We had the honor of hosting Patrick Sullivan (assistant manager of digital strategy) here at UofL and Louisville the past few days. Patrick and I had corresponded before this event as well as planning my time as a Plank Fellow at GM this past summer.
However, this was the first time we have met face to face. Patrick was on leave after the birth of his son (congrats!) during my time at GM, so it was awesome to be able to meet him in person as well as showcase our great city and university to him.
Prepping for the event
My time at GM was truly amazing and full of great learning experiences. I wanted to make sure to give Patrick the same experience as well. Knowing this was his first time in Louisville, I wanted to make sure to showcase some of the main features, attractions, and characteristics of the city.
The biggest challenge was – where to eat?! We are such a foodie town that the possibilities were endless to choose from. However, we narrowed it down to Proof on Main for dinner, Wild Eggs for breakfast, and Doc Crow’s for lunch.
Social media content
Patrick was going to be speaking to both of my classes on Friday, and I knew I had to create a hashtag to capture the event other than my class hashtag. So, that’s where #GMvisitsUofL came up – I shared this with my students a few days before and wanted to make sure if they were going to be updating for class, they should use this as well. It’s nice branding but also captures what the event is all about.
Snapchat geofilters
It seems that the standard for hosting an event nowadays is to see whether or not you have a geofilter. So, we not only had one, but TWO for this event. Danielle did a great job in creating one for GM visits #Freberg16 (my social media class) and the students loved it! I shared this with Patrick and he got a kick out of it as well. It’s how we roll in #Freberg16! 🙂
Content covered in Patrick’s talk
What was great to hear from Patrick was all of the really cool things they are doing with social media at GM. Patrick works primarily in the corporate communications area for GM social media, but he also was able to share some perspectives on what the individual brands do as well both here in the US and around the world. Patrick also discussed the key functions necessary for them to operate successfully in social media while also discussing crisis communications as well. Very enlightening!
Networking for students
This was a big part and overall goal I wanted to have for this visit with GM, and that is to bring forth opportunities for students to ask questions, discuss, and network with a great professional like Patrick.
Along with the presentations happening, I had two meals where I thought it would be wonderful to have students join us and have that exclusive time to chat with Patrick. Dinner was with two undergraduate students (one who is interning with GM this summer and one who will be working with the social media content for the Kentucky Derby) and lunch was with three great graduate students from our program.
Showcasing Louisville Corporations and Businesses
One of the things Patrick and GM expressed an interest in is meeting fellow professionals and brands in Louisville as well. We have so many amazing companies here in town, so I was able to pass along a list for them to look at and choose from.
We had the wonderful opportunity to visit the great team over at UPS Worldport and got an amazing tour. I would also like to thank Mike Mangeot and Christina Jacobs of UPS for taking the time to show Patrick and I around the UPS Worldport and discussing some trends happening in social media from their perspective. It was amazing!
It’s a team effort
This event would not have gone so fabulously without the support and help from fellow colleagues, faculty, and students here at UofL. A big thank you goes out to Jeff Rushton, who helped me out with the room and organizing the business meetings with Patrick. I’d also like to thank my colleagues Mary and Scott for joining us at lunch with graduate students. In addition, we wouldn’t have had a true foodie and coffee experience at the #GMvisitsUofL talk without the great help from Abi, Caitlyn, Sara, Anita, and Matt. Thank you all for your help and support! I really appreciate it.
Last, but not least, I would like to thank Patrick for taking the time to come out for his visit to UofL and Louisville. GM is not only an innovator in the car industry and in mobile transportation, but I’d also add they are an innovator in mentorship. My time at GM this past summer as a Plank Fellow as one of the best professionals experiences I had a chance to be a part of. Having the chance to meet some amazing professionals and sharing what I have learned with my students from these leading business professionals is priceless, and I have to thank the great team at GM for this amazing opportunity.
We can’t thank you enough Patrick and it was wonderful hosting you in town. We look forward to having you all come back to the city in the future!
Thanks Patrick for coming to UofL (photo credit: Keith Clark from #Freberg16)
If you want to check out what were some of the main takeaways, you may want to check out the Storify we have created for the event.
Have a great day!
Best Wishes,
