UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 07 APRIL 2017
Public Relations students at Birmingham City University hosted a media conference this week aimed at tackling the perceptions of the creative industries in the West Midlands and highlighting the opportunities on offer in Birmingham and the wider region.
The ‘Unlearn // Redefine’ event held at the University’s City Centre Campus on Thursday 6 April also explored the role of PR in today’s fast-paced media industry and featured research presentations by students on the ethics of PR, crisis management and upcoming sector trends.
Student presentations focused on a range of topics including the recent brand reputation crisis of Samsung mobile products catching fire and the engagement ideas behind EDF Energy’s ‘I Am Pretty’ campaign, aimed at encouraging more young females to consider careers in science and engineering.
The keynote speech at the event was delivered by Jill Pearcy, Head of Corporate Communications at HS2, who shared insights into the importance of building trust with communities and consumers.
Philip Young, course leader for BA and MA Public Relations at Birmingham City University’s School of Media, said: “The event was a great success and provided students with a perfect opportunity to show PR practitioners - their potential employers - the range of exciting thinking and research that is central to our teaching here at the University.
Kelly O’Hanlon, senior lecturer in Public Relations at Birmingham City University, added: “The conference was a great learning opportunity for our students but also for practitioners who attended and engaged with us on the day, to see what our students are learning and applying – and how the professionals of the future are shaping up."
Other speakers at the event included Rachel Roberts, CEO of Spottydog Communications and Ollie Purdom, co-founder of creative industry recruitment consultancy Pitch.