The Modern Public Relations Professional: A Reflection of a PRSSA Regional Conference by Joel Smith3/16/2017 PRSSA advertises networking to each of their student chapters nationwide and on Feb. 25, a regional conference was hosted by UNC Chapel Hill to share expertise and networking opportunities among PRSSA members. Having gone to Elevations, our chapter’s most recent networking opportunity, in November, I had a grasp of what the invitation to the regional conference entailed. My personal goal for this trip was to get more involved with our chapter’s committee and demonstrate that I want to become a more serious member of PRSSA. Arriving at UNC Chapel Hill the day before our conference, all attending chapters had the opportunity to get to know other PRSSA members from across the region during a small get together. I was pleasantly surprised on how swimmingly our conversations with other schools went. Typically, it can be difficult to walk up to a stranger and start a conversation. Since all in attendance were PRSSA members, we all introduced ourselves by our name and school and from there, each conversation was business casual, just like our attire. In addition to the different sites we visited during the conference, talking with other PRSSA members was something that made the trip even more memorable and made us feel welcome. The tone was set from the night before and our group got dressed and prepared for a day full of PR. We were eager for the opportunities ahead of us. Arriving at Carroll Hall for the initial introduction of the conference, we were greeted with breakfast and an introductory lecture, “New Media in Public Relations” by Gary Kayye that highlighted the keys to the future of PR. Following this start to the day and using the map we found in the generous gift basket from UNC, we began to determine which speaker we would go learn from next. I decided to attend Valerie Fields’ “Becoming the Next Olivia Pope: Crisis Communication” lecture. During this presentation, I learned how managing PR crises defined what kind of PR professional we each will turn out to be. Fields explained that our morals and decision making will affect the outcome of the crisis we are dealing with. “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” said Fields and it is up to the individual to decide whether the fumes are from the initial source or another. I took from the lecture that individuals will establish their PR morals and those morals most likely showcase what kind of a person they are. Following Field’s presentation and a group lunch, we collectively decided to go see Brooks Fuller’s “The First Amendment in the Digital Age.” This breakout session showcased that technology is advancing and that older PR figure heads are out of date. Therefore, this generation's PR professionals will be the group to revolutionize the field. Not only did this lecture boost my confidence for upholding Virginia Tech’s intentions to invent the future, but it also showed that PR has room to grow and our generation of PR professionals have a chance to be apart of this growth. Leaving Chapel Hill after a short weekend visit convinced me that I was apart of something I could take pride in and hopefully make a living out of in the future. The hospitality UNC offered was very welcoming and I thank them for their efforts in hosting the regional conference. Now, it is time to get back to what the Hokies do best and invent the future with the new knowledge I gained from the regional conference.
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