Top Tips for First Time Conference Attendees

Jess Noonan Leave a comment

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The PRSA 2014 International Conference “Leading the Way. A fearless future for PR” is less than a week away, October 11-14 in Washington D.C.!  If it’s your first time attending PRSA Icon here are some tips from previous first-timers (and New Pros committee members) to help you prep and get the most out of your experience:

151f848Hilary Jurinak, Binny’s Beverage Depot

  1. Perfect your intro. What do you do? Where are you from? Agency or corporate? You are going to hear these questions more than you can imagine. Have a 30 second intro ready as it’ll help when you’re looking to network with many individuals.
  2. Take your time. Spend some extra time talking to vendors at the expo. Stick around for the full dinner and luncheons. You might feel the need to rush around the venue, but you’ll feel less anxious if you try to take more in.
  3. Create goals. What do you want to learn? Who do you want to network with? If your employer is sending you, sit down beforehand with your boss. Let them know what sessions you plan on attending and what you hope to get out of them.
  4. Start digging. Check out the attendee roster that PRSA will have available. Connect with other PR pros beforehand. Plan happy hour meetings, see who’s attending similar sessions or connect with other New Pros attending.
  5. Plan time for fun. This is probably your first big conference working in the “real world.” Plan time for yourself to explore Washington, DC. You deserve it.

Amy BishopAmy Bishop, DigitalRelevance

  1. Plan out your top 6 must-attend sessions. It can feel overwhelming when you look at the PRSA International Conference program 5 minutes before a set of professional development sessions starts. Before you get to Conference, select your top 2-3 sessions for each day to prioritize your time and avoid the feeling rushed.
  2. Make New Connections. It comes naturally to use PRSA International Conference as a reunion with your long-standing PR friends. But take time to get to know a few new connections. Invite your new PR connections to join you for drinks or dinner sometime during Conference.
  3. Sleep. I know PRSA International Conference only comes around once a year, and many PR professionals consider it a holiday in itself. But to make the most of your days and evenings, make sure you get a good nights rest. Also, being well rested will help you transition back into post-conference work more easily.
  4. Remember your job responsibilities. International Conference is a great time for learning and connecting with other professionals. But don’t forget to take a few minutes each day to check your work email and catch up on any work assignments you need to complete that week. You’ll be grateful you took the extra time when you return to the office with a slimmed down inbox.
  5. Join the PRSA New Pros Mixer at Conference. Join the PRSA New Professionals for a happy hour New Pros Mixer on Sunday, October 12 at Mission Restaurant in Dupont Circle.

Bio_PhotoJessica Noonan, Burson-Marsteller

  1. Take handwritten notes. Putting away the laptop is something all of us multi-tasking PR pros have issues with, but you’ll get more out of your sessions if you pay attention. If your employer paid for you to go, make sure to share your notes when you return.
  2. Use social media. As you may have learned from PRSSA conferences, connecting through hashtags is an easy way to engage with fellow attendees. Meet your tweeps in real life at Monday’s #PRSAICON Tweetup.
  3. Meet a board member. While networking in general can be intimidating, go out of your way to say hello to a PRSA board member. It will be well worth your time for a brief conversation that could lead to you understanding more about PRSA or even a future leadership role.
  4. Get to sessions early. I’m not just being Type A here. Some of the most popular sessions fill up even 15 minutes prior to the start time. You’ll have enough time to go to your hotel room and take a nap in between sessions, but consider if the time would be better spent speaking to a presenter or checking out the exhibition. Furthermore, have a back up session you’re also interested in.
  5. Download the app. For those times that a session is full, it’s handy to look in the phone you already have in your hand. Additionally, you can engage with fellow attendees ahead of time. If you don’t know where to start check out our PRSA New Pros session – Navigating the Future of Business as a Hybrid PR Professional – on Monday!

Get the most out of your experience by planning ahead and make sure to have fun too!

 

A New Pro’s Guide to #PRSAICON in Washington D.C.

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

403 x 403(1)The annual PRSA International Conference is just a few weeks away from October 11-14 in Washington D.C.! The theme this year is “Leading the Way. A fearless future for PR.”

You may be so busy meeting up with old PRSSA and PRSA friends or old colleagues that you might not have time to plan out what sessions to attend once you get there. The time to check out and plan out sessions is now.

To start, there are five tracks you can follow, which include:

  1. Integration
  2. Tools and techniques
  3. Specialization
  4. Strategy and Measurement
  5. Leadership and Management

Or you can pick your own path. I suggest looking at the tracks first to see if you’re interested in one, but there are so many sessions to pick from you might want sessions around a variety of topics.

