The Kent State chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America will hold its annual networking dinner at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Eastway Private Dining Room.

The event gives public relations students a chance to meet with professionals in the field of PR and learn from them.

“It introduces students to their profession,” said Allison Peltz, PRSSA vice president of professional relations.

Peltz, who is responsible for planning and organizing the meeting schedule for each semester, contacted PR professionals to speak and set up the date for the dinner, which she calls “the networking event of the semester.”

Peltz said PRSSA was approached last fall by the chapter president of the Akron Area Public Relations Society of America with the idea of hosting the networking events. All of the professionals attending the networking dinner belong to the Akron PRSA.

The professionals attending the dinner will be from the three different fields of public relations: agency, corporate and non-profit. They will participate in table topics – eight different tables set up with different PR professionals ready to meet with students. They will discuss what to include in their portfolios, what the different types of public relations are and give general advice to students to prepare them for a career in PR.

The event will begin by going over general business from past meetings and will include hors d’oeuvres and the chance to meet with the guests. Peltz said the dinner will be a one-of-a-kind event, and attire will be strictly business casual.

Twenty-seven students are expected at the dinner, and more will possibly show up throughout the evening. Carli Cichocki, vice president of public relations for PRSSA, expected the turnout to be more than 20, combining students and public relations professionals from Diebold, Malone Advertising, Akhia Public Relations and Akron General Medical Center.

“Usually the event is well attended,” Cichocki said.

The networking dinner will allow students to establish relationships with area professionals who can help them find internships and jobs.

“Students will have the opportunity to learn from public relations professionals who employ the skills they learn in the classroom every day,” Cichocki said.

Funding for the event came from past fundraisers during the semester, including the Geauga Lake “Halloween Haunt” and the Homecoming raffle sponsored by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Contact Student Media reporter Kenny Peris at [email protected].