PRSSA National Conference

BY KARIANNA SIMPKINS

SC Contributing Writer

 

Two East Stroudsburg University Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) members had the privilege of traveling to Center City in Philadelphia.

This year’s PRSSA National Conference was held in the city of “Brotherly Love” at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel.

All PRSSA members were invited to attend the conference occurring from October 25 until October 29.

East Stroudsburg University sent two representatives to Philadelphia this past weekend.  Samantha Swank, ESU Senior and PRSSA Web Editor/Social Media Director, and Kathryn Bock, ESU Senior and PRSSA Vice President, attended the National Conference.

The PRSSA National Conferences’ theme was “Foundation for Innovation.”  Swank and Bock were able to attend sessions that featured prominent icons in the Public Relations field.  This gave them the opportunity to learn from professionals in the public relations field, an alternative to the traditional classroom learning.

“It was very inspirational to think that the professionals conducting the sessions used to be PRSSA members.  They sat right where we were sitting not too long ago, attending a PRSSA National Conference themselves,” said Bock.  “This gave the current PRSSA members something to strive for when it comes to their profession.”

These sessions occurred daily at the National Conference and fell under all different categories.  Some sessions were about crisis management while others focused on fashion and beauty in the world of public relations.  “It was great to be able to attend sessions that focused on public relations and fashion, since that is what I hope to do with my degree,” says Swank.  “It was also great to meet with people who held similar passions for fashion.”

Other sessions conducted were on topics such as how to manage work and your personal life when working in the field of Public Relations.  Managing and portraying an effective brand was another session that both Swank and Bock claimed to have been very useful.

“It was a great opportunity to be able to meet professionals and hear their insight and experiences in the field of public relations,” said Bock. “Sam and I both look forward to sharing what we learned with the rest of our chapter.”

Swank also expressed that she was glad to have networked with professionals as well as other PRSSA members from all over the nation.  “I learned a lot and can now share it with our chapter to benefit our organization as a whole.”

Swank and Bock both agreed that the weekend was an opportunity they are glad they were given.

They explained that it opened their eyes to a lot of different aspects of the field of PR and that is something they were thankful for.

“It was almost like a movement,” said Swank.  “PRSSANC was a trending topic in the United States on twitter Saturday, and if you are in the world of PR you know that is a pretty big deal.”

 

Email Karianna at:

ksimpkins@live.esu.edu