Archive:Exec report - Public Relations 2012 - 2013

"2012-2013 Annual Public Relations Report

In general, I agree with previous Public Relation reps that attendance is likely to be highest during the beginning of each term, and for any high profile speakers or really interesting talks. I began the school-year with three (near) consecutive weeks of outdoor films to get people excited. The first film was a ski movie called “La Nina, the B*itch is Back”, the second film was a kayaking film titled “Frontier”, and the last film was a climbing film provided by John Leighton. Due to pre-trip meetings for major events (e.g. Long Hike), the VOC Winter Social, The Fall Gear Swap, MEC Club Night, and the ACC Fundraiser, there were only three additional slideshows in the first semester. Five additional slideshows were organized in second semester, with some Wednesdays dedicated to pre-trip meetings (e.g. Winter Long Hike), a beacon search at the beach, the Spring Gear Swap, and the VOC Annual Banquet. In the second semester, I helped organize an additional event hosted at the ROO where Will Gadd provided a slideshow and demonstrated his ice climbing skills. Despite the low number of ‘actual slide shows’ this year, every Wednesday had a social event organized by either me or someone else for club members to enjoy. About half of the slideshows were hosted in the clubroom, and the other half had rooms booked. I also encouraged club members to join in social outings to local pubs every Wednesday after slideshows and pre-trip meetings.

This year, I did not only organize slideshows, but I assisted in organizing many social events as well, including the Winter Social, Annual Banquet and the Will Gadd event. I did not organize the Jared Stanley Memorial Lecture beyond booking the room as Phil Tomlinson contacted the speaker and planned the rest of the event. I also did not hear anything from the Ubyssey regarding weekly articles, which I just read on the description on the wiki at the beginning of March.

In general, as a member of the exec and club, I helped the current president Caitlin Schneider run kayak polo sessions in the UBC outdoor pool (or at the beach during the summer) every second Tuesday. At these sessions, we taught people how to wet exit, give and receive T-rescues, and roll their kayak before playing kayak polo for the remainder of the session. I also instructed at Long Hike, and ran the Indian Arm Sea Kayaking trip, a beginner friendly trip up to Joffre Lakes in late August, and a beginner friendly trip to Elfin in January. These exact trips are obviously not the responsibility of the Public Relations Representative, but running at least two trips over the year is required and these are some good suggestions.

Booking Rooms

Note that the sub will be under construction over the next few years and the new ‘intermediate’ clubroom will likely not be able to host slideshows any longer. Therefore, rooms should be booked for every slideshow. Generally, requesting a room large enough for 30 people is likely adequate. However, well known club members will require room capacities over 50-60 for their slideshows. To book a room, use this link: https://secure.students.ubc.ca/facultystaff/room_booking.cfm Note that the 2006-2007 Public Relations Report provides a very good summary of how to fill this out. Make sure that you indicate that the club is the “AMS Varsity Outdoor Club” and that your name has been switched over as “Room Booking Representative” because only the Room Booking Rep can book rooms (along with the climbing wall coordinator).

To book the norm, e-mail: [email protected]

Running slideshows

The club owns a projector (1920 x 1080 resolution), but booked rooms should come with a projector. Once you have someone booked, you just need to make sure they are set up at the beginning. People can be found by posting on the message board, advertising in the VOCene or addressing people directly. Make sure people know that their trip does not have to be exotic to be interesting! I agree with the comment in the 2006-2007 report that “Time: Wednesday at 7pm seems to work fine for most people. Be consistent, and stick to the same weekday and time throughout the year. Experience shows that fewer people tend to show up if you organize the slide show at a different time and/or weekday.” Read the 2006-2007 report for additional useful information as well.

Good luck!