down!)

This was my first time as a paid worker for Sunset Events, as Janelle’s communication assistant. I felt really lucky to be on the Sunset pay role after being a volunteer at the other festivals.

I didn’t really have a lot to do on the festival day, as was the case with Laneway, but it was still a great experience and there are always interesting things to observe and think about. It’s funny because it’s quite a different experience being at a festival on your own when it’s usually something everyone shares with their friends. I’ve seen an outside perspective of festivals which makes me really appreciate the effort put into them a lot more than I used to when I attended them.

I arrived at around 10.30am and after filling out the paperwork I went to find Janelle at the site office. I then did a coffee run for Janelle in Freo. Janelle gave me a tour of the site a bit later and I got my bearings and had a little wander around. I put up some posters promoting the YES concert Janelle gave me at the merchandise tent. At around 1pm Janelle sent me to the Fremantle Football Oval to take down one of the big Blues n’ Roots posters.

I then drove the poster back to the site and took it to the Artist area to give to Marie, the artist liaison officer for the artists to sign. I think it’s a great idea because the signed poster is being donated by Sunset Events for charity, to Telethon! It’s a really nice idea, good for the company’s image but also a kind gesture.

I think it is really important for companies to give back to the community through charities and sponsorship, and show support for worthy causes. I think it’s a very beneficial relationship because it enhances the reputation of the business and also helps not-for-profits do their job of helping people and ultimately the good deed helps the community! In terms of sponsorship, I think often companies do it just to improve their image, especially McDonalds! McDonalds does do great things with Ronald McDonald and sponsoring not-for-profits, but does this mask the not-so-healthy truths of the company?

I watched an interesting documentary recently called ‘The Greatest Movie Ever Sold’ which made a comment about product placement in movies and it made me really think about how companies have to be very careful about their corporate image in their mission to be an organisation that cares for the community. The movie made me think about the fine line between doing good for the community for a company’s own interests, and having a genuine desire to do good because they are in a position to. It’s a hard concept I would love to read more about and understand! Do the organisations you are working for put a lot back into the community?

There wasn’t a lot for me to do in the afternoon at Blues n' Roots so I wandered around and sat and watched a few bands. I went and saw the only band I knew at the festival - Husky, perform and they were absolutely amazing. Then I went and grabbed an organic donut and watched Steve Earle and Crosby, Stills and Nash. It was a really great vibe and the weather held off which was good, and everyone was well-behaved!

Later on in the evening Janelle asked me to remind the security guards at the pits of both stages that promo winners could only stay for the first 3 songs so I reminded them at both, then around 6:30pm I grabbed some event jumpers for two promo winners and waited at the VIP entrance for them to arrive. After that, it was around 7pm and Janelle said I was done for the day!

So all in all, it was a great day in the perfect location and, though I didn’t do any huge tasks, I was glad to be there!I’m still in awe of the work the company does to put such amazing events together and I have been so honoured to attend the past few festivals with Sunset Events! Sunset Events has mixed my love of music and interest in public relations and communications activities and I’m enjoying every minute of it.

I think this is crossing over from blog territory to an essay so I better sign off! Hope everyone is enjoying their internships and having some terrific experiences! Can’t wait to read more. Happy Easter!

Lisa

Laneway Love- Another festival success for Sunset Events

Laneway

Last Saturday was the final leg of St. Jerome's Laneway Festival and I would have to say the sold out Perth show was a great ending to the national event. There was a great atmosphere and a lot of positive media coverage followed this week so I've been getting stuck into the media monitoring and preparing the Laneway publicity document.

The national event organisers for Laneway played a much bigger role in the festival than other festivals run by Sunset Events and there weren't many jobs for me to do on the festival day so I just hung around until needed, and enjoyed the music and the whole experience. I delivered a few wristbands and took a few posters to the bar for the after party. The only PR type activity I did during the day was escort and meet Tourism WA photographers and models to help them shoot some images for their upcoming advertisements about Perth. I had to do this to ensure they were allowed in restricted areas of the festival, which proved to be conflicting with security as the photographers and models were ordered to leave an area and I had to discuss with them what they were doing and that they had permission to do so, which they weren't too happy about!

Laneway made me think about the event industry in more depth because I thought about the effects events have on places and the broader community. Events like Southbound in Busselton and Groovin' the Moo in Bunbury (held in May), really boost tourism and help support businesses in ways that nothing else can. I think it's what helps make Sunset Events a unique organisation because it runs events accessible to a wider WA community.

This then led me to thinking about Laneway and Tourism WA. Laneway was held in the Perth Cultural Centre, all around PICA, the Art Gallery, the Library and the Museum. It was the most beautiful setting for a festival, with the leafy trees, auditorium, cultural gardens and the beautiful buildings. Live music, a relaxed vibe and such a nice location made it quite a special event and with around 5000 people there it was the opposite of other crowded moshpit festivals.
This kind of event is a perfect showcase of Perth's culture and I think will be a great addition to Tourism WA's campaign to promote Perth and drop Perth's "dullsville" tag.

