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The job of a tech PR is anything but boring. It’s an always-changing landscape of the next big thing, planning our next gen launch and samples, the next enterprise buzz like Internet of Things (IoT) or workplace transformation. But while the content is never the same, the days pretty much are with emails, calls and meetings.
So instead, let me tell you about an atypical day in my life, let me take you to Jonkoping, Sweden. On top of my role as UK PR, I also support enthusiast and gaming marketing for Europe. And Sweden is home to Dreamhack, the biggest digital festival in the world.
My day starts with breakfast at the hotel where I then walk over to the venue. It’s a setup day; I meet with the team, who have been building the two-story booth in the main hall over the past few days. My area is the Oculus Rift demo, six comfy chairs set up with high-end PCs running the space dogfighting pre-beta game, Valkyrie. Carl, from CCP, has joined us to help with setup and booth duty.
Carl and I load up the game. It takes all day, with short breaks for a quick lunch and checking emails on our smartphones. After some register editing and LAN settings tweaking, all six systems are connected and in the right order to begin.
We then get our local booth support to come and test out the game, so they can explain how to play it to the 26,000 people that will be attending Dreamhack over the next three days. We explain how to adjust the headset and headphones, how to centre the focal point and the controls. Then we let them try it out. After a few rounds and a couple of high fives, the VIP opening ceremony event starts.
After watching the lightshow, we start a line to get them to try out the demo. Immersive is probably the best way to describe it, but you can’t really know until you’ve really experienced it. And that’s why we’re there, to get people to experience what’s possible with Intel.
The day closes with a late dinner, and then I pass out, getting as much sleep for tomorrow’s 12-hour shift as possible. Not your typical day, but these are the days I love.
