BMW Motorrad Days 2012

Well well well! I have just returned from a trip to BMW Motorrad Days in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany and I have to say...I didn't want to come back! What an amazing event.

The weather was forecast to be thunderstorms so in my suitcase were a number of sweatshirts and waterproof jackets...I should know not to trust weather men because after a storm on the Thursday the rest of the weekend was glorious - I even got a bit of sunburn on the back of my neck!

I was lucky enough to travel from Munich to Garmisch on the back of a GS and had the opportunity to see the wonderful scenery on the trip - check out the picture above.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings - feel free to have a look at the videos I made while I was out there!

Day One and Two

Day Three and Four

If I were you I would book for next year...

Sunshine, football and darn good racing...

From the title it would suggest that I had been on a stag weekend… I haven't! 

I have just returned from the seventh round of the World Superbikes over in Aragon and I can honestly say it has been one of the best weekends ever! 

The racing just seems to be getting better and better in the WSBK series with non stop action and every rider giving it his all until the final corner. Biaggi took the win in race one with Melandri and Checa filling 2nd and 3rd respectively. Race two saw Melandri take the top step for the third time this season for BMW Motorrad Motorsport with Laverty and Davies sharing the podium with him. 

It was great to see some new faces on the podium and it was a nail-biting fight for first place between Melandri and Laverty.

For those that are interested check out the videos I made whilst I was out there: 

Perfectly seated: Recaro seats for the BMW Motorrad riders

WSBK Race Reaction from Aragon

So why the football reference? One of the highlights for me this weekend was strangely enough having the opportunity to watch the final of Euro 2012 in a tiny pub out in a Spanish village where we were the only english speakers…there was a great atmosphere- its certainly not something I will forget for a while. And strictly speaking, I don't even like football! 

Back to rainy England now, but it is good to be home - even if it is only for a few days before I fly out to Garmisch for the BMW Motorrad Days which I have heard are A LOT of fun! Will report when I get back :-) 

Time flies when you're having fun...

Time flies when you're having fun...or flying round the World! And I am pleased to say I am doing both!

Since I last updated you I have been lucky enough to travel to Australia, America, Holland and Italy all in the name of work.

I have been working for RBP International now for just over a year and can honestly say I have had the best year of my life. There have been lots of changes - I have bought a house, got a dog, worked very VERY hard and flown on around 16 flights.

I am working on accounts that I only dreamed of and have met nearly a lot of my motorcycle racing idols and would count some of them as friends.

So what do I do?

I work alongside the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team and produce video content for their YouTube channel. I film, edit and present videos and have a whale of a time doing it. I used to dream of attending all the WSBK meets and wondered how people were lucky enough to watch the races from the garages, but now that's me!

I am very much looking forward to seeing where I am in a year from now and the adventures I get up to, but I would like to share them. I will therefore be updating this blog regularly to keep you all in the loop with what I am up to and will share links to the videos I have put together!

3 months and still standing!

Admittedly I’ve been terribly anti social lately – but I have a good reason - within the space of three months I have started my dream job, left University after three years, bought a house, acquired a puppy and graduated. So needless to say one of the first things to disappear was the time to update my blog. However during this time I have made some startling conclusions which I thought I would share so that those entering the job market could gain something from my three months head start – and those heading back to University can realise how lucky they are to see episodes of ‘This Morning’ and ‘Jeremy Kyle’.

I have learnt a million things since starting work but there are six major things that have really stood out to me:

- Your Facebook will become dormant

When at University my Facebook was stupidly active and I constantly had it on in the background whilst I was working on assignments and/or getting ready to go out. I haven’t been on my Facebook for around two months now and am pretty unsure when I will next go on and update my status…

- You’ll realise how much you can get done in one day

I’ve always been proactive and managed to keep myself busy at University between lectures and seminars. At work you will be amazed at how much you get done in one day and the time will fly by.

- That 9am lecture isn’t that early

Due to the commute to work I am setting off every morning at 7:30am. When I was at University I was aware there were two 7:30’s in one day but I rarely saw both. Now, I am awake, dressed and in the car and on my way to work. There are other people up at that time too…

- You’ll see your work colleagues more than you’ll see your friends

Spending over 9 hours a day with colleagues will mean that they will inevitably become the people who you spend the most time with. I am very lucky and work with fantastic people who I get on with very well. So make sure that when you’re looking for jobs consider the type of work environment you want to go into and ensure it matches with your personality.

- Deadlines?! What deadlines?!

At University I was the Marketing student representative and sat in on meetings were students were moaning about having deadlines on the same day. At work you have a million deadlines on the same day and to be honest, it would be better if everything was done yesterday. There is no such thing as ASAP as everything needs to be done ASAP. I simply cannot stress enough the importance of planning your time properly and being organised. I never imagined that I would have so many folders in my email inbox, but without them I would be screwed and wouldn’t be able to find everything.

- A good cup of tea (and team treats) can make your day

Often when everyone has their heads down and is focusing on their work it is easy to lose track of time. So by offering people a cup of tea it is a great time to take a breather and refocus on what you need to get done. And when you make someone a good cup of tea they really appreciate it. It's the small things that make your day - like having a joke with your work mates or getting a phonecall from a client who say thank you.

It’s been a great adventure so far and it seems strange that I am not heading back to University this September. I have met some really great people and am working with some brilliant clients so I'm in a very lucky situation.

I would be interested to hear other graduates experiences if they have started work – or if any employers have tips about making the transition from University into the work place feel free to share!

@PRprofessionals - To tweet or not to tweet? That is the question #dilemma

It’s not an uncommon sight to see an individual nearly ran over because of mindlessly crossing the road whilst tapping away on their phones….I say this because it has happened to me, on numerous occasions. When I first got my Blackberry I was amazed at the amount of tasks I could do on it but has this fascination with multi-tasking gone too far?

