Oct. 2 Meeting

Deveney Communication- Top 5 Boutique Firm based out of New Orleans- presented at the meeting
-flat organization (no title- everyone is equal)
-Great associate (intern) program, www.deveney.com
-Lindsay Glatz & Anna Whitlow, the speakers from Deveney, both started as interns and worked their way up

Boutique PR firms do whatever clients wants
-whole spectrum of clients
-agency PR gives you a lot of various experience
-Deveney associates become part of the team, an intern at Deveney is being an assistant account executive at any other firm.
-go after opportunities you like & projects you'll enjoy
-talk to your supervisors
-Lindsay worked w/ NOLA convention & vistitor's bureau before Katrina & when it hit she was one of a few people back in the city for communication.
- build partnerships!
-if you know where you want to be after graduation, get to know the media in that market
-biggest thing starting out: your credibility & willingness to build good & beneficial relationships

-Anna started as an intern too
-Anna led New Orleans Museum of Art's "Femme, Femme, Femme" exhibition
-bring in tourists/travelers from everywhere
-worked w/ whole city for benefit of NOLA, hospitality industry, etc.
-in hospitality it's all about creating experiences
-coming out of college you, you bring all these new things to the table (some seasoned PR professionals use old tactics)
-we have competitive edge by underestanding blogs, facebook, etc.
-you'll be able to teach clients about networking with facebook, etc.
-stay on top of trends like blogs
-in agency, clients change for various reasons
-when you're competing, make sure it's friendly competition in case it gets back to them
-people want authentic communication not spin
-there's no such thing as a typical day in agency work
-Deveney Communication is very well-connected
-if you come in as a senior, they'll help you find your dream job
-as an intern take all opportunities given to you & be excited
-to apply as a Deveney Communication Summer Scholar visit their website

Our next meeting is being held on Oct. 16. We will welcome Scott Miller, manager of corporate communications at Baton Rouge General Hospital. For those of you who may are interested in healthcare PR, this is the meeting you don't want to miss. Hope to see you there!