All of these things made me appreciate festivals and realise that they are about more than just incredible music, but also about the experience and a celebration and appreciation of the state we live in! It makes me sad to think of the diminishing attendances at festivals all over the world and the challenges the event industry is facing because I think events such as Laneway are so culturally enriching and you can't quite put a value on the arts.

I'm working on getting the Laneway publicity document ready now, cutting out and scanning articles from all the media and grabbing print screens from all online coverage. I will then print out copies and bind them as I did with the Southbound publicity document. It's great because when one festival is finished there is always another on the way- West Coast Blues and Roots is coming up in April and then Groovin' the Moo in May!

There is always so much to write about but I will have to save my thoughts for my next blog, hope you are all enjoying your internships- I've noticed a few people have got jobs through their internships and I think that's amazing! Well done to everyone who has!

Lisa

Wrapping Up

Well, This is Day 21 of my placement...so I have officially made the requirement to pass this unit. I'm not finishing up here until next week, because next weekend is Groovin the Moo. Which is the final festival of the season for Sunset Events. So I will spend next week helping put the final touches on everything, then head down to Bunbury (Funbury!) for the event next week. I don't mind staying on for a couple extra days.

I don't mind at all. I have finally started feeling comfortable here at Sunset Events. I read some blogs from another student who did their placement here and didn't have a great time. And I can understand. It's taken me 2 months of being here 3 days a week to actually feel like I am part of the company, and not just an outsider. But I suppose that is what happens in any workplace when you start a new job. It takes time to adjust, learn how the company operates, understand your role and that of those around you, and for everyone else to get to know you. Like starting a new school for the first time. There were times when I would sit at my desk here and feel bad for having to constantly ask if I could help with something because I was so bored out of my brain. And there were other times when I was busy, SO busy all day and really left feeling satisfied at being productive and making a difference.

I have discovered that all offices have those days where not much happens, and you spent a lot of time on Facebook, or Googling "puppies". I can honestly say that having been here for 2 months has REALLY taught me a lot more about the workforce than classes ever prepared me for. I feel a lot more prepared for a job in the real world now. And no, I'm not just saying that because we are supposed to. It took me a few weeks to really start enjoying my placement, and now that I have started loving it, its time to leave. But it has made me very excited for the possibilities for employment in the near future. Not to mention terrified as well. Everyday I go online and check out new job listings, then become disheartened when I see that every single one has a minimum experience requirement. But for the time being, nothing can extinguish the excitement I have for being launched into the grown up world with a degree, and some real life experience.

The Big Day

Well, after months of planning (which I came into the tail end of) West Coast Blues n Roots festival happened on Sunday. And I have to say, went of without a hitch. Well, only a few minor ones. Even my communications manager (who I assist) said that this was highly unusual, and things never normally run so smooth. After learning about events in classes at uni, and hearing stories from the team at Sunset, I was expecting a 20 hour day of chaos and craziness. It was still a long day, I was on site for 14 hours. But most of it was enjoying the fruits of our labours, chilling out backstage and listening to the amazing artists. The only hiccup was the diva-ish antics of headliner Bob Dylan (which was expected), but threw us a but when he announced a total blackout on all cameras in front of the sound booth on his set. Having already checked in our media and photographers, we then had to scour the 20 000+ crowd to find the 35 photographers and tell them that under no circumstances were they to photograph Bob Dylan. This took a while, and mostly everyone was behaved. We were spotting during his set and only had to tell off a handful of photographers who tried to sneak close to the stage. Luckily Mr Dylan didnt see them or we could have had a riot when he walked off stage and didnt return. But luckily, it turned out ok. What did I learn from my first big event? Never have expectations as to how it might run. There is so much planning that goes into an event, and everything is organised down to the very last detail, but there will ALWAYS be something that is missed, or some variable which changes (like weather or the diva antics of artists). There was so much potential for disaster at the festival, but whether due to our good planning, or sheer luck, everything worked out perfectly. This week has been interesting as we sort through the (mostly good) feedback, and start compiling the media reports for stakeholders. But I can happily say that West Coast Blues 'n' Roots was not only a huge success for Sunset, but was a lot of fun and a huge eye opener for me.

Its been fun working here at Sunset, as I'm drawing closer to the end of my placement, I find myself wanting to stay longer (which I think I will). It took me a few weeks to get a feel for the company and how they operate, and it took a while for me to find my place here. But as I get more established, I am given more important jobs, and I am feeling more like part of the team, rather than an outsider just here for a short holiday. I can honestly say that this has turned out to be a fantastic experience. I can definitely see myself working in a similar role to this. its fun, exciting and challenging, and I am glad I chose to spend my time here at Sunset Events.

PR within PR??

