Written by PRSSA member Kelly Lee
I had the honor of representing my chapter's executive board at the PRSSA Regional Conference which was held at Cal State Fullerton in March. The theme of this year’s conference was “Next Generation PR.” As a graduating senior, this was my first PR conference so I was pumped! I was excited to meet other PR students from other chapters and see how their members interacted with each other and other members. PRSSA chapters came from schools as far as Sacramento, Utah and even Toledo!
The conference started off with a presentation by keynote speaker, Todd Cooley of the Todd Cooley Company. Cooley presented on “25 Tips for Being Terrific During Times of Turbulence and Turmoil.” Of the 25, three points resonated with me:
1. Learn the business. Understand the operation and its purpose. Cooley stressed the importance of PR staff learning the ins and outs of business, not just the communication aspect.
2. Gain a general understanding of accounting and finance. I have never been one to talk finance, but Cooley mentions that lots of PR people are lacking in this subject area. He says that you may seem more relevant and respected with having a basic understanding of math. “You need to be able to look at a balance sheet. Helps to look at issues of what the shareholders care about.”
3. Maintain your personal and professional integrity. Cooley says nothing is more important!
He began with an example of having audience members imagine their own funeral. People will say meaningful things about your character, not about how much you work. I couldn’t have agreed more. Maintaining personal integrity helps to develop reputation, which is based off of credibility.
After the keynote presentation, attendees were given the option of choosing which sessions they wanted to listen to. For Block #1, I went into “A Taste of PR” featuring Moxxe PR. Let’s just say I left hungry.
Moxxe PR is a small PR agency based in Orange County. Mona Shah-Anderson of Moxxe sits on Directors of the Orange County Restaurant Association and promotes OC's largest culinary event, Orange County Restaurant Week. Mona shared her reasoning for choosing PR: food! The tips she shared for people interested in seeking a job in food PR is to use Pinterest and become a “backpack journalist." When asked where she looks for inspiration or personality for restaurants, she replies “read everything” and to know what’s trending. Lastly, she stressed the importance of restaurants having social media as people eat with their eyes first.
Block #2 featured “Diversity in PR.” Charla Batey, Delia Lopez and Octavio Navarro were the panel speakers. All three shared their experiences as a diverse professional in PR and answered questions from the audience. I especially loved this panel because I come from a diverse background myself. The most important piece of advice I want to share from this block is to never let your identity single you out - use it as an asset in your professional development instead. There are many advantages to speaking another language and you just need to focus on making yourself the best candidate you can be. Fostering relationships with people that represent you in your career is where it begins.
Before I knew it, the conference had ended and I was on my way back to San Diego. I reflected on how every speaker talked about how important it is to have strong writing skills. In addition, all of them mentioned how networking and holding internships will help you find a job.
Attending conference gave me the opportunity to learn about the operation of PR from the role of someone with higher power. There was so much insight to be shared and I highly encourage students who are pursuing PR as a career field to attend one day and join PRSSA. I was motivated as a student majoring in PR and motivated as a chapter member. I hope to see the SDSU chapter host a regional conference soon!
I had the honor of representing my chapter's executive board at the PRSSA Regional Conference which was held at Cal State Fullerton in March. The theme of this year’s conference was “Next Generation PR.” As a graduating senior, this was my first PR conference so I was pumped! I was excited to meet other PR students from other chapters and see how their members interacted with each other and other members. PRSSA chapters came from schools as far as Sacramento, Utah and even Toledo!
The conference started off with a presentation by keynote speaker, Todd Cooley of the Todd Cooley Company. Cooley presented on “25 Tips for Being Terrific During Times of Turbulence and Turmoil.” Of the 25, three points resonated with me:
1. Learn the business. Understand the operation and its purpose. Cooley stressed the importance of PR staff learning the ins and outs of business, not just the communication aspect.
2. Gain a general understanding of accounting and finance. I have never been one to talk finance, but Cooley mentions that lots of PR people are lacking in this subject area. He says that you may seem more relevant and respected with having a basic understanding of math. “You need to be able to look at a balance sheet. Helps to look at issues of what the shareholders care about.”
3. Maintain your personal and professional integrity. Cooley says nothing is more important!
He began with an example of having audience members imagine their own funeral. People will say meaningful things about your character, not about how much you work. I couldn’t have agreed more. Maintaining personal integrity helps to develop reputation, which is based off of credibility.
After the keynote presentation, attendees were given the option of choosing which sessions they wanted to listen to. For Block #1, I went into “A Taste of PR” featuring Moxxe PR. Let’s just say I left hungry.
Moxxe PR is a small PR agency based in Orange County. Mona Shah-Anderson of Moxxe sits on Directors of the Orange County Restaurant Association and promotes OC's largest culinary event, Orange County Restaurant Week. Mona shared her reasoning for choosing PR: food! The tips she shared for people interested in seeking a job in food PR is to use Pinterest and become a “backpack journalist." When asked where she looks for inspiration or personality for restaurants, she replies “read everything” and to know what’s trending. Lastly, she stressed the importance of restaurants having social media as people eat with their eyes first.
Block #2 featured “Diversity in PR.” Charla Batey, Delia Lopez and Octavio Navarro were the panel speakers. All three shared their experiences as a diverse professional in PR and answered questions from the audience. I especially loved this panel because I come from a diverse background myself. The most important piece of advice I want to share from this block is to never let your identity single you out - use it as an asset in your professional development instead. There are many advantages to speaking another language and you just need to focus on making yourself the best candidate you can be. Fostering relationships with people that represent you in your career is where it begins.
Before I knew it, the conference had ended and I was on my way back to San Diego. I reflected on how every speaker talked about how important it is to have strong writing skills. In addition, all of them mentioned how networking and holding internships will help you find a job.
Attending conference gave me the opportunity to learn about the operation of PR from the role of someone with higher power. There was so much insight to be shared and I highly encourage students who are pursuing PR as a career field to attend one day and join PRSSA. I was motivated as a student majoring in PR and motivated as a chapter member. I hope to see the SDSU chapter host a regional conference soon!
RSS Feed