Here is a list I’ve put together of sessions/events I think will be particularly useful for new professionals:

When: October 11 from 5-8 pm
Where: Marriott Foyer Mezzanine
Hosted by the PRSA Diversity Committee and sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company

  • Newcomers Orientation

When: October 12 from 10-11 am
Where: Washington 3/4
Why attend: This is a newcomers orientation for first-time attendees so you can connect with and get tips from veterans and learn all the opportunities/events you can attend.

When: October 12 from 3-4:15 pm
Where: Virginia A/B
Track: Leadership and Management
Why attend: It can be hard to work with different generations, we all know that. This session will show you ways to create a team and a results culture that spans the ages, as well as hear ideas and approaches to managing, motivating and mentoring across multiple generations.

  • New Pros Mixer!

When: October 12 from 5:30 to 9 pm
Where: Mission Restaurant in Dupont Circle
Why attend: Join the PRSA New Professionals for a happy hour New Pros Mixer on Sunday to network and meet up with New Professionals attending PRSAICON. RSVP here.

When: October 13 from 10-11:15 am
Where: Coolidge
Track: Strategy and Measurement
Why attend: Learn how to track and evaluate media coverage, measure public opinion, and shape internal and external perceptions during critical communications campaigns, crisis events and product launches.

When: October 13 from 3:15-4:30 pm
Where: Maryland C
Track: Integration
Why attend: This session is hosted by the New Professionals Section. It will cover how to become a hybrid PR professional in order to lead more successful, integrated campaigns and will also identify skills and traits optimized for the digital age.

When: October 14 from 8-9:15 am
Where: Maryland A/B
Track: Specialization
Why attend: Expectations of a career in PR really differs from the reality of a practitioner’s everyday life. This session will discuss strategies to manage expectations and learn how to face challenges of the work-life fit.

Other things to check out:

  • The exhibit hall
  • Mentoring with the College of Fellows
  • Demystifying to APR on October 12 from 11 am to 12 pm
  • Reigniting AT&T’s Engaging with the LGBT Community on October 13 from 10-11:15 am
  • 11 Deadly Presentation Sins on October 14 from 2:15-3:30 pm

There are many more sessions to check out, these are just a few that stood out for new professionals (in my opinion). Make sure you look at the full International Conference program for more sessions, events, coffee breaks, trainings and boot camps.

Comment below if you want to plug a session or if you see another you think new professionals should attend!

 

0114bd7Lauren Gray is a Project Manager at The Visual Brand in Westport, CT and also serves as the PRSA New Professionals Section blog co-chair and PRSA New York new professionals co-chair. She also served as the PRSSA 2012-2013 National President. Follow her on Twitter @laurenkgray and connect with her on LinkedIn.

Five Visual Tools for Artistically Challenged PR Pros

Lauren Gray 1 Comment

We’re all well aware that visuals are an absolute must for social media right now – and they should be. Visuals help PR pros tell stories and engage with audiences in an entirely new way.

But, if you’re like some PR pros, graphic design is not your forte. Trust me, my art skills stop at stick figures so I’m right there with you.

That’s why I’ve added some of the latest online design platforms to my PR toolkit. Here are five free design tools you should consider adopting, too.

Image via TechCrunch.

Image via TechCrunch.

1. Canva is an online design platform that lets you create visuals to fit specific social media specs (Facebook cover photo, Pinterest image, etc.) or customized sizes. It has free and inexpensive visual assets, including text and graphics, and you can upload your own images.

  • Tip: If your brand has a blog, consider creating a visual with the headline and company logo set on top of a photo. This makes social sharing easier and entices more click-throughs.

2. Piktochart lets you create infographics using templates and visual resources, similar to Canva. It has a free and paid option. You can also embed videos within the infographic – perfect for brands on YouTube.

  • Tip: Turn company jargon into a visual story with an infographic. For example, if you’re launching a new technology, use an infographic to show what it does, how it’s unique and why people should care.

3. Unsplash provides free stock photography to help you enhance your brand’s digital presence. The service sends you 10 free stock photos every 10 days (a great deal!), and you can use the photos to create visuals for social media, blogs, websites and more.

  • Tip: Using Canva, add a question related to your brand to the stock photo and share on social media; this increases the opportunity for engagement. For example, if you’re a travel brand, add a question about “favorite travel destinations” to a city skyline photo.

4. Pixlr is an online photo editor, available for desktop and mobile, that lets you fine-tune your photos. If you’d prefer to use your own photography instead of stock photos, use Pixlr to crop, rotate, add filters, balance colors and adjust lighting.

  • Tip: Use Pixlr’s photo collage tool when announcing a new product. Let’s say you’re introducing a statement necklace. Use the collage feature to illustrate three different colors or tops that match with the necklace.

