So it is 8:57 p.m. on Tuesday night. I finished my campaign presentation promptly two hours ago. (I needed to go to Cha Cha's for a celebration before I came home.) Sorry for my absence last week. However, I saw both Heather Spencer and Pritch around Gaylord. I have spent 48 hours there in the past 4 days... not including the Monday and Wednesday spent writing my law paper. HOWEVER... I AM NOW DONE WITH COLLEGE!

My boss is very gracious whenever it comes to giving me time off when I need it for school, and I needed last week off (and this Monday). Yet, I am meeting my boss in Norman at an invitation place before we head to Ada again to confirm everything and drop of payment at vendors for the August wedding. Next Monday, I will negotiate the terms of staying on with the company as a full-time, salary employee.

Thanks for all your attention. This is my FINAL internship blog. Feel special if you reading this, because this is the last "assignment" I will complete during my undergraduate degree. I will miss you University of Oklahoma!!!!!

So this week has been interesting. I have been asked to interview a new intern to either replace me or work under me. As of now, I have yet to make the decision on where I will be in four months. It is hard to walk away from a secure job. However, I want to gain agency experience that will guide me to what aspect of PR or communications that I will enjoy the most.

Otherwise, everything is going well. I met with a graphic artist this week on Monday. She helped me a lot with finding new ways to utilize Adobe Photoshop. Has anyone ever visited dafont.com? It is a great way to add a new touch to your artwork.

I think I am going to be start working a little less starting next week which means I have to finish all my projects. Thankfully, I have created two logos for the eZine for my boss to approve and manipulate tomorrow. This has been such a long process. At least now we have all the ideas put together! I hope that she likes what I have to offer! I will keep you updated!

So this week was fun! Not a lot of new things happened, but we made progress on ongoing projects.

On Monday, a graphic designer is coming to help me create and finalize the logos for the eZine and the bridal show in November.

From there, I will create two new Web sites for both. We hired a student to help with the eZine, and I am taking on the feat of creating the show site on my own- wish me luck!

We also got a new bride this week. The wedding is in early summer. She has a lot of plans but has not executed everything yet- which is why she hired us. I hope it works out. I did not meet with her, because she came to the office on Tuesday, but my boss says I will adore her!

I am taking today off to celebrate my friend's last weekend as a single lady! We are going to the Hard Rock in Tulsa and then a spa day tomorrow- much needed at the end of a busy last semester!

Hello blog readers! (Although, I think there are two of you...)

So this week has just been a continuation from last week. Finalizing things for the wedding. We visited Ada this week to talk to the church, the reception site, and the vendors. Although, vendors in Ada are limited, so we will have to look more in Oklahoma City and other cities.

As for the Web site, I am still looking for a designer. For now, I am creating a simple template in iWeb to show to some people I have contacted a couple of small companies in hopes to keep costs low. I think we will need to use DreamWeaver, but I am not familiar with the program yet. I need a tutorial. I like the Mac tutorials on their Web page!

We are finalizing all the information for the bridal show in November, so I can continue working on the press kit. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot else to say- it's been a boring week of continuing on past projects! I will let you know if anything new comes up!

So as I promised a new post! This week, there is not a lot of things happening around the office.

My boss said quits to the radio idea- which I am happy about. Instead, in promotion for the show (or as part of an ad package the vendors buy) we will provide "Wedding Tips of the Week" on a local station. Each tip will mention one of our preferred vendors for the November show.

I have been updating the company Facebook frequently. I wonder if it would be beneficial to start a Twitter? If we started one this summer, gained followers, then conducted a campaign right before the show- it would probably be successful. Any thoughts?

What else is a good social media tool? Facebook and Twitter are the two most common and user friendly- but what else? What kind of community can people get involved in?

As for the weddings, the Ada trip was canceled due to scheduling issues with the church. It is reset for next week.

P.S. Since I slacked last week (PR capstone took over my life as well as a family emergency at the end of the week), I will be posting again later this week! Stay tuned :)

It is getting more difficult to balance this internship and school as my senior year comes to a close. I find myself hoping for more hours out of the day.

A little update- we have confirmed most of the details for the August wedding coming up in Ada. We met with the bride who seems happy with how everything is going which is always a plus. My boss helped her find a gown which she will look beautiful. On Wednesday, we will drive to Ada, Oklahoma to look around the city for caterers and photographers- whatever we can find! Wish me luck :)

Aside from the weddings, my boss has me finding a new IT person to create the shell of the eZine like I said. I met with the guy I thought I was going to hire last week, and I did not like his ideas. Also, he said that we would not have access to the site. Since we will be creating new content weekly, we need access to change the text ourselves. Any suggestions? I would like to use a student in order to keep costs low, and I love to help out fellow students.

