OpenTable + Foursquare
I am a big fan of OpenTable. And I am a big fan of Foursquare.
Whenever I go out to dinner, I make a reservation on OpenTable (if the restaurant is on it). Whenever I go anywhere, I check in on Foursquare.
When I use OpenTable, I get either 100 or 1,000 points (depending on the restaurant). When I use Foursquare, I get between 1-5 points (or maybe even more depending on Foursquare).
Before you go to dinner, you make a reservation on OpenTable. When you get to the restaurant, you check-in on Foursquare completing the cycle. OpenTable is the proactive action, and Foursquare is the reactive action. They are two halves to a whole.
So it only makes sense to bring the two together.
Imagine this: you make a reservation on OpenTable for your favorite restaurant worth 100 points. When you get to the restaurant, you tell the host or hostess that you are there to redeem your 100 points. But it doesn’t stop there. You then check-in on Foursquare, sharing with your network of friends. You get some bonus points. Then you share on Facebook, Twitter or both and you get even more points. But why does this matter?
OpenTable builds the app.
OpenTable would need to be the one to create the app to connect with Foursquare. But why would they bother when they already rule the online reservation space? And they already have millions of people using their services. For every hundred points on OpenTable, you earn $1 in dining credit. After you get 2,000 points, they will send a $20 gift certificate. The only way to get points is to make a reservation, and it is a very private, intimate experience. The only people who know about the reservation are the customer, merchant and OpenTable.
But if you could get more points by checking in on Foursquare, tweeting out the check-in and posting on Facebook, your friends would see the benefits of OpenTable. OpenTable makes it easier to make a reservation without calling many restaurants. And by checking in, tweeting or posting, you are endorsing OpenTable’s service. The lazy tweets or posts would give credit to OpenTable while also spreading the world about the service. The tweets and posts could even lead to a landing page that encourages visitors to immediately sign up for an OpenTable account, make your first reservation and download the mobile app.
Currently, when someone makes a reservation, OpenTable gets a lot of data about what a person’s dining habits are: what type of food someone likes, what restaurants they like more than others, what areas of a city a person frequents the most etc. But there may be more than one OpenTable user present when the reservation is made, but the data is only recorded for the person who made the reservation. Connecting Foursquare and being able to show how many OpenTable members are at a dinner can help them gather data and even make it more accurate.
OpenTable will also figure out the habits of its members by seeing where they are checking in on Foursquare when they don’t have OpenTable reservations. OpenTable can use this data to sign on new restaurants that are popular to its members.
Customers can get extra points.
Why would customers be interested in this app? Well they benefit by getting more points. Instead of simply getting 100 points for a reservation, they can now get points much faster. And they become advocates for the restaurant which will not go unnoticed.
Merchants will gain brand advocates.
Why would the restaurants be interested in this app? Instead of having the private interaction with their customers by using OpenTable, they will now have customers who are broadcasting to their social networks that they have gone to a particular restaurant. The amount of referrals will drastically increase.
So OpenTable, what do you think?
P.S. Foursquare could benefit from this too. People complain about their points not meaning anything, right? And they will not have more access to OpenTable’s millions of customers! Seems like it could work for both parties…
A Look Back on 2011
As the end of the year approaches, it seems that most of the articles are reflecting on the last year. Journalists write about the best campaigns of the year, and the worst campaigns of the year. They write about the most memorable parts of the year, and the most painful moments of the year. Last year I wrote a post called the Final Post of the Year that went month by month through the best parts of 2010. I really enjoyed writing that post and looking back on my past year so I figured I would do the same thing for 2011.
January
In January, I went to the Dolphins/Patriots game in Foxboro which is something I have wanted to do since I moved to Boston. The Dolphins obviously got killed, but it was still a great time.
I also started my last semester of college at Boston University. They had a few celebrations for seniors.
