Public Relations Student Society of America

As the Secretary from 2016 to 2017 and the President from 2017 to 2018 for the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), I had plenty of opportunities to manage and co-plan events. Just to name a few that I managed, there was Patty Silverman’s Surprise Retirement Party in April 2017, a Resume Critique and a Rock City Field Trip in November 2017, an Etiquette Dinner Fundraiser in February 2018, a Headshot Event Fundraiser and a Centennial T-shirt Fundraiser in April 2018, 11 Organization meetings covering 10 topics and 15 board meetings in the 2017 to 2018 school year, and a Communication Department Night of Worship in April 2018.

A few PRSSA sponsored events that I helped plan were a Bateman Team Mayoral Proclamation Signing in February 2017, a field trip to Wacker in February 2017, a field trip to Waterhouse PR in March 2017 and 10 organization meetings throughout the 2016 to 2017 school year.

With every party, meeting, field trip, fundraiser and professional development event we sponsored, I learned so much about event planning in professional atmospheres and working with professionals all over the greater Chattanooga area. I learned about working with teams, how to handle last minute crisis with caterers or change of plans or even location and doing everything with excellence.

Lee University Public Relations Student

Aside from being a part of the Lee University PRSSA, I also had several opportunities to help plan and work events as a normal public relations student. I helped plan approximately five focus groups throughout the various projects I did as a student, helped plan Lee University’s Homecoming Tailgate in November 2016 and helped plan the Social Innovation Conference in April 2018. I also got to work the Cowpea Festival in September 2016 and Cleveland 175h Anniversary Concert with Voices of Lee.

In planning the focus groups, I helped my team invite people to participate in the events, reserving rooms, coordinating food, setting up AV and presentations and facilitating and documenting the focus groups.

On November 5, 2016, I put on an event along with 6 other students with my Event Management class. We put on a “Homecoming Tailgate” for all visitors to the Lee University’s homecoming weekend. This included a mini-parade, live music, a DJ, 40 club booths, giveaways, a remote radio broadcast, a photo booth, food for 1,300 visitors, kids play area, competitions. It is a big part of the Lee University homecoming weekend. My group worked with an academic advisor, the alumni relations office, and with outside sponsorships to serve more than 3,000 visitors that day. We each had different jobs throughout the planning and execution process. On the day of the event, I handled the giveaways, competitions, live band, the radio station and DJ coordination. 

On April 13, 2018. My Advanced Event Management class executed our semester long project, the Social Innovation Conference. This class as more of a hands-on learning class rather than sitting in lecture. From the very first day of class, we decided that we were going to plan the very first social media conference the greater Chattanooga area had ever had. Our target audiences were local business owners, nonprofits, ministries, college students. Social media is a powerful tool to grow businesses or non-profit organizations. But only if you know how to use it well. Our goal was to teach our audiences how to leverage the power of social media to develop their brands and engage key audiences. We brought in professionals and sponsors from all over the area and one from Miami, FL to accomplish this.

Our class planned every part of this event. From venue visits, consultations with vendors, getting sponsorship, design of the events both online, through marketing materials and at the venue and social media management, our class did it all.

My job was mostly branding. I created the brand stylebook, all of the marketing materials (banners, flyers, PowerPoint templates and name tags) and the conference website. I was also in charge of all of the day-of photography and designing graphics and pushing then before and during the conference. I learned so much about social media, graphic design and just generally planning a conference!

At the Cowpea Festival, I helped load the trucks with supplies the day prior, help set up for the event the morning of and run around doing whatever the directors asked of me. I also spent a portion of my day working a cookoff booth. At the 175th Anniversary Concert of Cleveland, I helped set up for the dinner prior to the concert and helped usher the concert.

Lee University Campus Choir

During my time as a member of the Lee University Campus Choir, I was on the committees for the winter formals of November 2014 and 2016 and the Spring Formals of April 2015 and 2016. I also worked two Homecoming Alumni Banquets in November of 2014 and 2016.

While on the committees for the formals, I helped come up with ideas to go along with the themes the coordinators had chosen, ran errands, helped with the budgets, coordinated catering, set up and clean up of the events, photographed the events, in 2015 and 2016, and just did anything I could to make the events a success.

During the 2014 Homecoming Alumni Banquet, I helped set up and clean up the event and I also served food to guests. At the 2015 Homecoming Banquet, I helped set up and clean up the event, photographed the service and set up a photo booth.