Also, Creative Concepts is looking into creating a radio show, so my boss has me contacting media outlets. I am a little unsure of the direction of this endeavor, but we will see what happens. Sometimes I question the direction of of things within the company, but then again, I am the intern.

Goodness it has been awhile! Spring break really takes a toll on us seniors!

Anyways, this week has been busy. I have been put in charge of the eZine. I just hired a new IT guy, and we are meeting tomorrow to confirm a layout. I then have to create the front page content and a logo. Any ideas? It is kind of like a bridal secret shopper... we let brides know what they need to know before going to specific places in OKC.

My boss has decided while the wedding planning business is slow that she will start other ventures. (Hence the eZine) Yet, I am not sure if I follow all of her ideas. I trust her... she has 20 years of expereince- I just don't always know what she talking about. She wants to start up different associations as well as be a part of a society that oversees bridal shows. It all sounds great, but it is very new territory for me.

I am happy that she always asks me what I am interested in being apart of which is why I am working with the eZine and the bridal show in November rather than the new business ventures. Also, she offered me a full time position with an intern of my own for the summer. Should I take it? Or would I be better off working my way up in an agency?

I feel like I am going to spin out of control in the near future! I plan to have this weekend to get caught up on school, sleep, and work. Wish me luck!

So spring break is approaching, and I will be traveling to Canada! However, I will still be working on line. It is ridiculous how much business is now conducted through the Internet. I talked to a vendor the other day, and instead of wanted to talk on the phone, he just sent me all the information needed (including a contract) via E-mail. I miss face-to-face interaction!

I do have some exciting news. My boss has asked me to think of a fun promotional contest to increase awareness of the company. She thought of doing an annual military wedding. As in, we would find a couple that one member was enlisted in the military, does not have the money or time to plan a wedding, or some other way incapable of planning a wedding. I like the idea of it, but my boyfriend, who is in the military, asked if this couple was going to be something like a "poster child." I think this might be the case, so I am trying to find other ideas. Here are my top 3...

1- Engagement contest- whoever can submit the best engagement story (included must be dates, times, photos, etc.) Gets a free wedding planner and a $1,000 gift.

2- Dress contest- Women submit pictures of their wedding dresses and whoever has the best will get a free wedding planner and a $1,000

3- How the couple met contest- similar to the previous two.

All the ideas need some work... any suggestions?

So I am not a shy person nor am I lacking in social skills, but when I get in a new atmosphere I am quiet. However, this working environment is not new, but I still feel like I am fumbling around in the dark.

My boss took me on as a PR intern thinking public relations is vital to a company's success, which is true.... However, I do not think she has the PR experience, so I am often on my own.

Also, with the offices being moved- files in boxes and paint cans in each room- it is difficult when I am working from home some days.

What is the PR resources? How can I find ways to promote this bridal show without spending too much money and hiring outside held?

Otherwise, everything is great. I am doing research to find a venue for a wedding, and the other venue a bride picked is not ideal, but we are going to make it work! Sometimes, I miss being a kid!

I was just told that we have a new bride for the beginning of the summer which is exciting! We are meeting with the vendor this week- a great winery here in OKC.

Last year, I created a 6 page checklist to ensure that we have all the information needed when planning a wedding after we had a big mishap. The bride was not aware that it was her job to retrieve the wedding license at the court house, so even matters of business that do not have to do with the planner is on the checklist.

I will conduct a meeting later in the week to get all the information from the bride. It is exciting because local Oklahoma bridal magazines like to feature brides. I will ask the bride if she would like this option. If so, I get to create a press release for her wedding to send to the magazines!

This week we are heading to Dallas on Friday to meet with a decorator for the November show. I will spend the next day or so fixing up some press material- creating flyers and informational material.

Hopefully the decorator will want to come do the show for us. We found someone who wants to start a market here in Oklahoma, and we thought this would be a great way for him to display his work to the vendors.

Keep your fingers crossed!

We are trying to confirm a date for the show. The venue said it should be confirmed by Monday.