With Dean Elmore and John Battaglino
February
I had some exciting trips in February. First, I went to Chicago for the first time. I went to DePaul University’s PRSSA conference. I wrote about it on an older blog post. Then I spent the rest of the weekend exploring the city with my awesome tour guide, Nick Lucido!
Sky Deck!
The Bean
Deep dish pizza!
A week later I went skiing for the first time at Mont Tremblant. It was definitely scary learning how to ski at first, but by the end of the weekend I was getting the hang of it. But I have heard that your first time skiing should not be on this mountain.
March
In March I did something I had been looking forward to since I heard it opened. HARRY POTTER WORLD!
April
This month started off bittersweet. I went to Seattle for the PRSSA National Assembly. I always looked forward to my PRSSA trips, and this one was my last. The next committee was elected, and I was so excited and proud of them. But it was also (potentially) the last time I was with everyone in my committee at the same time. PRSSA continues to mean the world to me and truly made a huge difference in my life and my career. I was also awarded with the Elaine Averick Outstanding National Committee Member Award. Oh, and I caught a fish in the Seattle fish market!
The 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 PRSSA National Committees
The 2010-2011 PRSSA National Committee Saying Goodbye
Elaine Averick Outstanding National Committee Member Award
May
In May, I graduated from Boston University with a degree in Public Relations from the College of Communication and a degree in Business Administration from the School of Management. I also received the Gerald Powers PR Scholarship, Blue Chip Award and Scarlet Key.
Scarlet Key
Blue Chip Ceremony
June
Even though I officially starting working on May 31, my new hire training at HubSpot started on June 6. After six months of working, I can still say I love my job!
July
In July I spent a lot of time working and a lot of time enjoying Boston and getting together with friends.
BSMA Brunch
August
In mid-August, I co-founded a Young Professionals Network for the Public Relations Society of America in Boston. Then at the end of August, Dreamforce, Salesforce.com’s annual conference that included 45,000 people this year, began. My responsibilities at HubSpot all summer consisted of working on our presence at Dreamforce and planning for our HubSpot User Group Summit. David Kirkpatrick of MarketingSherpa wrote a case study about our presence there. It was memorable, exciting and turned out very well despite Hurricane Irene’s attempt to keep the HubSpot team in Massachusetts.
September
September was the HubSpot User Group Summit (HUGS) in Boston with 1,000 customers. It was inspiring hearing many of the HubSpot customer stories and seeing how excited the customers and HubSpotters were to meet each other and learn from one another. And I cannot leave out the balloon sprocket at the opening reception. I had honestly wanted to do this since my first day at HubSpot!
October
October started off by going to Maine for the first time! I have wanted to see more of New England since I decided to stay in Boston after graduation, and this was the first step. I also had lobster for the first time.
Then all my dreams came true, and I FINALLY got the Verizon iPhone!
And I, of course, had to highlight it on my Facebook Timeline:
November
This month was busy, but at the end of the month, I went with HubSpot to Cloudforce. It was great to see everyone who I had worked closely with all summer for Dreamforce. And it is always fun to meet HubSpot customers and talk to other people about the company!
At HubSpot, not only are we around some of the greatest marketing professionals in the industry, but they constantly take the opportunity to teach us as well. HubSpot, therefore, set up a program called HubSpot Fellows. The CEO and co-founder of HubSpot, Brian Halligan, teaches a bunch of classes on leadership and helps us become better leaders at HubSpot. It is an awesome chance to learn from Brian but also interact with other HubSpotters who are part of the program.
Happy New Year to everyone!
5 Must-Have Mobile Apps for Black Friday
There are two things that people do on Black Friday: get all your Christmas shopping done or hide in your home to avoid the crowds. But for those who take advantage of the deals that kick off the holiday season, here are a few mobile apps that will help you identify where the deals are and even avoid the long lines at check-out.
Old Navy’s Snap Appy
Old Navy took their app to the next level and placed Old Navy logos around the store that are scannable. Once you scan them, you can unlock discounts and other surprises. But even before you set food in the store, you can peruse through some of their most popular styles and upload some of your own once you get in the store. And if a store runs out of a particular style or size, which can often happen on Black Friday, you can order it online right from your phone.
