Written By: Jennifer Smith, Student Representative, Humber College
Last week, CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee (SSC) hosted its signature bi-annual event, Passport to PR. During the three-day event, students from across Canada got the valuable opportunity to hear from and connect with seasoned PR professionals from within the industry.
The event was divided thematically with each day dedicated to learning about a distinct area of PR. Students had the chance to get an up-close and personal look at a day in the lives of our guest speakers, making the event exciting and engaging.
Day One: Influencer Relations
On day one, we had the pleasure of hosting speakers from Veritas Communications, Faulhauber Communications, Shine Talent Group, North Strategic and MSL Group.
“What was particularly great about taking this thematic approach is our speakers took the time to bring their unique body of experiences and knowledge to their presentations which left our attendees with a full picture of each respective umbrella of PR,” said Luxshana Sivaneswaran, President of the Student Steering Committee.
They discussed the importance of strong relationships between PR pros and influencers, and the value that influencer marketing has to offer in today’s world. Highlights from day one included an in-depth discussion about the importance of strategy when collaborating with influencers, building trust and fostering the influencer-agency relationship for the long term. Do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when communicating with influencers were also touched upon.
Influencer Sarah Nicole Landry (@birdspapaya) also joined the conversation and provided a unique perspective on how influencers can benefit from channeling authenticity when publicly representing brands, and creating content that aligns with who they truly are.
Day Two: Consumer PR
Day two was all about agency life, as APEX PR, Ruckus Digital, Edelman, Craft, and 1Milk2Sugars gave us a peek into successful consumer PR campaigns that were celebrated for their highly engaging and truly out-of-the-box ideas. Our guest speakers talked about the agency-client dynamic, and how truly listening to clients and understanding their needs can help create meaningful content that resonates with their consumers.
Various topics of discussion included the benefits of working in an agency, the significance of a client’s media training, and how to strategically design and deliver effective key messages for represented brands.
Day Three: Government Relations
Town of Milton, Proof Strategies, Addictions & Mental Health Ontario, and Earnscliffe Strategies walked us through the many facets of government relations and why it’s an essential and exciting space in PR. It was an eye-opening event for students, as guest speakers busted common myths surrounding the government relations industry in the media landscape.
We came to learn that working in the industry challenges you to sharpen your PR skill-set and offers great work-life balance. Government relations allows you to see the changes you make in real-time, and helps explore many different avenues of PR.
The CPRS Toronto Student Steering Committee would like to thank our guest speakers and students for attending the event and receiving it so warmly. We hope that students found some valuable PR gems to carry with them on their professional journey!
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