The University of Akron’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) will hold its first pitch contest in Kolbe Hall Room 103 on Feb. 6 from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

Student participants will be given a public relations situation and an hour to come up with a ten-minute campaign pitch for a real client.

The client for PRSSA’s first pitch contest at UA will be the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the winning pitch will be decided by a group of local public relations professionals and UA professors.

“The perks are not only experience… for PR majors but it also includes free PRSSA membership which usually is a $65 annual fee,” Bryce Chekan, UA’s PRSSA Chapter President, said.

PRSSA is a student organization for students interested in the field of public relations and provides them with networking opportunities, resources and information to help them in the field after graduation.

Members of PRSSA are able to attend several conferences throughout the year, such as PRSA Student Day, providing an opportunity for members to learn from and network with PR professionals.

“Students get access to PRSA events that are a lot of networking events, PRSSA events which are educational and networking [and] also they get access to the online database for internships and jobs for communications students,” Chekan said.

PRSSA also looks to work with local nonprofits to give students real world experience, such as creating PR campaigns and working with social media.

The pitch contest is one of the many opportunities for students interested in PR at UA to meet and interact with professionals in the field, opening the door for free PRSSA membership and access to events exclusive to members.

“If a student is in communications this is the best path for them to build a network in the field, plus PRSSA is a great organization to put on a resume because it holds us to the same standards as PRSA,” Chekan said.

Any students with questions about the event or about PRSSA can contact Chekan at [email protected].