PRSSA 2018 National Conference Recap: Austin City Limits Edition

On October 5, 2018, the 2018 PRSSA annual National Conference began. PRSSA- the Public Relations Student Society of America, consists of nearly 11,000 student members all apart of the over 360 Chapters across the world. PRSSA consists of a National Committee, of which I have the pleasure of being apart of as the National Vice President of Digital Communications.

In this role, I manage and oversee and post all content posted on social channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Snap Chat, Twitter, and YouTube, which I did throughout the entirety of the Conference. Serving in this role for one full year, it is my third year attending National Conference yet my first time in attendance as a National Committee member. This allowed me to experience the Conference from the eyes of someone working behind the scenes to help run the event and ensure everything goes as planned.

Each year the Conference takes place in a different location and is ran by a different host Chapter. This year’s event took place at the Hilton Austin in downtown Austin, Texas. The Conference Committee consisted of students from Texas State University San Marcos and the University of Texas at Austin. This five-day event was packed with endless networking opportunities. With nearly 800 attendees, students were able to network with peers from various institutions who share similar interests and career aspirations. Students were able to go on agency tours of top companies such as Edelman, FleishmanHillard Austin, HomeAway, Austin City Hall, Bread & Butter and IBM among others. Students were also provided the opportunity to have their resumes critiqued. This allowed students to gain practical advice from professionals of what it is employers want to see on a good resume.

The Conference was packed with informative sessions and panel discussions of leading professionals in the Public Relations and Communications fields. This also afforded students the opportunity to ask speakers their questions, engage with them after sessions and of course, get their business cards! Students heard presenters like Micah Mingo and Brandi Boatner of IBM, Gary McCormick, APR, of GMc Communications, LLC, Katie Gatti and Michelle Agnew of Southwest Airlines and many other sensational speakers and panelists. As a member of the National Committee I was personally given the opportunity to introduce three panelists and a moderator for a session that is near and dear to me. As a woman of color it was an honor to introduce panelists for the Celebrating Black Public Relations History session. Panelists included Lori George Billingsley of The Coca-Cola Company, Neil Foote of the National Black Public Relations Society, David Brown of Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication and the moderator, Dr. Rochelle Ford, APR, of Elon University.

Each year the PRSSA National Conference is planned in conjunction with that of the PRSA International Conference. PRSA, the Public Relations Society of America, is the parent organization to PRSSA. Also having their Conference in Austin, students were able to network with professionals in PRSA throughout the span of the two events. There were also several PRSSA general sessions open to PRSSA students. For example, students were able to hear from the internationally recognized marketing expert Jonathan Mildenhall, former Senior VP of Marketing for Coca- Cola and former CMO of Airbnb, or former Labor Secretary and distinguished economic adviser Robert Reich.

At the close our the PRSSA National Conference, students were invited to

attend a Diversity and Inclusion Mixer held by PRSA. This was a wonderful opportunity to be in the same room with highly esteemed professionals and provided the platform for networking. Overall, these five day event was a spectacular experience. On top of everything else, the two conferences took place during the city's largest and most anticipated music event of the year, Austin City Limits (ACL). During free time, this allowed students to see some of their favorite bands and artists all while attending the most anticipated and largely attended public relations student conference in the nation.

This was a chance to learn about the field of Public Relations and Communications, network with peers and professionals, and a great excuse to see the beautiful city of Austin. More importantly, this was an opportunity to learn about myself. This time last year I would not have imagined myself being in the position that I am; however, it has exposed me to some of the industry’s best and leading professionals.

Prior to the start of Conference, myself and two fellow National Committee members were asked to do a High School Outreach session at Atkins High School, a local high school in Austin. Not only was I able to potentially advance my career by connecting with valuable people, but I was able to instill this very same feeling in the hearts of young students.

Students who may have been contemplating the ideal of college prior to hearing our session, who now have begun to understand the importance of networking and maintaining relationships with the people you encounter. Helping to run an event is quite different from merely attending said event but it has taught me all that goes into planning and executing such a largely attended event while showing me all that I am capable of.