I attended a conference in London and a comment was made about no one tweeting about the event. I personally was amazed with this, new to the whole ‘tweeting from conferences’ it felt completely alien to me to get my phone out and type on it whilst listening to someone talking.

But it’s not as strange as I first thought…

Rob Dyson (@RobmDyson), PR Manager at Whizz-Kidz, said: “I tweet from conferences. To share resources, tips and advice from the speakers with those who can't be there. Whenever I do, I always get people saying "thanks" so I keep it up.”

The more I have used Twitter the more I have followed conferences by searching for their hashtags, and the more useful I have found it!

There are plenty of advantages to tweeting from conferences such as:

- Speakers feel like they are making valid points which can be motivating and a confidence boost.
- Those who can’t attend the event feel involved and can keep up with the action.

-Could be seen as the new way to make notes. You could use them as a reference to look back on.

-It can be interesting to get an input from others and allows those who can’t attend attendance to get their pressing questions answered.

But is it in the spirit of sharing information or is it just an excuse not to concentrate?

The disadvantages can be:

- There is a high chance you could miss vital information.

- It is not guaranteed that the individual will just tweet as they might reply to an email or a text. There was a discussion by Richard Bailey (@behindthespin), a lecturer at Leeds University who decided to test out what would happen. It was met with contrasting responses…

So, we have established there are pros and cons but I think it raises a bigger question: Should it be socially acceptable?

I completely understand the benefit of tweeting from a conference and the insights that can be gained. The whole beauty of social media is the fact that you can gain hundreds of points of view in real time instead of waiting for an ‘official’ blog post which may not include questions that weren’t answered or the reaction of the room.

But if I told my grandma that I used my phone when someone was speaking to me she would clip me around the ear! Whatever happened to good old fashioned eye contact when someone is speaking to you?

However, it is completely dependant on the situation; it is different when being spoken to directly when compared with attending a conference with over 100 people in the room.

What do you find acceptable? Would you mind if someone tweeted whilst you were speaking? Do you actively encourage tweets during your presentations? Do you tweet from conferences? What’s your secret to multitasking?

For general phone use I have identified 4 types of phone ‘multi-taskers’, which one are you?!

The Ignorers: They blatantly ignore you and concentrate on their phone. They don’t hear what you say and probably wouldn’t be interested even if they could.

The Pretenders: They are looking at you but they attempt to use their phone in their pocket or by placing it under the table. Another breed of the pretender tends to draw out sentences and fill them with ‘ermmmm’ whilst they try and finish whatever they are doing on their phone.

The Postponers: Their phone goes, they raise their hand and stop you from speaking and you must remain silent until they have finished. For me, the most irritating of them all...

The Touch Typers: This breed exhibits a high level of skill and practice. They maintain eye contact as they know exactly which buttons to press.

Guest Post: Charlotte Willcocks

It is the time of year....students are either looking for placement years, placement weeks or even placement days! So I thought it would be a good idea for one student who has been through the process to share her hints and tips with you about:

How to gain experience with no experience!

The catch 22 nature of the work experience world is well known. Employers expect you to already have experience, but you are looking to them for guidance on getting some industry experience. The whole process can be extremely frustrating. Over the last five months I have experienced this first hand, the weeks of tedious application forms and covering letters followed by the agonising wait for a reply that may never come.

Therefore the best defence is a strong offence, it is vital to make yourself stand heads and shoulders above the hundreds of the hopefuls. The most effective way of doing this is to think about the transferable skills necessary for the industry you are interested in and think of other ways to gain this skills other than industry experience, if this is not an option. Here are some methods that I used to secure my own placement:

1. Get involved in a society committee – this will give you the opportunity to practice public speaking, meeting organisation, event organisation, networking, leadership and team working skills, which I have found to be invaluable for my PR portfolio.

2. Start a blog – Due to the fast paced nature of PR it is vital to get to grips with new media. I started a music blog to act as a practice run and to find my own writing style.

3. Tweet, Tweet- It may be hard to get your head around but Twitter is one of the quickest and easiest ways to follow and chat to practitioners within the industry.

4. Persistence is the key – If there is a reply you are really counting on and you haven’t heard from them in a while, there’s no harm in emailing them, even if it’s to find out why they haven’t replied and what you can improve on for next time.

5. Create a LinkedIn page – Not only is this a good way to increase your presence online, it can act as a helpful tool when you get to the interview stage to get some background knowledge on those interviewing you.

6. Be Creative – This is not something that can be done with all companies, but if it is a creative firm you are applying to make your application stand out by using different media, such as YouTube.

I found that by implementing these methods I was able to prove that I was serious about PR with no formal industry experience and create an impressive portfolio of work, which led to me catching the attention of a highly respected consumer consultancy in London, Frank PR, who offered me a twelve month placement.

So in the end there is a way around the catch 22 nature of the placement search, it’s just about proving that you have put in the extra effort to secure the certain transferable skills that make you the perfect candidate for the position.

*********************

Charlotte Willcocks is a 2nd year Business and Public Relations student at the University of Lincoln. She has bagged herself a 12 month placement at Frank PR working alongside Jay Sorrels, the head of digital at Frank PR. I'd like to take this opportunity to say: Good luck Charlotte!

MCN

As you may or may not know motorbiking is my passion in life....yes, even above shopping. Today, I achieved something that I have been wanting to do for quite a while. I had an article published on the MCN website!

It can be viewed here: No More Numb Bums

So check it out :-)

The title is rather strange admittedly, however once you have read the article you will see why I chose to give it such a title.