On Thursday, April 14, Oakland University’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) will be hosting their annual networking night, this year in collaboration with the American Marketing Association at OU (AMA).

The event, titled Mocktail Networking Night, will give students an opportunity to network with local professionals in public relations, communication, marketing, human resources and related fields.

“Mocktail Networking Night has been a great PRSSA tradition since 2019. We had to cancel it in 2020 and hosted a virtual one in 2021 because of COVID-19. We are ready to return in-person this year,” Assistant Professor and Faculty Adviser to PRSSA Dr. Chiaoning Su said.

The event will take place from 6-8 p.m. in Founders Ballroom A in the Oakland Center and will host around 15 professionals in public relations, advertising, marketing, communication and related fields. Representatives from organizations such as Stellantis (previously Chrysler), Comcast, HOUR Media, Stratacomm, Smith Group, J9 Media Solutions, Green Room Communications, 24G Digital Agency and more are set to attend. 

“The goal of this event is to provide students with the opportunity to connect with professionals in their field of interest, all while practicing their professionalism and networking skills,” said Emily Osani, the vice president of OU’s chapter of PRSSA.

This year, the event is being supported by the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Detroit chapter, which makes this night an excellent opportunity for not only students, but OU as a community.

“The goal is for students to forge meaningful connections with professionals to advance their careers. In the meantime, this is also a great opportunity to amplify OU’s presence and brand in the Metro Detroit area,” Su said.

At the event, which is open to anyone, student attendees will rotate in groups in a “speed dating” format to network with professionals and ask questions in a conversational setting. Light appetizers, desserts and refreshments will be provided.

Attendees are advised to dress in business professional attire, and also to bring some printed copies of their resume to hand out to professionals that they connect with. Those interested in attending the event can RSVP on GrizzOrgs. 

PRSSA previously hosted their virtual event Coffee, Cocktails and Connection with Michigan State, Grand Valley, Central Michigan, U-M Dearborn and Wayne State — a more casual networking night to get to know some of the other Michigan PRSSA chapters. They also recently hosted the second round of their popular professional headshot event, Headshot Happy Hour.

You can follow PRSSA and AMA on Instagram at @prssa_ou and @amaoakland, respectively, to stay up to date on their upcoming events and opportunities. Also, for all questions, comments or concerns, email PRSSA at [email protected].