PRSSA National Conference: 10 Reasons You Should Go

By Julianne Calapa
 
Spending the money to go to PRSSA National Conference is undoubtedly daunting, especially for someone like me who overthinks anything and everything. It’s scary to commit to spending the $500+ when you don’t know if you’ll be reimbursed the full amount, which is dependent on the funds raised by Homecoming Auction, YouToo, etc.
But I’m here to tell you the truth: Go.
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While there are definitely more than 10 reasons to go, I’m going to highlight the important ones:



You get to spend five days in a city that isn’t Kent: I know, this is reason enough to go. When I went to PRSSA National Conference in 2015, we spent a lot of time wandering around Atlanta during our off time, which made me fall in love with the city. Now I find myself yearning to go back!

1. You’ll meet so many amazing people: It’s the honest truth when other PRSSA members say Conference is a small world. You’re going to meet so many new people who are your age with your same interests, some of which will become friends and maybe even future colleagues.
2. Networking to the max: Conference is a great opportunity to get your name out there, especially for when you go to graduate and look for jobs. Pass out your business card to everyone you meet and create those vitally important connections.
3. It’s a 24 hour PRSSA group hangout for 5 days: You’ll be spending every moment with your fellow PRSSA Kent members, which I believe helped us bond and become a closer unit.
4. Conference is a great look inside other PRSSA chapters: We tend to get stuck in our own PRSSA Kent bubble, but Conference really forced us to look into other chapters, especially during the Chapter Development sessions. This gave us a lot of insight on ways to improve our chapter and grow.
5. Professionals galore: There are PR professionals in every single direction at Conference, which may seem intimidating, but it’s not! The professionals want to talk to you and get to know you. Who knows, they might give you a job one day.
6. You’re going to spend a lot of your weekend at Conference laughing: During our off time, we would be laughing non-stop from something someone said or did. When you spend a lot of time together, you’re going to end up seeing the fun side of everyone, which I honestly enjoyed the most.
7. The sessions are tailored to your interests: There WILL be a session that you are interested in! Anything from social media marketing to non-profit PR to government PR is covered by at least one session, so there is definitely something at Conference for everyone.
8. You get to be there when they give out the chapter awards: Many of the coveted PRSSA awards are given out at Conference, which is really fun (especially if you win!). At the Atlanta Conference, we received a Star Chapter Award, which was awesome because we got to wear a ribbon on our name tags all weekend.
9. It’s an opportunity that is too good to miss: Everyone there has a passion for PR, which is something you won’t find anywhere else. It’s simply a weekend to celebrate, share and discuss everything PR. Also, for me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience (because I’m a senior graduating in May) and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of, which was completely worth it!

 
Money will come and go in your life, but the memories and experiences you gain from PRSSA National Conference will stick around forever. Try not to dwell on the finances too much. Plus, you’re bound to get reimbursed for most of the money you spend because of the hard work everyone puts in at the fundraising events.
Take it from me: You’ll be happy you went.

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