Our rotations seem to be spinning by at break-neck speed, and I have been terribly neglectful of my Graduate Blog – apologies!
Before starting my rotation in the PA department, public affairs had always seemed like a somewhat alien concept to me. However, I now feel that I have a much more comprehensive understanding of what happens in UK politics and how PA departments lobby for clients.
In a nutshell, these are the sorts of tasks that I was doing:

• Monitoring for clients (any news stories mentioning the client or related to them)
• Watching parliamentary enquiries / debates and writing reports for clients with an interest in that subject area
• Hosting round table events
• Creating stakeholder lists (to invite clients to events, to set up meetings etc.)
• Conducting research into potential new clients

A few things that I learnt whilst in PA:

• Insight and knowledge of how Parliament and Government operates is very important. Parliamentary researchers are important influencers. They help MPs make decisions and often have parliamentary ambitions themselves.
• Numerous Peers have outrageously brilliant names!
• When organising a meeting/event with an MP, the closer to Westminster the better!
• DODs people is an INVALUABLE source of information!

The Public Affairs team at Edelman is one of the smallest within the London office, but they are an invaluable and respected cog in the workings of an all-encompassing PR agency. The clients are diverse, operating in sectors including energy, FMCG, retail, technology and property clients.
I had a great time during my rotation in Public Affairs, primarily due to my lovely colleagues, but also due to the knowledge that Iaccumulated during my five weeks there.