Fatwallet.com’s Black Friday
On Black Friday, shoppers are overloaded with thousands of choices from hundreds of stores. But the problem is, how do you decide who has the best deal? Where do you get your new TV or toys for your kids? This app sorts your choices by store or categories and even allows you to add filters to make your search easier such as brand, price, free shipping eligibity, and whether or not it is a door buster. Before braving the hectic malls, this app prepares you to use your time wisely.
Amazon Deals
Whenever you are about to make a purchase, you cannot help but think, “Can I get this cheaper? And with free shipping on Amazon?” Even though there is an Amazon app, the Amazon Deals apps works especially well for Black Friday to track deals that are running out. Many stores will only have certain details in the early hours of the morning. Instead of running to your nearest Best Buy to get the latest electronic and an even lower rate, Amazon Deals helps you pinpoint the discounts and purchase online.
ToysRUs
ToysRUs is notorious for its’ success, crowded lines, and sales on Black Friday. This store will even open on Thanksgiving before the start of Black Friday just to handle the influx of people looking to purchase toys. The app is vital for anyone who has to buy for a child. The app lets you search by keyword or item, check out daily and weekly ads, and highlights the top sellers and new arrivals. And the best part? You can buy right from the app and avoid the store completely.
tgiBlackFriday
Though similar to Fatwallet.com’s app, this app will help you keep track of the deals you want to capitalize on. Once again, you can search by store or categories, but the app shows you how many deals are available at each place and allows you to add items to a list. Come Black Friday, you can knock out all your purchases much quicker and be aware of all the available details.
What are your plans for Black Friday?
50 Reasons I Love My iPhone
- When I tell Siri I love her, she tells me “You are the wind beneath my wings.”
- The battery life is a champ. I don’t need to charge it all day long like I did with my Android.
- I can move and delete my apps effortlessly.
- The camera is incredible.
- There’s an app for that. It’s actually true.
- I FINALLY have access to the “iPhone only” apps.
- I can group my apps into categories (love this about Apple).
- Find my iPhone. Need I say more?
- It is simple connecting to wifi.
- The GPS is 1000x better than my old Android GPS.
- When I type in a contact’s name, it pops up immediately (definitely did not have that on my last phone – the delay was very long).
- iMessage is AWESOME. Such an easy way to talk to other iPhone users.
- Auto correct is REALLY good (it even knows to capitalize the “S” in HubSpot).
- Pocket MBTA – it actually tells me exactly how long it will take until the next bus arrives.
- It’s white. I’m a sucker for white phones.
- It syncs with my iPad and Mac. Thank you Apple; thank you iCloud.
- Privacy. Every time I have to open the App Store, it asks for my password. I like that I am the only one who will be able to download apps.
- The QR code scanner works.
- All it takes to clear my apps is double clicking the home button and deleting the apps currently running.
- All it takes to mute my phone is clicking a button. Literally one button.
- You can record much longer videos.
- All the Apple cords are the same to charge my devices.
- Getting the iPhone makes me look like this:
- I get to have a Timeline that looks like this:
- Facetime. I absolutely love Facetime.
- I have a camera on both sides.
- My apps don’t have to “force close” constantly.
- Downloading more apps doesn’t make it slower.
- If something happens to my phone, Apple Care will give me a new phone for $49.
- Posting pictures right to Twitter ACTUALLY works. (Note the pattern of things ACTUALLY working on the iPhone)
- The phone automatically shows my updates.
- Siri recognizes my location and will tell me places that are nearby.
- Siri knows me by name.
- The notifications for Twitter come immediately.
- Streaming videos on YouTube is quick and easy.
- Flixster will find movies near me by location.
- I will get Foursquare updates before the Android and Blackberry users.
- My phone’s apps are sleek and organized.
