"Be flexible" Becca says to future PR professionals

"Be flexible" Becca says to future PR professionals

Thursday March 25, 2010
By Joshua Fried

Becca Salmon has always had a knack for organization. As young as high school Becca was planning events for her community and church, truly developing a passion for events. While at OU Becca worked for museums publicizing events, statewide political campaigns, the Oklahoma National Democratic Party and the American Cancer Society. She was also a student intern for the OU Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering; helping plan joint conferences and maintain their scholarship database.

Becca received a B.A. in Planned Program and Organizational Studies and Social Sciences with a concentration in Communication and Criminology from the University of Oklahoma in May 2006.

Becca is currently in her forth year as an Event Coordinator at the Center for Public Management in the OU College of Continuing Education. Becca’s job involves creating events and awareness for state agencies such as the Department of Human Services .

Becca is responsible for all aspects of the events she contracts; from the location and the food served to the color scheme for the logo. Initially she meets with the customer to hear what kind of event will be held and then creates a proposal including various locations and their costs, speakers and breakout sessions, handouts and publicity.

In order to create a mutually beneficial relationship for the client and their public, Becca will analyze both the advantages and drawbacks of a certain speaker or giveaway and present this to the client. During the planning stages of an event “all of the problems end up on my desk to be fixed” she says. “Cleaning up the mess” as Becca refers to it is a specific skill of hers. Issues that arise during an event look bad for her customer and the OU department that she works for, thus, she always strives to create a positive image for both of them. After an event Becca uses surveys to create a report for the client on what was and was not successful.

“I love my job,” Becca says with a smile as she continues planning an event that will host over 500 people in the upcoming month. When asked for advice for future PR professionals, Becca immediately stressed the importance of flexibility.

This is the logo from the last event Becca organized.

Event Planning: Kristen Edwards

Event Planning: Kristen Edwards
By Kylie Fisher

Growing up ten years ago, kids would always tell their parents that they want to be a doctor, lawyer, or a teacher rarely would you have heard a child tell you that they want to go into the public relations field. However, now with shows and movies like the City, the Hills, and the Wedding Planner more and more girls want to pursue a career in public relations.
Kristen Edwards, a 2006 OSU graduate also wanted to step out of her comfort level as she pursued a job in event planning. In 2005, she got an internship at Platinum Occasions in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While this internship was only 500 hours it soon developed into something, she truly loved. While working at Platinum Occasions she has helped plan weddings, bar and bat mitzvah, and big upscale birthday parties.
“People think this job is glamorous but it’s actually a lot of hard work you have to set up consolations, get quotes from vendors, hope that those quotes fit into the budget and if they don’t try to make it happen. Even when the party is going you don’t get to really sit back and enjoy it because you are always making sure things are running smoothly and even when the party ends you are not finished because you have to make sure the vendors get all of their items back”.
“However, I have been to some memorable parties. The one party I still remember to this day was one we threw for a 4 year old. It was like something you see on that show Sweet 16 on MTV. The party was like a fair, it had cotton candy, face painting, a merry go round, a Ferris-Wheel, and even some clowns” said Edwards.
The thing I love most about my job is all the different interactions with all types of people. In addition, no job is ever the same so it’s never a boring day at work.

Event Coordinator Specialist, Tiffany Shurts

By Jayse Nelson



Prior to coming to OU, my mom set up a lunch meeting with a friend of hers, Kaye Burkhardt, President and Founder of Dallas Fan Fares, Inc. (DFF). After meeting with Kaye, I became determined to find a career in the Event Coordinating Industry. Three years later, I received the opportunity to work as an intern at DFF. This is where I met my supervisor, Tiffany Shults.

Tiffany attended the University of North Texas and graduated with a degree in Hospitality management. After college, Tiffany became a consultant for the Alpha Phi chapter at Cornell University. Her job there was to help Alpha Phi rebuild their chapter. She later moved back to Texas with hopes of breaking into the Event Coordinating industry. After spending a lot time researching the industry on the Internet, Tiffany sent her resume to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Her persistence paid off when she received a job with the Dallas Cowboys as their Catering Manager. Her colleagues there introduced her to an organization entitled, Meeting Professionals International, where she is still a member.

Tiffany is currently employed by DFF as the Manager of Operations and Development. DFF is a global event company specializing in meeting management, incentive travel, sports hospitality, and destination management. A big part of Tiffany’s position at Dallas Fan Fares is "quality control"—ensuring that all procedures and services are an efficient portrayal of DFF’s standard of quality. As a result of being in the Event Coordinating Industry for nearly 10 years, Tiffany enjoys being a beneficial resource to her company and the employees. Her main challenge at DFF is when clients desire an event or meeting bigger and better than their previous one, however the client provides a smaller budget.

Tiffany’s advice for individuals seeking to break into her industry is for them to, “Keep in mind that this industry takes a certain type of person to succeed in it.” An individual must be detail-oriented, organized and have superior customer service skills. Furthermore, because this is becoming a very popular industry, Tiffany suggests that individuals do their homework on companies and be persistent in their efforts in acquiring a job.