Internship with Mcnair Media

As an intern with McNair Media, I helped plan two of our Google Partner events in May and June of 2018. These events involved creating flyers, sending out press releases to the media about our events, advertising on social media, cold calling businesses to invite them to the events, photographing the events, working with the venues to ensure AV was ready and working with caterers for the luncheon or brunch portion of the meetings met expectations.

Internship with Clement Railroad Hotel Museum

As an intern with the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum, I helped plan the May, June and July 2017 Board of Director’s Luncheon’s and helped facilitate all venue rentals at the museum. I also managed the Reading Railroad in July 2017.

For each director’s luncheon, I helped work with caterers, set up for each lunch, prepare the meeting minutes and binders and help work the events. When helping facilitate the venue rentals at the museum, I worked with clients in making sure they had all their expectations met, gathered payments, communicated with clients about the board of directors about rental updates and often helped set up for events the days of.

For the Reading Railroad, I crafted the idea to fo the event and finished it through to the end. I designed flyers and graphics, sent invitations, managed social media efforts, decorated the event, coordinated costumes, worked with the downtown community to promote the event, wrote press releases, contacted local websites for community events, worked with the local Chamber, coordinated snacks for the children and facilitated and cleaned up the event.

Weddings and Showers

I have had the privilege of managing and planning several wedding and showers for four of my best friends. I have I have managed the Zabala’s Wedding Rehearsal Dinner in November 2014, the Newsom’s Wedding Shower in August 2016 and their Baby Shower in July 2017. I have worked closely with the brides to help plan the Newsom Wedding in September 2016 and the Tatum Wedding in November 2018. And lastly, I worked a second Newsom Wedding Shower (planned by the bride’s family) in July 2016.

At the Zabala Wedding Rehearsal Dinner, I had $350 to plan an entire rehearsal dinner for two of my friends to celebrate their wedding in the states before they got married in Ecuador. This included buying decor and food to feed 80 people. After working with a lot of volunteers, we reserved, decorated and set up, coordinated and cleaned up the event. For the two showers that I planned, I researched themes, created a menu, made a list of decorations, a budget, recruited friends and family to help with the events, designed invitations, came up with games and coordinated catering.

The weddings were huge tasks to accomplish, but had so much fun planning. For both weddings, I helped with nearly every aspect of the wedding, especially designing all invitations, menus, programs, etc. I worked closely with each bride to make sure their dreams came true.

Ministry

As a member of the Church of God, COG, and the Church of God of Prophecy, COGOP, I have had a lot of opportunities to create, help manage and work ministry oriented events. I managed the Ignite Worship Service in March 2015 and the Crossroads COGOP Harvest Festival in October 2018. I helped plan the Crossroads COGOP Apple Butter Festival in October 2012, 2017 and 2018, their Vacation Bible School, VBS, in July 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the Woodward Avenue COG’s College and Career Ministry Barbecue Fundraising Dinner in June 2018. I also had the chance to work the Tennessee COGOP’s State Convention in July 2015.

At the Ignite Worship Service, I helped gather volunteers, speakers, a worship team and a drama team. I also coordinated the set list, order of service, audio, travel expenses, housing, meals and green rooms for each person involved in the worship event. At the Crossroads COGOP harvest festival, I came up with the idea to do the event, coordinated volunteers for the games, managed the photo booth, helped with the hay ride and bonfire worship service, created the social media graphics, managed photography of the event and made sure we had enough people to participate in the chili pot luck!

At the Apple Butter Festivals, I did various things each year in addition to helping plan for the events. In 2012, I helped manage the Youth booth and worked with the bands set to play. In 2017, I handled photography. And in 2018, I not only helped make the Apple Butter from scratch but I also handled photography and cinematography for the event and created an entire social media campaign surrounding the event. At each Vacation Bible School, I helped my best friend plan the event from start to finish. This included social media campaigns, media, acting, decorating, photography and teaching classes. At the Barbecue Fundraising Dinner, I helped our Pastor plan for the event, create the graphic for our various media outlets, and prepare all of the plates for the fundraiser.

At the Tennessee COGOP State Convention, I helped set up and clean up for the Pastor’s Banquet and was a waiter for a row of five tables. I also was the media distribution director, so I gathered the audio and video for each service and made CD and DVD copies and sold them to the convention goers.