- The games I paid for on the iPad are now on my iPhone.
- I’m finally part of the cool kids club (by having an iPhone).
- Deleting emails takes a second and does not have any delay.
- I can put as many accounts as I want in my apps.
- Siri can easily bring up my schedule for each day.
- I can simply tell Siri to text someone, give her the message and it sends.
- Running one app doesn’t kill my battery.
- I have many choices for accessories and apps.
- When I have notifications and my screen is locked, I can swipe the app icon across the screen to immediately go to that app.
- I have a pull down on the phone of all my notifications.
- When I pay for an app, it is worth the money.
- Did I mention I’m REALLY excited about having an iPhone?
Life as a Full Time Employee
When I first started at HubSpot, I had no idea what I was getting into. I knew my summer was going to consist of working on 2 events: Dreamforce and the HubSpot User Group Summit (HUGS). But I never imagined that every day I would be blown away by the intelligence, motivation and positive attitudes that emanate from the walls of HubSpot. The people who work at HubSpot are truly changing the world of marketing It has been confirmed in the last few months that my decision to work at HubSpot was the greatest decision I could have made.
So let’s go back a bit. I had experience planning events in college with PRSSA, but I never worked on events that were larger than 200 people. At Dreamforce, 42,000 people attend. At HUGS, 1,000 people attend. It was definitely going to be a different experience. But instead of focusing on how scary that was, I decided to focus on how much responsibility I was given. At HubSpot, your superiors empower you by giving you confidence. They show that they trust you and know you will be able to accomplish your tasks. And they guide you when you have questions and help you achieve your goals. So I took the challenge of working on these events as exciting.
For those who don’t know, Dreamforce is the largest cloud computing conference in the world put on by Salesforce.com. They have speaking sessions, a trade show and parties at night. HubSpot had 11 speaking sessions and four booths in the trade show area. We created an iPad app for Website Grader and gave consultations to anyone who visited our booth areas. We were very visible since we all wore orange track suits (see the pictures below or on HubSpot’s Flickr). We also gave away free unicorns to anyone who stopped by our booth. Many people came up to the booth asking, “Why unicorns?” (which I am sure you are asking right now too). At HubSpot, we are fact based. You can see that through the webinars, blog posts, videos and other content we produce. The unicorns were a reminder that you should not listen to marketing fantasies but listen to the facts. Marketing has changed a lot in the last decade, and it is important to change your strategies as the world changes. The messaging, iPad app and speaking sessions were very successful, and HubSpot had a great time there! HubSpot also sponsored the RVIP Lounge, a karaoke lounge on wheels, to take people around the city at night. It was branded with everything HubSpot (and also included a few unicorns!)
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Two weeks later, we had the HubSpot User Group Summit (HUGS) as part of FutureM right after the Inbound Marketing Summit (IMS). During IMS, we had an Inbound Lounge where our consultants gave Website Grader assessments. Attendees also had the chance to play ping pong or just sit and relax at our tables. After IMS, we had our opening ceremony which included a 15-foot sprocket structure made out of balloons (see picture below) and a video thanking our customers. HUGS was all day on Friday and involved different tracks to learn about different parts of the software. But the most rewarding part was listening to the customers talk about the way HubSpot has changed their business. They were so excited to go to the different sessions and hear more about what was to come in the future months. It really shows you how much your job means to other people. Pictures from HUGS show some of that enthusiasm.
So now that these events are behind me, I’m only looking forward to more events and PR at HubSpot. It is so rewarding doing something you love with people who are as passionate and driven as the people at HubSpot.
What were your experiences with your first job?
PRSA Boston’s New Young Professionals (YPN) Section
Great ideas are often created in the most casual situations. Laura Schroeder and I met regularly for dinner after she graduated. We had worked together at Boston University on the PRSSA executive board. We missed those times and decided then that we had to work on something together in PRSA Boston.