This week, my boss is on a business trip collecting fabulous information! However, school kept me here in Norman. My job is to go through the vendor list... all 600 names... and make sure all have e-mail addresses attached to them. Then proceed to put these e-mails into the company contact list. It should be very exciting... and my hands might fall off by the end of the week.

From here, we will be able to send out Save the Date cards starting in the beginning of March. We will have a contracted venue as well as a confirmed date by the end of next week, which is the same time we will make a trip to Dallas.

We are going to talk to a decorator who is interested in doing the decor for the show. We have become obsessed with the color magenta.

The Show!

It is exciting to make progress on planning the bridal show for November.

Once we have a finalized date- I'll let you know.

As of now, I am starting to create promotional material to send out. First off, my boss wants me to create referral cards for our vendors. We have visited a couple of places that have given us their referral cards to give to our clients, so we plan to create the same type of thing. From this, we will be able to assess where our business will be coming from.

Also, I will be creating the promotional material for the show. To start, we will create the "Save the Date" card to give to vendors as well as a list of the new things we plan to offer at this show.

My boss was listing off her pet peeves at wedding shows, and the problems seem to be easy things to fix. We are hoping to have a show that will stand out above the rest. Once our plans are finalized, I will spill it all out. Yet, since everything is still in the planning process, I need to keep hush hush.

By the way, creating media lists are not fun. Even though PR reps are often the people who get the story to the reporter- they still don't like us. :(

Snowed in!

Last week ended with ice and snow which has kept me in Norman.

Thankfully last week I was given a lot of tasks I could do at home.

We sent out Christmas invitations to a party as well as holiday cards at the end of 2009. From those, we received a good chunk of them back because the address was not correct. I have been going through our vendor list (over 600 names) to make sure there are no holes in our information as well as correcting the addresses on the letters sent back to us. This way, we will be prepared whenever we send out invites to a pre-bridal show cocktail party.

We have confirmed a couple sponsors and found the space for the show. Thankfully we have moved the show to November. This way, we will be able to promote and advertise effectually. We are now brainstorming for a theme. One of the sponsors are willing to make it an annual show if we are successful.

I also addressed 200 letters to brides from a list we received from one of the magazines we subscribe to. It is strange to think of costs such as labels and stamps. It is something I had not thought about before I worked here- the costs add up whenever you own your own business. I am happy that I am getting a dose of reality.

Moving!

Our office does not have the best curb appeal. It is such a beautiful place but very difficult to find. It is decorated beautifully considering it is an event planning company- everyone who works there is a designer at heart.

My boss told me last week that we are moving, so it is my job to collect all the material we need to take to the new office. I need to file away all the press releases, media list, news clippings, vendor information sheets, bridal files, and other information we need. It is exciting to go though all the material. In my research class, the first thing you learn is that you need to know what was done in the past to know how to continue in the future. I see how that is true now.

Looking at past media lists, I can see who we already have relationships with and who has written about the company before. It is my job to create a media list for the upcoming bridal show. My boss has set a tentative date for November 2010, and it is now our job to find sponsorship, vendors, and media outlets for PR and advertising. I will keep you posted on updates.

So far, we have met with a couple of hotels and other venues that are enthusiastic about sponsoring the show.

First week back and it's already a mess.

I met with my boss the week before school started. We were both excited to get back on track. However, my car breaks down, I cannot get in touch with the potential sponsor for our bridal show, and our IT guy has gone missing in action.

It has been frustrating, but it has given me the opportunity to learn how to work at home. It is more effective when I am able to be in the office rather than laying in bed. Yet, I am learning how to manage my time and prioritize.

I have arranged meetings for the next two days, so we will see how that goes. We, as a company, are trying to reconnect to the venues around Oklahoma City. Also, we are trying to find sponsorship for the bridal show in May.

Each month, we receive lists from bridal Web sites with hundreds of bride's names. I am going to spend the rest of the day addressing hundreds of letters. I have a feeling my hand will hurt by the end of this all.

Beginning a long journey

Well hello!

I guess it is time to start blogging. I am an intern at a wedding and event company in Oklahoma City. I have worked there since Feb. 2009, and I really love it. It has been a learning experience more than anything.

2009 was a growth period for Creative Concepts. My boss was at a place where she wanted to figure out how to branch off on her own and get more involved with technology. Overall, there was a lot of trial and error.

Yet, now we start 2010 with much more knowledge. We are planning a bridal show which requires me to break out of my comfort level in order to pitch sales.

An eZine will be created shortly under the company name that showcases vendors. I am not sure how it will all pan out but I am excited to see.