What I’ve Learned as VP of Social Affairs and My Event Planning Advice

This year, I have taken on the role of Vice President of Social Affairs for Scripps PRSSA. I entered this position with lots of excitement, as I have always loved the idea of event planning, but never had the opportunity to expand on this skill until now. Since being in this position, I’ve learned that event planning is more than just picking decorations and coming up with party themes. Lots of brainstorming, strategic planning and collaborating with the other members of the executive board are essential to planning a successful event.

 When beginning to plan a new event, it is important to define the purpose of the event, whether it be for recruiting new members, fundraising, networking or building community and friendships within the chapter. Once the purpose has been defined, knowing the audience and who will be attending the event is crucial. Knowing the audience helps give an idea of what decorations and refreshments are needed and what venue is appropriate to host at. Lastly, it is important to collaborate with the other members of the executive board to map out budget logistics and plan promotions for social media posts.

So far this year, I have planned and hosted several events. To kick off the year, I hosted our new member social at the beginning of the semester. This recurring event our chapter hosts to recruit new members and start to build community within the organization. For the new member social, I kept in mind the purpose, which was to recruit new members, so I chose to do a game night social to help foster easy conversations between the new and current members. Especially for freshmen and sophomores since joining a new student organization can be scary, so a game night-themed social made starting conversations less jarring. The second event I planned was our annual pumpkin carving social. The purpose of this event was to continue to build community within Scripps PRSSA and help newer members feel more connected in the organization. Our most recent event was our bake sale to raise money for our networking trip to Chicago this spring. It was important to acknowledge the purpose, which was to raise money; therefore, promoting the bake sale across social media and at our weekly meetings was essential to our success. 

As someone pursuing a career in public relations, developing strong event planning skills is necessary. Events can create meaningful face-to-face opportunities for connection and engagement. This role has already taught me so much, and I can’t wait to continue growing and learning as we plan the rest of the year’s events, including our upcoming date party and annual Thanksgiving potluck.