One of the things that made me want to stay in Boston is the strong networking and PR community. PRSA Boston took an active role with students, and you always felt welcomed when you went to their events. However, there are a lot of young professionals who may be intimidated by going to these events. BUT there are so many young professionals in Boston and many who could benefit from an organization like PRSA. So Laura and I decided it only made sense to start a Young Professionals Section (YPN) as part of PRSA Boston.
So we pitched the idea to the board and got more support than we even thought possible! So our first event will be Tuesday, August 23 at Tia’s on the Waterfront to kick off an exciting addition to an already great Chapter and city. So now is the part we need YOUR help with.
Our social media channels are set up: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. But we have to spread the word. Our kick off event is going to be the start of a great social and learning experience. We will alternate between having social events and workshops. If you want to be more involved, we have positions on our committee for that. If you simply want to enjoy the events without spending additional time, that’s fine too! We are simply excited to build a network for young professionals in a city that thrives on young professionals.
So come to our event, invite your friends, tweet and post about us! But most importantly, tell us what YOU want to see in a group like this. What do you want to learn about?
The End of an Era – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I recently wrote a post on the HubSpot blog about marketing lessons from the Harry Potter series. However, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass to get into what this series REALLY means to me. You have probably seen a lot of tweets and Facebook posts and heard a lot of people talking about their childhood ending with the ending of the series. And I think that really captures what this series means to me.
I have always been a bit overly excited when it comes to anything Harry Potter related. When the 7th book came out, I took off of work, got the book at midnight, read until I fell asleep that night and finished the book by the end of the day. I always saw the movies as soon as they came out (gotta love the midnight premieres) and was beyond excited when I went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
I also wrote a blog post after I saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I think the last paragraph will give you a better idea of my excitement:
I guess all I can say now is 492 days until Part I of the 7th book comes out in theaters, and 730 days until Part II of the 7th book comes out in theaters! Then we can finally hear Molly Weasley say “Get away from my daughter, bitch!”
So between the trailer and this Hillywood spoof of Harry Potter and “Friday,” I was counting down the days. Better yet, my birthday is July 14 so right as my birthday ended at midnight, the premiere started.
I was first in line for the premiere (IMAX 3D of course), but I do have to say I’m not the craziest person out there. I love that everyone dresses up, but our theater was crazy to the point that someone who was dressed in an owl costume (as Hedwig) was flying around the theater for a good amount of time. Someone else also hushed the theater and then ran in yelling TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! And the theater started singing Harry Potter Puppet Pals (I may have joined in with this one.)
And a big thank you to Foursquare for creating a Harry Potter badge!
So now for some of my thoughts on the movie. SPOILER WARNING RIGHT HERE!
I wasn’t sure how they were going to pick off after the previous part, but I think they did a great job of getting right into it (instead of showing flashbacks from previous movies). The first half had left off with Voldemort getting the Elder Wand, and I think it was right to start there. At first, there was more talking than action in the movie, but that quickly ended. Harry, Hermione and Ron were quickly escaping death at Gringotts.
I didn’t realize how quickly Harry returns to Hogwarts, but I was excited that the movie got right to it. I would have liked Harry and Dumbledore’s brother to go into more details about their history, but I understand that needed to be cut from the movie. Harry confronting Snape soon after that scene definitely made up for that!
But the greatest part of the movie wasn’t the battle between Voldemort and Harry or event their encounter in the forrest. The movie completely overtook me when Snape was killed and Harry went back in his memories to find out the truth about his destiny, Snape’s love for his mother and why Voldemort has been after him. I could hear everyone around me sniffling (including myself). It was just such a beautiful portrayal of the Harry Potter story.
There were also many characters who really developed so well in this movie in comparison to previous ones. Neville Longbottom was the perfect portrayal of a character who went from a scrawny, helpless boy to someone who could look evil straight in the face. The scene when he stands up to Voldemort is overpowering and inspirational. Ginny Weasley is also someone else who came into her character very well. She is now 20 and began filming with the Harry Potter series at age 9 so we really saw her grow up. But seeing her mourn when everyone thinks Harry Potter is dead was one of her greatest scenes.
