Talk Is Cheap 7.0: The return of our social media conference

By Camille Wallace, student, class of Spring 2015

Only two short months after beginning Centennial’s corporate communications and public relations program, myself and five talented students came together to host Talk is Cheap.

We were extremely excited (and a bit nervous) to coordinate the seventh incarnation of Talk is Cheap. Hosting a keynote event for Centennial College came with high expectations, but we were up for the challenge.

Each year Talk is Cheap relates a subject to social media. Based on the widespread use of social media platforms, we chose to discuss the importance of branding on social media. The night began with a panel discussion moderated by Martin Waxman and included panelists: Mark Munroe, Richard Marginson and Monika Rola. We encouraged guests and Tweeters to join the conversation using the hashtag #TALK7. We had participation from not only our guests, but from interested Twitter users from the United States and the United Kingdom.

Talk is Cheap also featured 12 workshops hosted by top industry professionals on topics including crisis management, digital media, selfie culture and media relations. Workshop hosts in attendance included Brad Ross, executive director of corporate communications and lead media spokesperson ‎for the TTC and Heather MacGregor, corporate communications and media relations coordinator at LCBO.

Heather MacGregor, LCBO

Brad Ross, TTC

Although Talk is Cheap is not a charity event, we wanted to help support Leave Out Violence Ontario (LOVE), an organization committed to helping youth affected by violence. We contacted a variety of sponsors who generously donated towards our raffle. Thanks to our sponsors and guests we raised a grand total of $600 for LOVE’s media arts program.

At the end of the day we had an amazing experience coordinating Talk is Cheap 7.0 and we’re sad it’s over. We learned a lot from planning our first PR event and want to share a few event-planning tips:

1. Be flexible – Things don’t always go according to plan, but this isn’t the end of the world, stay calm and remember everything will be okay.

2. Have a backup plan – Sometimes plan A doesn’t work out, so make sure you have a plan B and even C just in case.

3. Talk to your guests – It’s important to keep your guests happy. Talking to them is the best way to ensure they’re having a great time.

4. Don’t be too hard on yourself – Things won’t always be perfect, so don’t stress the small things.

5. Everyone loves food – Having several food sponsors donate not only helped minimized costs, but also kept our guests very happy.

Thank you to all of our sponsors, volunteers and guests for making Talk is Cheap 7.0 a success. A very special thank you to Barry Waite for your support, we couldn’t have done it without you.