PR pros: Your best summer holiday plans revealed!

 23rd May 2018    PR Insight 
 Paarul Chand

It’s that time of the year where the sun burns your eyes and going to work is an effort. When cool, green calls out to you to escape the heat. Research bears this out. The latest IPSOS 'Holiday Barometer' study for Europ Assistance covers India for the first time and shows interesting trends. 64 % of respondents in India said they intend to take a summer break. This is quite similar to the number of people opting for summer holidays in Europe.

And our PR professionals are not far behind when it comes to rejuvenating and coming back with a fresh work focus. Here are some of the ‘cool’ summer plans they have!

Calling ancient, lovely Iran

Melissa Arulappan, who heads corporate communications at healthcare firm IQVIA, has got an early start on her summer vacation, with a dream trip to Iran.

Sharing the developments that led to the trip, Arulappan says, “The last few months I had been working on a high profile and time-intensive assignment and decided that as soon as it was done with, I would go on a short holiday to rejuvenate. And then serendipity set in – I thought of Iran, chanced upon a great deal on a full service airline, found a lovely team in Iran to help me with my itinerary and the pre-requisites for my visa – and everything else fell into place. It was a bit crazy as I had little time to really do my research and planning. I literally got my visa the evening before I left, and my passport in hand an hour before I left to the airport!”

IQVIA’s Melissa Arulappan says, “ Many have misconceived notions that Iran is unsafe, particularly for solo women travellers. This could not have been further from the truth. My trip to Iran therefore reinforced one of the important tenets of PR…that we should base all that we do on fact and data and not conjecture and perception.” 

The hills are alive….

Pallavi Das wrote in from her summer vacay to share details. Says Das, associate account director with H+K Strategies India, “ While I am writing this I am on my summer break to the mountains with my girl gang. Given everyone’s work schedule, we had planned for this trip for the last two months. We were looking forward to this trip badly and eventually we were able to take a weekend off to a place near Nainital called ‘Jilling Estate’.“

H+K Strategies India’s, Pallavi Das, says, “I am certain this holiday will help me bring a lot of freshness and perspective to my current role. The enthusiasm will keep me going for the next couple of months both for my professional and personal life i.e. to plan the next trip soon!."

Pallavi Das (centre) with her girl gang on location at Jilling Estate, Nainital

Another nature and hills fan is Ragini Kumari, PR Executive, Grey Cell Public Relations.

Kumari plans to go to Mussoorie with her colleagues.

She says that, “Being from Ranchi, the city of nature, love for nature is in my blood. Mussoorie will definitely keep me closer to myself. It will allow me to be me. I will be as free as air, away from pollution and all sorts of tensions, enjoying my life.”

Surf’s Up!

While the hills are what called to Ragini Kumari and Pallavi Das, for Rajnish Jain, founder, Crossword Public Relations, it’s the sun, sea and sand!

Channelling his inner poet, Jain says, “ I am more of a sea person as sea reflects life in itself. It might seem calm and composed but can become raging and even deadly in an instant, with the waves representing the sudden obstacles life throws our way.”

Jain adds that he plans to visit the Andamans and enjoy the peace and comfort of the place. I strongly believe relaxing and having fun are the key to successful ideation and implementation in any business, and the same is true for PR."

Crossword Public Relations, Rajnish Jain says his upcoming Andamans trip will give him the opportunity to spend some alone time and delve into challenges and opportunities ahead.

Palaces, mountain treks and the Big Fat Indian Wedding!

Husband-wife PR duo, Lovejeet Alexander, founder, GreenCheese Media and Shilpi Shukla, head of corporate communications at the video sharing app, ROPOSO are ardent fans of travel. And this year, Shukla has planned a surprise trip for Alexander! Which is now effectively busted!

The trip will include, says Shukla, “ A trip to the famous Kumbha Bagh Palace at Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan for some royal indulgence. Next, in the second week of June, we plan on the Brighu Lake Trek in the Kulu Valley. This trip will bring in the much-needed adrenaline rush for us to take on our everyday challenges.  And the first weekend of July has us attending an interesting Tamil-Bengali wedding in Kolkata. This multicultural wedding with its umpteen dress rehearsals, varied food and amazing rituals should most certainly be an experience of a lifetime.”

The PR couple Lovejeet Alexander and Shilpi Shukla hope to come back from their holiday with enthusiasm! As Shukla put it, the resolve, “ To keep going! And never give up, no matter how difficult the client or the campaign. And handle every PR challenge with a broad smile.”

Aaruni Garg, PR professionals with ‘The PRactice” is currently in Europe for a 10 day trip across 4 countries.

Says Garg, “As a PR pro, we absorb a lot from the environmental sources, processing all that each day can exhaust the energy. Taking planned breaks helps to empty the mind so that you can come back ready to refill it.”

The IPSOS 'Holiday Barometer' study says that a very high percentage of Indians surveyed - 60% - do not disconnect on holidays. This is a sharp contrast to European, especially British holidaymakers.

“Ambitious Indians (and even the Chinese) don’t disconnect from work even when holidaying, unlike the westerners. And it extends to being active on social platforms. Indian millennials actively post reviews on services from airlines, to hotels and even food,” says Rinku Patnaik, chief client officer, Ipsos India.

If there is one message for our PR pros out there from this, turn that phone off and holiday!