This is an SES plan I made with 3 of my peers in 2017 for an Introduction to PR class assignment at UoN.

1. Zoe Drew, Lucy Panuccio, Imogen Jaeger, Naomi Spooner
SES SHOUT OUT
CARNIVAL
CMNS1290 PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN AND MEDIA RELEASE

2. 1
Executive Summary
This public relations plan outlines the steps undertaken to achieve the SES’s objective. The
objective is to plan and successfully run public events, praising and acknowledging the
service of volunteers in the Upper, Central and Lower Hunter. These events are to be known
as Shout Out Carnivals. The functions will be held on 5th
, 12th
and 19th
of May 2018. The
plan includes a research and situation analysis with a SWOT table. The plan proposal
breaks down the event’s target public, overviews the intended goal and objectives, examines
strategies, processes and tactics to take place, outlines key messages and reviews the
budget. The plan concludes with an evaluation, summarising the key points.
Position
The SES wishes to host an event for the volunteers of the SES to recognise and thank them
for their service. The event will also be used to promote the work of the SES and related
organisations (such as the NRMA) to the general public and as a recruitment tool to attract
new volunteers.
Objectives
Given the geographic spread of the region, separate events will take place in each of the
three SES clusters of the Hunter region. The first event will take place at Simpson Park in
Singleton on Saturday 5th
May 2018, followed by Maitland Park on Saturday 12th
May 2018
and Lambton Park on Saturday 19th
May, 2018. Each event will take place from 10am to
4pm offering a range of entertainment, food and SES promotions.
Strategy
1. Hold an entertaining carnival for the SES volunteers and their families that rewards
them for their service and highlights the community’s appreciation for their actions.
2. The event must adhere to a limited budget which has been attained through
donations from sponsors.
3. The event will also be utilised as a fundraising opportunity for the SES via
compulsory gold coin donations upon entry.
4. It is an opportunity for the SES to educate the community on safety during
emergencies as well as potentially raise funds and recruit more volunteers
Key Publics
 The main target public for the event will be volunteers for the SES. The event is an
opportunity for the corporate sector of the organisation to recognise the volunteer’s
contributions.
 The general community is also a target public as the event will advertise and promote
the SES’s purpose and services.
 It is an opportunity for the SES to educate the community on safety during
emergencies as well as potentially raise funds and recruit more volunteers.
 Current stakeholders and investors such as the NRMA, as the event is a promotional
opportunity for their organisation.
 The publics in each of these categories represent a range of ages, hence the event
will offer entertainment suited to each demographic group.

3. 2
 Target demographic:
 AGE: 6 months – 90 years
 GENDER: all genders
 CLASS: Lower and middle class
 People who are community orientated
 Local primary school dance groups will perform on the days to cater to the older
demographic that is expected to attend
 Live bands for teenagers – young adults
 Games/activities and face painting for parents who want to bring young children
S.W.O.T Analysis
In order to ensure the efficient and effective use of tactics and resources and to maximise
the outcomes from the carnivals, the following SWOT analysis has been undertaken.
Strengths Weaknesses
 Majority of staff are volunteers
 Positive brand reputation already
exists
 Variety of age demographics
represented
 Pre-existing television and radio
advertising history
 Financially supported under State
Emergency Service Act 1989 by
local and state government.
 Relies on volunteers as main human
resource
 Social media profile is not as strong and
relatable as other government agencies
 Volunteers are generally busy and may
not have time available to attend the
event
 Volunteers may not be looking for
recognition
 Misunderstanding in public on the SES’s
roles and services
 Government funding is limited in
comparison to the size and needs of the
organisation
 Reliance on sponsorship and donations
as the organisation is not for profit.
Opportunities Threats
 Natural disasters and rescue calls
allow for organisation to function
 Seeking recruitment of volunteers
 Seeking donations from the
community and corporate
organisations e.g. NRMA
 Events as a means of promotion
and fundraising
 Limited funding
 Cannot always provide resources to
those in danger during events
 Risk to volunteers’ health and safety
 Threat to reputation if organisation
doesnt communicate and serve
effectively during emergencies
 Competition from other not for profit
organisations for funding e.g. RFS