I am now halfway through my placement (Day 11 to be precise). And it's become very interesting. We are have three music festivals over three weekends. Starting this Saturday. So the office is an electric mix of excitement and stress and tension as everyone runs around like crazy trying to get it everything finished. Its very last minute, events planning. They work for MONTHS and months to plan and organise things, but then its only in the last 2 weeks that it all seems to happen. I suppose its just the tying up of all the loose ends which shapes the whole package and you can see a tangible result. Today I started thinking about what we learn at university about events planning, and what I've learned working at an events company. I was always under the impression that event management/planning was under the wide umbrella that is Public Relations. But over here at Sunset, its the opposite. Public Relations is only one part of the whole thing. An important part, no doubt, but still, only a part. Although, having said that I can see that any PR department or agency uses events as part of its overall strategy. So my conlusion is; Events can be a separate entity to PR, and it can also be a small part of PR. Which is why I think events management is so interesting. It can be as large or as small as is needed, depending on the scale of the events. This week I have been very busy with last minute details, I have done everything from design a run-sheet for the day, to spending half the day laminating (that was fun). There's a lot of sheer information which needs to be distributed to punters, staff, stakeholders and the media, and its been our job to get that out. With only one person in charge of all communications, its very very busy, but it means I get a lot of work and hands on things to do. And next week, I get to spend all day at West Coast Blues 'n' Roots helping out backstage, running the promo's and generally helping make sure the event runs smoothly. It should be amazing fun, and I will let you know how it all went!

The Future of Music Festival

Sorry to disappoint.. but this isn't actually about Future Music. With the passing of Future Music in Melbourne last weekend, it seemed like a relevant title that didn't sound too business-y and might entice you to read my post! 

On a more serious note, I was faced today with the proposition: What is the future of the music industry? Think about your iTunes repertoire for a second.. How many of the songs in your library were actually bought on a legitimate website or off the iTunes store? I'm not one to say that I have never used those programs myself before, but after interning in the Music Industry I have become so painfully aware of the effect that this is having on the industry itself that I have gone cold turkey on my FrostWire. 

You might think, "it's just one song", but as my supervisor put: what gives you the right to help yourself to someone else's work and deprive them of their livelihood? Why do you believe you shouldn't pay for what isn't yours?

Faced with the prospect of having any direction after my placement, I further questioned what would need to happen to the industry if 1) the physical CD faded into the distance and 2) if we moved into a fully digital world. Knowing that we are half way there already - with our iPhones, iPods and iPads (I'm a fan of Apple) what encourages someone to go out and buy an album from a record store? Renaissance lovers would argue that it's the experience of buying and being with a CD (or vinyl) that shows you love music. Given that I am not one of these people (the afore mentioned love of Apple products should prove that) I have to wonder why, as a person involved in the publicity and promotion of music, would I still be relevant if we could promote everything online?

Well there's my thought for the week, please feel free to comment on this post as it's definitely a topic that's been playing on my mind.

Happy interning,

Katey.

First Two Weeks

Well, I have just finished day 4, week 2 of my internship. Im working at Sunset Events in Fremantle, which I must confess, I'm pretty stoked about. I emailed them on the off chance that they might be looking for someone, and followed up with a phone call the next day and they basically said to come on down! I am a huge fan of most of their music festivals so this was a dream opportunity. My first day was a bit nerve-wracking. I was told by Janelle (communications manager and my supervisor here) that the dress code was "casual as", so I thought I would be cautious until I knew exactly what that meant. I showed up wearing nice pants, a singlet top and ballet flats, to find most of the office in boardshorts, t-shirts, summer dresses, thongs, or in the case of most of the directors, no shoes at all. The Sunset offices are in a little shed in fremantle, with the main part of the shed holding various paraphernalia from past festivals, leftover burger rings, gigantic plastic cows, parking signs etc....and then half the shed is converted into offices. Theres an office "dog"...no, literally a dog. He is the "site manager" and spends most of his time sleeping in the sun.

As you might interpret from my descriptions, the office is a very casual, fun, exciting place to be. But thats not to say not much work goes on. Because its such a small company, there is only room for 5 full time employees, and when they get busy, contacted workers come in to help out. I report directly to Janelle, the communications manager who is in charge of ALL communications including PR, Marketing, Media, Brand Management, Artist liasions, and a lot more. Everyone else does everything and anything. My first few days included a whole heap of activities including updating and creating Facebook pages, creating and updating a master spreadsheet for media interviews fr West Coast Blues and Roots festival which is coming up. The interviews take a LOT of time and effort to organise so this is an ongoing process. I have also been engaged in organising photos of past festivals, have created an entire section for the website about their SE Eart programme, been in charge of a photographer competition being run at one of the festivals in Margaret River, and a whole bunch of other things.

What I have learned so far, is that you never know what to expect, but its best to be on the safe side until you know for sure. Ive also learned that the music industry is a LOT of hard work. Everyone here works their butts off to make things happen.

Im looking forward to the next 6 weeks of working here.