A SWOT analysis and assessment of an event I helped run called MASSTalent. Please note: The presentation is not a recap of the event and its success. Rather it’s an assessment of why interest in attending the event was so high among students.

1. SWOT ANALYSIS Boston University Public Relations Student Society of America

2. BU PRSSA Strengths: Strong Alumni Network: Because we are in a major city, many of graduates of our programstay in the area to work High Membership Enrollment Weaknesses Many students see the organization as only for PR students Lack of Diversity in Events: We go most weeks with just a speaker and nothing more

3. BU PRSSA Opportunities Diversity in school programs: Being in a school of communications, there are students of other similar fields we can work in conjunction with. Proximity to other schools with marketing/communications programs: being in a city affords us the ability to work with students from otheruniversities with similar programs. Threats Inactive members: there are still students who don’t care how amazing the event is. Budget: The amount of money we need to run a program students would want to come to may exceed our allotted budget.

4. Boston Strengths Major city with many large PR/Communications firms Networking/Marketing events on a weekly basis Many universities in the area Weaknesses We’re not a college town, we’re more a city with many colleges The allure of the city’s events and internship opportunities can sometimes overshadow the benefits and events available on campus

5. Boston Opportunities The ability to work in conjunction with these major PR/Communications firms as well as our alumni still in the area. The ability to work in conjunction with other universities in the Boston area Threats The chance ofa Bostonevent occurring on the same day as yours Lack of student interest because you’re in a big city with better things to do

6. With this in mind, we created…

7. An Event at Hill Holliday

8. MassTalent: A Hybrid Event ½ Networking between three schools ½ Speaking Panel from Top Companies

9. The event was a huge success. BU’s allotted number of seats (20) sold out in 7hrs (at 2am). By the next afternoon, there was a waiting list of 15 people hoping to attend. Why the high interest?

10. We played to our strengths and took advantage of our opportunities.

11. Strengths and Opportunities:PRSSA We had the help of a BU alumni who had been involved with PRSSA. Now working at Hill Holliday, he helped provide us with speakers and ensured event success. We invited all of our members to come, but explained tickets were highly limited and would sell out fast.

12. Strengths and Opportunities:Boston We held the event at one of Boston’s largest advertising agencies, Hill Holliday, and invited other firms in the area to have speakers as well. We added a networking component so students would have the opportunity to meet others and hopefully gain an edge in acquiring an internship in the city. We held the event between three schools, solidifying the idea of being the ultimate college town: Boston University, Northeastern University, and Emerson College.

13. We avoided our weaknesses and neutralized our threats.

14. Weaknesses and Threats: PRSSA Because the event was held at an advertising agency instead of a PR firm and we had speakers from a number of different companies, we attracted a wide variety of students. Majors included PR, advertising, entrepreneurship and even finance. Holding an event between three schools made it almost necessary to meet new people. We even created a Twitter list of all those attending.

15. Weaknesses and Threats:Boston If you were a college student interested in digital marketing or entrepreneurship, this was the can’t miss event of the Fall semester. No matter what else was going on in the area, MassTalent was a priority for many. We brought the employers to us.

16. Other small victories and some minor defeats.

17. Small Victories By holding our event at a major advertising agency, our organization’s funds to help run the event were zero dollars. We gained exposure with other organizations on campus.

18. Minor Losses Although we sold out, interest from members of BU PRSSA could have been a lot higher. Another entrepreneurial event in the city cut into our attendance numbers.

19. Attendance Rate: Over 70 Eager Students

20. If you have any questions or comments:E-Mail: mrahmey@gmail.comTwitter: @mrahmey