4. 3
Tactics and Administration
 Approach Singleton, Maitland and Newcastle councils to provide free location hire for
the event. This will reduce costs whilst providing optimum locations. Under the State
Emergency Service Act 1989 local councils are legally required to support the SES in
their actions and activities.
 To raise funds for the local SES units, a gold coin donation will be required on
entrance to the event. This donation will be collected by SES units from neighbouring
regions or other volunteer organisations such as the RFS. The focus of the event is to
reward local volunteers; hence, the SES will be requesting they do minimal work on
the day.
 Local bands and artists will be offered the opportunity to perform to large, live
audiences. This tactic will provide both live music to carnival attendees and offer
hunter musicians the opportunity to promote their music.
 Food trucks managed by local businesses such as MEET, Bao Brothers, Choux
Patisserie, Doughheads, El Poco Loco and The Kid and Cat will be approached to
attend the event. The SES will request no renting fee from businesses. This contrasts
with fees required at other market events such as Hunt and Gather. Consequently,
the carnival will be a symbiotically beneficial opportunity for food establishments and
the SES. Businesses can use the carnival to gain profits from attendees. Similarly, the
attendance by said establishments boosts the appeal of the carnival to the public,
increasing crowds.
 Similarly, local businesses will be given the opportunity to provide market stalls. This
can include handmade products and services such as jumping castles. These stalls
provide entertainment and incentives to the community to attend, whilst giving small
businesses an outlet to make profit.
 Bunnings will be approached to donate face painting outlets for children’s
entertainment.
 Freelance photographers will be approached to photograph the event as a donation.
Images taken will be posted on SES Facebook and Instagram pages, consequently
promoting the photographer’s portfolio.
 Social Media posts promoting the event will be made on pre-established SES
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. The SES will promote the carnival’s
objectives with hashtags “#notallheroeswearcapes”, “#ourheroeswearorange” and
“SESshoutoutday”
 The SES Facebook page will also create an event as a way of advertising carnival
and to reach a wider audience. The event will make the information and details of the
carnival easily accessible for the community.
 Radio advertisement on local station NXFM will promote the event. The SES will use
the "what’s on in your area" segment and the Nick and Sophie breakfast programs to
gain community awareness. These advertisements will also promote a code word that
entitles listeners to a free balloon on the day. This strategy will give an indication into
the effectiveness and reach of the radio advertisement campaign.
 Advertisements in local school’s weekly newsletters.
 Notable community members will be approached to volunteer as ambassadors,
promoting the event. This may include Knights players, SES representatives and
politicians with significant social media presence. They will be asked to post about the
carnival using the above hashtags. Similarly, food establishments appearing at the
event will be asked to post about their attendance.
 A media release will be sent to local news organisations and blogging sites such
Hunterhunter, The Newcastle Herald, The Maitland Mercury and the Singleton Argus,
all hunter region radio and television stations.

5. 4
 Among the market and food stalls, there also be booths set up by SES members for
new recruits to volunteer to enlist with the SES.
 An information booth will be set up to advise the community on how to prepare before,
during and after flood, storm and natural emergencies and how the SES can help
them. This information kiosk will provide pamphlets and tips for the community
members and promote how the SES can help.
 To engage with children and adolescents the SES will promote a “See Yourself in
Orange Volunteer Experience”. The SES orange volunteer uniform, helmet and eye
wear will be available to try for photos with actual SES members. These young people
will also be educated on the importance of safety wear while still in a fun environment.
 To give volunteers a proper acknowledgment for their service, there will be a
ceremony awarding each unit a “SES Volunteer of the Year”. Each winner will receive
an engraved silver medal and a $50 Woolworths voucher. The winner will be voted
amongst peer volunteers during their unit meetings leading up to the event. The unit
controller will then send the nominated winner to the regional communications
manager.
 Donations from current sponsors such as the NRMA will be requested. These
contributions assist the SES’ in achieving their objective and provide the organisations
opportunities to advertise their social corporate responsibility campaigns.
Messages
1. Show and promote appreciation for the SES volunteers, thanking them for their
service
2. Encourage volunteer recruitment into an honourable service that helps protect the
people of NSW
3. Develop community understanding of what SES volunteers do and how they facilitate
our safety