5. Hyperlapse from Instagram was just released in August, but it’s already taking the social media world by storm. The mobile app helps you take time lapse videos that sync with your brand’s Instagram account, and it offers built-in stabilization to help you steady shots on the go.

  • Tip: Take time lapse videos at a company event to capture the big moment(s) for social sharing. For example, if your company sponsors a 5K, consider using Hyperlapse to capture the start and finish lines.

Now, these free tools are great, but we all know nothing beats having a talented graphic designer on staff. Unfortunately that’s not always an option. But PR pros are a resourceful breed, and with free graphic tools we can surpass stick figures and become visually adept at telling an engaging, enticing brand story.

How do you incorporate visuals into your PR strategies?

 

Vermillion small 1Stephanie Vermillion is a senior account executive at Wordsworth Communications, a public relations agency in Cincinnati. She is on the PRSA Cincinnati Leadership Team and is part of the PRSA Cincinnati New Pros Committee. Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn and Twitter (@SMVermillion).

September #PREthics Twitter Chat Highlights: PR Ethics as a New Professional

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the September #PREthics Twitter Chat focused on how new PR professionals can handle ethical situations in the workplace. We discussed the importance of ethical practices as well as confronting unethical dilemmas and finding solutions.

PRSA Twitter Chat - PR Ethics

Specifically, we’d like to thank collaboration from PRSA, the Board of Ethics and Professional Standards (BEPS), and PRSSA for contributing to a lively discussion about this important topic. More information about BEPS can be found here.

Join us again in October for our next #NPPRSA chat.

Stay up-to-date with PRSA New Professionals on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

 

Review highlights of the chat below:

What did you learn from the September ethics chat? How can you tell if a company is exhibiting ethical values? What can you do if a client or coworker is taking unethical actions? How can you always make sure your personal and company brands are ethical?


 

The Importance of Staying Connected with Your Network

Jess Noonan Leave a comment

1As I returned to New York City a few weekends ago, I overcame a feeling of nostalgia as I roamed the streets of SoHo. Last summer I completed internships in the city at two fashion PR agencies, and still to this day I can clearly remember my first day on the job. While walking down Broadway Street with my boss, she looked at me and said, “The first fundamental lesson in any career, especially in PR, is to always get everyone’s contact information that you meet.” Her advice has stuck with me ever since.

As a new professional, I am constantly growing my contacts and networking wherever I go. It’s basically second nature for me now to ask for a business card. Did you know that according to the Pew Research Center, the average American has approximately 634 ties in their overall network? However, as easy as it is to meet new people in your field, it is also just as easy to forget to reconnect with them.

Like many recent graduates, I am currently in the job search stage. During this time, I’ve had the chance to reflect on all of the people I have met throughout school, internships, and other experiences. This has made me realize how important it truly is to stay connected with your network.

They can open new doors for you

This is the most obvious, yet most important reason to staying connected. As the old saying goes, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” According to the Labor of Statistics, approximately 70 percent of all jobs are found through networking. It is highly recommended for recent graduates to reconnect with as many people as they can in their network (e.g. professors, previous employers, colleagues, friends, family members). Any one of these contacts can refer you to a job, connect you to another professional, or even just provide you with advice and new knowledge.

It’s common professional etiquette

Regardless if a connection has done a favor for you or helped you in some way, it’s always appropriate to reach out and let them know you haven’t forgotten about them. Thank them for their help or simply say hello. You don’t want someone to think that you’re only reaching out to him or her for a favor. Be natural and friendly. Just as you would contact your friends to grab a coffee or lunch to catch up, it’s okay to do the same with your professional network. There are many creative ways to staying connected!

“What if I haven’t talked to them a long time, should I still reach out?” The answer is YES! This is often a worry among new professionals, but the truth is that people will always appreciate a nice message from an old colleague or friend. In this day and age, communication has become a lot easier especially with the use of social media. If you don’t feel comfortable calling  someone, then reach out via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or email.

Ideally, you don’t want to get stuck in the habit of waiting too long before you reconnect with someone in your network. Eventually, relationships will fade if you don’t attempt to keep in touch. You want to avoid this by consistently communicating with your contacts and making yourself visible. For example, I like to message and email my old professors and employers every 2-3 months. Our professional network is rapidly growing, so it’s important to prioritize and make time for those whom you have stronger relationships with.

Recent graduates and new professionals, what method of communication have you found to be the most effective and comfortable when reconnecting with people in your network?

2Catalina Gomez is a graduate of Philadelphia University with a Bachelor of Science in Professional Communication. She specializes in public relations and has experience working with lifestyle and consumer brands. Catalina is also an active member of the Hispanic community and currently resides in Maryland. Connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.