Looking back at my four years of school, I wish I would have taken opportunities to go to local, regional and national networking conferences. I recently registered for Chicago PR: “Get in the Loop” regional PRSSA conference and am very excited and a little nervous to attend Feb. 11 and 12.This two-day conference starts Feb. 11 with a full day of Chicago public relations agency visits. Although I have a good sense that Chicago is an exciting place to work, it will definitely help to physically see the inside of potential future workplaces.
Friday features a complete lineup of intriguing workshops with themes like, "Getting in the Door with a Professional Image," "Standing out with Social Media" and "From The Front Lines: How Agencies and Clients Work Together." The day is capped off with a 90 minute career development fair. All for $60.
A great place to learn about upcoming conferences is the PRSSA Web site, which has a specific section for upcoming events happening across the nation. I would also suggest contacting your local PRSA chapter and asking about if they know of any upcoming events in the area.
If events are too expensive, consider attending a lunch meeting with your PRSA chapter. There will almost always be discounted rates for PRSSA members to attend these meetings. Bring a friend or two with and have a networking goal outlined before you go. Whether your goal is to get five business cards or just let professionals know you are looking for an opportunity, make sure you have a solid idea of your intended purpose of attending such an event.
My purpose of attending the Chicago conference is to get a feel for the agency work environment, network and make connections with other students and ask for suggestions about job hunting from professionals.
What conferences have you attended and how have you benefited from them? Do you have any suggestions on where to find such events?
3 comments:
Thanks for finding my blog. I'm still new at it and am not sure which direction I want to go with it, but I'll figure it out!
Anyway, I read through some of your posts and I could relate SO MUCH! I'm actually SUPER nervous about Get In The Loop too... I'm venturing all the way from Oklahoma so it is a bit intimidating to attend alone. But I think it will be an awesome event, and I really look forward to spending two days talking with other students and employers.
Thanks for reading through my posts! I think it really takes dedication and set time to keep up with a blog and provide useful content on a regular basis.
With being in school and involved in other activities I just write when I can and hope people will find a link or a post to be somewhat useful.
And, Get In the Loop will be my first real PR conference, so I can relate to being very nervous.
Great meeting you at "Get in the Loop." You definitely stood out as a student who was willing to speak up and connect. That skill will take you far. Let me know if you ever need anything!
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