6. 5
Budget
Event budget: $5,000: $1,666.66 per event, + $1,500 on media. Overall budget: $6,500.
ITEM COST
Land/space for carnival $0 - provided by local council
under legal obligation
Sound equipment $0 - Provided by SES
3x Holicolour boxes of 100 (10kg) orange $360
1500x balloons orange with white text +
1500x balloons navy with white text
$1,020
12 x Crepe streamers rolls (24m) $36.30
3000x plastic balloon sticks $358.50
600x rubber wrist bands orange with white text $447.85 - sold for $2 ea. = charity
profit of $0.66 ea.
15x $50 Woolworths gift vouchers (1 SES unit ea.) $750
15x silver engraved medals (1 SES unit ea.) $180
Food $0
Entertainment $0
Photography $0
Manpower resources for setting up etc. $0 - event volunteers
Advertisement:
Primary and high school newspaper prints
Social Media posts
1x week radio advertisement on NXFM
$0
$0
$3,000
Total: $6,152.65
Evaluation and Results
 The success of the events will be evaluated by overall attendance by SES volunteers
and their communities. The collection of gold coin donations upon entrance will give
an indication of community participation and interest whilst raising funds for the
organisation.
 The success of the event in rewarding SES volunteers for their service will be
evaluated through verbal surveying of members at the event. SES regional co-
ordinators can utilise the carnival to communicate with members, asking them
questions about the experience on the day and in the SES organisation. Questions
such as “how has your day been” and simple statements such as “thank you for your
contribution to the SES” will demonstrate to volunteers that they are appreciated by
their community and the organisation.
 The success of media advertising and promotion will be measured by community
response to strategies. For example, the success of social media advertisement
campaigns will be analysed by the number of likes, comments and shares. The
Facebook page will also offer a community event link, the success of this link in
advertising the event will be determined by the volume of individuals who specify
they are “going” or “interested”. The success of radio advertisement of the events can
be determined through both the volume in attendance and the use of on-air
incentives. For example, the radio advertisements could promote a code word,

7. 6
offering listeners a free balloon on request. This encourages the community to attend
and also offers some feedback into the reach of on-air communication campaigns.
However, this feedback and evaluation method is limited in its accuracy as not all
radio audiences will communicate they heard about the event on-air. Many
community members will hear and see promotions for the event via multiple
communication channels and campaign strategies.
 The effectiveness of the Shout Out carnivals as a recruitment strategy can be
measured by the number of new volunteers that sign up or demonstrate interest in
the organisation on the day.
 The effectiveness of the Shout Out carnivals as an education opportunity can be
measured by the volume of community members who utilise the SES emergency
information kiosk. The amount of information pamphlets and safety plans taken by
attendees on the day will give an indication into how seriously educational messages
were received.
Word Count; 2078

8. 7
Media Release
6th
March 2018
For Immediate Release
SES Shout Out to our Heroes in Orange
The State Emergency Service (SES) is holding their Shout Out Carnival to recognise the
service of volunteers. This May will see a month long celebration, featuring events in the
upper, central and lower Hunter regions.
The first Shout Out Carnival will take place at Simpson Park in Singleton from 10am to 4pm
on Saturday 5th
of May. This will be followed by Maitland Park and Lambton park on the
consecutive two Saturdays. A gold coin donation to the SES will be required on entrance.
The events will feature a plethora of delicious food and local entertainment. Attendees can
devour savory treats from local restaurants such as MEET, Bao Brothers and El Poco Loco.
If you prefer to indulge your sweet tooth, Choux Patisserie and Doughheads will provide
scrumptious sugar hits.
Bargain hunters can spoil themselves at market stalls selling handmade goodies and music
lovers can feast their ears with live music from Hunter bands. The carnival will feature
performances by local schools, games, face painting and entertainment for all ages.
The event is an opportunity for the SES to reward volunteers for their devotion with a
community celebration. The Shout Out Carnival will bring the community together to say
thank you to their local volunteers.
The SES will be presenting a Volunteer of the Year award to a member of each unit who has
displayed exceptional bravery and service.
“These awards recognise that not all heroes wear capes, our community heroes wear
orange” said SES communications manager Jane Smith.
Bring friends and the family to your local Shout Out Carnival this May and help celebrate our
heroes in orange.
-End-
Contact- Sarah Doe
Mobile 0412708654 Email- events@ses.gov.au