It’s Raining Media

From Anna Hellgeth ‘09…

On this rainy morning at the Chicago Auto Show, the media center is up and running with journalists and bloggers from around the world.  Since 6:30 a.m. today, journalists have been lined up outside the media center door as the interns have created and passed out credentials with free Bridgestone bags filled with the media schedules.

The media center tables are filled with journalists working hard on creating their schedules, deciding what press conferences and exhibits their crew will cover throughout the packed day. Bloggers are typing away, uploading pictures, and publicizing their thoughts on their first day at the auto show. Throughout the week, we will continue to welcome prestigious media and converse with well-known anchors, presidents of media conglomerates, and magazine journalists.

On the show floor, we are covering press conferences and manufacturers’ events.  The first one started at 7:30 a.m., and multiple conferences will continue into late afternoon. Our biggest challenge will be covering the press conferences, where I’m sure we will gain the most experience. Afterwards, we will develop a summary of the event and a Chicago Auto Show press release to post on the Web site for other journalists to view. Today, our schedule is packed with media opportunities that other college public relations students may never experience.  We have a long day ahead of us and are looking forward to the opportunity for more real-world experiences.