By Shelby Shelton
On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, four members of Longwood University’s chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) returned back to Farmville, VA after attending a three-day long Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) 2016 International Conference held in Indianapolis, Indiana.
President of PRSSA and junior at Longwood University student Kyle Stone feels that the organization benefited from attending the PRSA 2016 International Conference. “Aside from having the amazing opportunity to travel to Indianapolis, Indiana, the conference was very informative and fun.”
The conference is designed to engage the focus of young professionals by providing information sessions on a number of different aspirations.
“One session I attended stressed the importance of adaptation in the workplace. The speaker did not specifically speak to one field in particular, but to all fields. They said that adapting to change is the most important thing a person could do in the professional world and that it is one of the most difficult tasks to accomplish. It requires a lot of practice and patience.” said Stone.
Rebecca Huffine, senior communication studies student and member of Longwood University’s PRSSA found that the conference brought about lots of insight for her and other members of PRSSA. With the conference being international, Huffine was introduced to numerous amounts of PRSSA chapters from local and non-local universities and colleges. “There were chapters from all over the country! I knew the conference was going to be a large scale event but I never imagined there were so many different chapters worldwide.”
Huffine was impressed with one keynote speaker in particular, Holly Wagner, Product Placement and Blogger Influencer for Vera Bradley. Huffine approached Wagner following her presentation to thank her for such an informative session. “This was a big deal for me because I love the company Vera Bradley. Holly Wagner gave me an inside look into how she got her dream career through networking with a family friend. I was so inspired by her story and really took it to heart. She even gave me a Vera Bradley makeup bag after our conversation.”
Maya Bennett, sophomore at Longwood University and Vice President of Longwood’s chapter of PRSSA was in awe of the conference. Bennett made a list, prior to their arrival, of keynote speaker sessions she wanted to attend. “The most important marketing tip I received from my trip was that, ‘If you can’t adapt to your clientele, then you won’t be successful in public relations.”
While most members focused on the marketing and networking aspects of public relations at the conference, one chose to explore a different aspect, crisis communication. Chris Williams, a senior communication studies major, took notes during this session because he found it applicable to his professional future: “In the public relations world it is valuable to know how to deal with crisis. Even though it may not affect your company or future profession, it is essential that you know how to handle tough situations.”
Students returned to the classroom with an amazing experience and a greater understanding of what it means to make public relations a career.