Now I know a lot of people did not like the epilogue to the series, but I always loved it. I loved reading about their lives in the future after the craziness of their years at Hogwarts. It was AMAZING to see what they would look like in 20 years (and a bit funny for characters like Draco and Ron). But watching Harry give advice to his son as he embarked on his journey at Hogwarts and seeing him reunite with the now married Ron and Hermione was the perfect way to end the book.
So to J.K. Rowling, thank you for 14 amazing years of Harry Potter. Like many other people, I feel like I have grown up as Harry has grown up. And I think I speak for everyone when I say, I cannot wait for Pottermore!
Enchantment
I finally had the chance to read Guy Kawasaki‘s Enchantment, a book I have been trying to read for awhile now. I wrote a post on the HubSpot blog about enchanting your audience using marketing techniques that he discusses in this book. But one thing I did not include was how I have been enchanted in the past. At the end of every chapter, Guy ends with someone else’s personal anecdote about how they have been enchanted. It may have been something special that happened in their lives or witnessing someone else doing something extraordinary. I originally thought I was going to write about how I have been enchanted by PRSSA, but let’s face it, if you read my blog, you already know about that. So instead I thought it would be appropriate to talk about how I was enchanted my sophomore year of college which led me to write this blog.
When I first started college, a lot of people talked about blogging, but I didn’t really see the point or understand it. Then I had another student come to my class and speak about his experiences blogging on his blog, The Personal Blog of AJ Vaynerchuk. He spoke about all of the opportunities he had as a result of his blog including networking opportunities, learning experiences and even making a small profit. I was completely enthralled and wanted to learn more. I decided I couldn’t use the excuse that “I was too busy to learn how to blog or consistently blog” since he was constantly traveling and networking in addition to school and still made time to blog.
So I figured, what do I have to lose, and I messaged AJ asking to help me set up my blog. He met with me a few weeks later, set me up on Rachel Sprung on PR, and the rest is history. I try to blog 2-3 times per month now (even though it is sometimes less) and have engaged with many interesting people as a result of it. My blog has been a great conversation starter and really shown others that I care a lot about this industry and love learning more about it.
My enchantment in this case is two-fold. First, I became enchanted with blogging. Before my encounter with AJ, I had never really seen its purpose, and I didn’t read other blogs. But after, I began regularly reading other blogs and commenting on them. It was so interesting for me to engage with content in this manner. The other part is I never said no when a student asked me for help. It was really inspiring to me that despite his busy schedule, he made time to help me buy my domain name and set up a blog, something I don’t think I would have done otherwise.
All in all, I highly recommend reading Enchantment. It will leave you with hundreds of marketing takeaways but also inspirational stories about enchanting others and becoming enchanted yourself. Feel free to share stories about how you have been enchanted (or enchanted others) below!
From College Years to the Real World
The last 12 days have been a whirlwind. I graduated and a little over a week later started my first full-time job. So before my posts change from being “Rachel Sprung on PR: The College Years” to “Rachel Sprung on PR: The Real World,” I wanted to write a post about my time at Boston University. My last two posts highlighted my love for Boston and my love for PRSSA. But without understanding my background story, these posts may not make any sense at all. Because my love for the two really came from my incredible experience as a Boston University student.
I decided to come to Boston University for it’s public relations program. Unlike most high school students, I knew I wanted to be in communications, and I knew I wanted to be in public relations. The program at Boston University is known around the country for producing some of the finest public relations professionals, and I wanted to have a similar opportunity. I also wanted to be in the city, and BU really fit all of my criteria.
But when I got my acceptance letter (early decision, of course), I had no idea what was in store for the next four years. I did not know that I would be traveling around the country meeting other incredible public relations students. I did not know that I would become an active part of a public relations circle in Boston. I did not know that I would not only plan various events on campus but around the city of Boston. I did not know that I would be so immersed and excited over technology. I did not know that I would love Boston as much as I did and ultimately make it my home. And I truly owe that to Boston University.
