When we were given the assignment to interview someone in the field I
was very excited. I saw this as an opportunity to learn real firsthand
experience. It is always good to hear from someone who is doing exactly what
you want to do.
Since I am looking to get into the tourism/travel/hospitality industry
(I know there are a lot of options there, but I am still in school with time to
decide!) the first place I thought of was Travel Manitoba. Travel Manitoba is a
public crown corporation working to attract tourists to Manitoba, as well as
let people from Manitoba know what is going on in their own province.
I sent out a couple of e-mails to one of the organization’s media
coordinators and she was happy to help. When she was willing to take time out
of her schedule to talk to me, it reminded me that when I get into the field to
always be willing to pass my knowledge on as well!
When asked the media coordinator told me that there is no week that is
typical for her. There are always different projects going on so it really just
depends on what project is priority at the time. Some examples of what she does
would be responding to many e-mails, working on a year end report of earned
travel publicity throughout the world, dealing with travel writers, and keeping
the social media up to date. That is just a few of the m many responsibilities
she has.
There has been many projects that she has been proud of but one in
particular was when a writer from Lonely Plant came to Winnipeg and was
exploring seven Canadian cities. She was able to pitch ideas to the writer,
help plan his itinerary, and hosting him. She was very proud to see the final
product on the Lonely Plant website.
As we all know PR is an ever changing industry. So when I asked her what
she does to stay current in the field she said that she attends 3 media events
per year. These events are filled with an afternoon of professional
development. Some of the most successful PR people will sit on a panel and
answer any questions.
This woman attended Red River College, and before starting her career
she wishes she would have had more hands on knowledge, especially when it comes
to writing things such as communication plans.
She informed me that writing is so important in the industry. She has
travel writers approaching her all the time so she needs to be able to
communicate with them. They are always looking for quotes as well so it is
important to choose the right words to get the message across.
When working for a corporation such as this, there is a lot of reporting
that is required. All the money that has been spent has to be accounted for,
and proof of what your work has done throughout the year is important.
Some final words of advice that she gave me were to have a polished
portfolio that has great examples of your work and to spend time volunteering.
I was happy to hear since I am trying to do as much volunteering as I can. It
let me know that I am on the right track!
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