Hi, my name is Bethany Parry.
If you do not already know me, I am the one on the right in the picture above.
This year I was privileged to represent the Missouri State's Chapter of PRSSA at National Assembly.
First, to tell you a little about myself, I joined PRSSA in Spring 2010 because my aunt bought my membership for Christmas. She is a PR professor at Belmont University, and one of the main reasons I am in PR.
This past year, I got more involved serving as a community relations chair and on the Bear Communications Firm as well. One of my passions outside of PR is coffee. When I heard the PRSSA National Assembly was being held in the coffee capitol of the world, Seattle, this year, I volunteered right away!
Little did I know how much this experience would affect me personally and professionally.
The trip was incredible.
I was surrounded by the brightest, most dedicated PR students in the nation,
and it was both refreshing and exhilarating.
It was unlike most conferences I have attended because it was intimate and more about the participants than big name speakers.
Even without speakers, I learned so much from just speaking with my peers.
Today, I would like to share the top 6 things I learned from PRSSA National Assembly:
#1: Know Your Brand: The National Committee put on a few sessions for us. One of them being "Branding with Brandi". It sounds corny, I know, but I realized how important it is to consider each "tweet" and "project" your organization is tied to because that all contributes to your brand. I also learned as individual Chapters, it is important for us to realize the National brand we are representing and try to meet those guidelines.
#2: Take Advantage of Opportunities: PRSSA National has so many tools available for students and Chapters that I was completely unaware of. There are opportunities to win awards for your Chapters, submit news, get published, hold regional activities, chat with other PRSSA members via #TwitterChats, get internships, get jobs, and so much more. The National Committee is such a great resource as well. I hope to set up some "Skype" dates with the new National Committee members to everyone realize the amazing opportunities at our finger tips.
#3: Networking with your Peers, Now, is Networking with Future PR Superstars: I met some incredible people in Seattle. Some that I hope to stay in contact with such as my roommate, Veronica, the new Chapter Development Chair, Kendall, and the new Public Relations Chair, LaurenKGray (and my new twitter friends). This is the best kind of networking, hanging with peers. I know that there were at least some future PR Super Stars in Seattle, and hopefully, they will still remember me someday. Networking is all about the relationships, which makes it so fun! That weekend Edelman, a global PR firm, held a fun networking event for us. They were so nice and brought lots of prices from clients like Starbucks and X-box. Having giant screens with games of Dance Central also helps making networking even more fun.
#4: Do Not Rely on ONLY Students for Raising Funds: I learned many fundraising ideas from other Chapters, but they all had one common theme: "Do not rely on ONLY students for raising funds". Students do not have money, and they can other buy so many t-shirts and cookies at bake sales. The big money is going to happen when you target businesses and professionals because they have deeper, more reliable pockets.
 |
| The National Committee for 2011-2012 |
#5: Doing Your Civic Duty Can Be Fun: I will be honest. At first, I dreaded Saturday Assembly. All that I knew was that it consisted of voting ALL day on stuff, and it was so strict we had to motion to use the bath room. I was terrified of boredom and possibly wetting my pants. However, it was not terrifying; it was actually quite exciting to be a part of such a grand process. I got to know my peers, watch them run for spots on the committee, and celebrate in their success. Because I was a part of this process, I do not feel intimidated asking help from any of these committee members. I know they are there for the Chapter's, and I have their business cards. Also, I just realized how important being a part of these events are, and I hope Missouri State's Chapter of PRSSA will always have a voice at Assembly.
#6: PR People are SUPER Nice! PR people are the nicest people you will ever meet. I was nervous going to an event that I did not know anyone, but that was ridiculous because PR people seem to instantly become friends. I would encourage anyone who has a chance to go to a National or Regional event to take it because you will meet such wonderful people and hopefully form lifelong bonds with people in your future field!
If you have any questions about Assembly or anything National offers, feel free to contact me via email (Bethany08@live.missouristate.edu) or via Twitter (@bparry08). Or if you want to see more about my trip, check out my personal blog here. Again, I highly recommend getting involved at the National level. It is an experience you will not forget.
If you have any questions about Assembly or anything National offers, feel free to contact me via email (Bethany08@live.missouristate.edu) or via Twitter (@bparry08). Or if you want to see more about my trip, check out my personal blog here. Again, I highly recommend getting involved at the National level. It is an experience you will not forget.
And of course I enjoyed many good cups of coffee while I was there! ;)
-Bethany