The thing about Boston University that makes it unique from other schools is not only its location and curriculum but the way faculty and administration put themselves out for their students. What other Dean of Students do you know would come to an off-campus event you put on to support you? Dean Elmore does. How many faculty would answer your frantic emails about life’s problems at odd hours of the night? Professor Quigley does. I cannot even name the number of times I have asked for help from various professors, and they have dropped everything to give me advice or given me a contact in the area who could help me out. Boston University faculty try to get to know their students at a personal level in order to help them make the best decisions during and after college. And they truly succeed and graduate some of the best students in the country.
Graduation weekend was full of exciting events to celebrate the last four years. So I obviously have to share some pictures!
Scarlet Key Ceremony
First, you sign the book.
Then you get knighted!
Then you get a pin!
Blue Chip Award
Blue Chip Recipients
School of Management Commencement
My Cap!
Getting My Diploma!
Commencement
Katie Couric!
- With the Family!
College of Communication Commencement
Getting My Diploma!
Tyler Hicks, NYT Journalist
So to everyone who has touched my life at Boston University, thank you for an incredible four years. I really believe this is the best institution, and I could not have gotten a better education anywhere else. So thank you, Boston University! I plan to be a very active alum 
A Year on the PRSSA National Committee
I stood in front of more than 150 PRSSA students across the country and began my speech, “Hello everyone! I’m so honored to be standing here to talk about my goals and dreams for the position as Vice President of Regional Activities.” We were in Austin, Texas for the PRSSA National Assembly. I was running against five other candidates for a role that had truly made me fall in love with public relations.
I started my journey in PRSSA as a member of the Regional Activity planning committee as a freshman and continued onto the role as Regional Activity Coordinator as a junior. The opportunity to work with PR students across the country to plan similar conferences was a dream. And that dream was made a reality as I assumed the role as National Vice President of Regional Activities.
A year later as I finish my term, I look back and am nostalgic for all the amazing times I had in this position and grateful for the opportunities it gave me to meet and work with inspirational students across the country. The most interesting part of this position is the interaction with students you never would have otherwise been in touch with. The organization has 10,000 students. That is 10,000 students with different interests, different personalities, different accents, different goals and different dreams. Some students aspire to be in a large city, and other students aspire to be in a small town. Some students aspire to work in non-profit organizations, and others aspire to work in agencies. Some studies are interested in new media, and other students are more focused on traditional media. But one thing is for sure, every student I have met has inspired me in different ways.
So for those of you who are fortunate enough to have more years in PRSSA, make the most of it. I can honestly say that my time in PRSSA has been the best part of college. Traveling around the country to different conferences to learn more about public relations and meet the future of the industry is more fulfilling than I can even put into words. Witnessing the satisfaction and excitement of the Regional Activity coordinators when they secured a speaker or a sponsor was probably just as exciting for me as it was for them. I have always loved mentoring other students, and being in this position gives you the ability to help so many more students than you even thought was possible. As a member of the National Committee, you go beyond your position. I was in charge of managing the Regional Activities, but I found myself helping students secure internships, editing resumes and cover letters and giving general career advice.
Even though being active in PRSSA can seem daunting, it ends up being so fulfilling. We may always preach about professional development and networking opportunities, but do not forget about peer networking. Your peers will one day be your colleagues and may even be your boss. Learning to work with people who are different from you will be valuable in your future career. And making those connections will not only be a way to make new friends but may lead to future job opportunities.
I know I am a bit of a PRSSA fanatic, but I have good reasons for that. Become active in your local Chapter and even on the national level. The end result will make your time spent SO worthwhile. And as I pass the torch to the next Vice President of Regional Activities, I am only excited and thrilled to see what the committee will accomplish.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
