Since starting my academic career in public relations, I can’t help but see PR everywhere, whether it’s good or bad. For my first few semesters at UNT, I was terrified that I knew nothing about the field that I so desperately wanted to get into. But I realized after taking my first set of public relations classes that I could make my own experience by looking at everything from a PR mindset.
For example, a few weeks ago, I attended a benefit concert held by a local non-profit in my hometown. Thousands of people from around the Metroplex attend every year and the organization always provides excellent entertainment. However, after looking at the website and social media for the event, I noticed how little information was accessible to the public. All I could find about the five hour event was when it started and ended. I searched for a press release for further details, but it was nowhere to be found. I also noticed that the event page stated that coolers, firearms, and pets were not allowed. When I arrived at the venue I noticed the staff were turning people away for restrictions that hadn’t been mentioned on the event’s website. At that point, I thought to myself, “these issues could have been avoided.”
I searched for any contact information I could but had no such luck. This raised even more concern for me. The entire night after the event, I did the only thing that I could do and silently brainstormed on what I would have done differently and told myself to remember the problems I noticed so that I wouldn’t make the same mistakes in my future career. In the PR world, it is so important to look at situations in the eyes of a consumer and the eyes of a public relations professional. You never know how much you can teach yourself if you look at everything around you as a learning experience.