Date: Wednesday, February 22 (yes, this is a date change)
Speaker: Josh Rhodes, Director of Events and Operations; Connect Events
Location: Redstone Federal Credit Union on Wynn Drive
Cost: $15 for members, $17 for guests, and $12 for students
Do you feel sometimes like you’re playing event roulette, hoping your big gamble turns into a big win? You’re not alone, but you can boost your odds with strong strategies. Our speaker will share specifics this month.
Josh Rhodes is Director of Events and Operations with Connect Events. Connect Events is a strategic planning engine that executes various events such as: The Chick-fil-A Race Series, WinShape Camps for Communities, and Connect 3on3 Basketball Tournaments.
In June 2011, Connect partnered with The Rick & Bubba Show to bring a 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament and Family FunZone to Huntsville, Alabama. The result: a city-wide event that drew over 70 teams and more than 2,500 attendees…even after a rescheduling due to April 2011′s historic storms.
Running a successful event doesn’t have to be a gamble! As the Director of Events and Operations for dozens of national events, Josh Rhodes will share key strategies to plan, support and execute events that deliver true returns.
Want more? Watch these videos of the Connect 3on3 tournaments or these videos about Connect Races.
Mike Vallante will speak at PR:RECHARGE on Tuesday April 17 in Huntsville. Vallante says one of his strengths is “helping an organization create and deliver its message in a way that attracts attention and evokes reaction.” He’s a strong addition to the conference lineup.
Vallante will argue that earned media, not paid, has changed the dynamic of the Presidential race. In his opinion, this is the first Presidential race where paid political advertisements have not been responsible for majority influence. He’s fully prepared to back up that argument with specific examples and colorful “behind the scenes” commentary. His session is sure to be fascinating no matter which side of the political aisle you occupy, and we will all discover tactics to make our messages compelling and decisive.
PR:RECHARGE takes place April 15-17, 2012 in Huntsville Alabama. It’s the annual state conference for the Public Relations Council of Alabama (PRCA), but any communications practitioner or business owner is welcome to attend — we’d love to get to you know better.
You can see our entire speaker lineup for PR:RECHARGE on the official website.
Joey Ceci talks with Judy Wilson at January 18 NAPRCA Member Meeting. Lynn Temple and Marianne Higgins are in the background.
Already getting great reviews from today’s discussion “Behind the Ballot Box: An Insider’s Look at Political PR Strategies” with Joey Ceci of Main Street Strategies! Ceci talked about the “message box” for new political clients and the importance of message discipline, ideas that are equally important for political candidates as well as any public relations campaign. The audience enjoyed his behind-the-scenes commentary. Thanks to all who joined us today.
“Behind the Ballot Box: An Insider’s Look at Political PR Strategies”
Speaker: Joey Ceci, Owner, Main Street Strategies Political PR Consultant
Gain insider access to the fast-paced and highly competitive political Public Relations. Joey Ceci has an extensive knowledge of North Alabama politics and has managed the campaigns of both U.S. Congressman Bud Cramer and U.S. Congressman Parker Griffith. He has also run a number of winning local campaigns in the Tennessee Valley. Join us as Ceci offers his perspective as a Senior Political Consultant on campaign strategy, campaign tactics, behind-the-scenes issues and challenges that he has overcome in managing a number of highly-visible political campaigns.
Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at Redstone Federal Credit Union
Time: 11:45am
Cost: $15 for members, $17 for guests, and $12 for students
RSVP: northalabamaprca@gmail.com
What every PR pro needs at the start of a new year is a solid kick-start to your creative energy, right? Well, you’ll get that at PR:Recharge, the 2012 State PRCA Conference in Huntsville April 15-17! Your host chapter in North Alabama has been very busy booking bright PR minds to give you fresh insights into your most pressing communication challenges. We have great speakers, actionable sessions and some of the hardest working peers in the industry. So what are you waiting for?
Make this conference the New Year’s resolution you keep by registering today! Early bird registration for PRCA and SPRF members saves you $50 through March 8.
Our team has been busy booking some of the brightest PR minds to make this year’s conference a must-attend event. This year’s ensemble is wicked smart and ready to share!
Jay Hurt. Jay is Washington Bureau Chief for NBC News Channel, a division of NBC News that provides coverage for all NBC affiliates nationwide. In that role, he oversees all of News Channel’s editorial and technical operations in Washington, managing six studios for NBC that provide live national programming daily for NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC. He’s worked directly with many of NBC’s on-air talent, including Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams, Matt Lauer, Katie Couric, Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry, Al Roker, Willard Scott, Lester Holt, Campbell Brown, the late Tim Russert, Chris Matthews, Andrea Mitchell and numerous other members of the NBC News team. And here’s a bonus — he’s a native of Florence. (Connect with Jay on Linkedin).
Keith Trivitt. Associate Director of Public Relations for PRSA overseeing national advocacy initiatives, and co-founder of PRBreakfastClub, a group of PR folks in one capacity or another who share a penchant for social media. Former Executive VP of Sternberg Strategic Communications. (Follow Keith on Twitter or link with Keith on Linkedin
Kellye Crane. Kellye has been a successful independent PR consultant for more than 15 years, and enjoys helping others down this career path. An accomplished, award-winning communicator with more than 20 years of experience in strategic public relations and marketing communications, Kellye Crane has offered strategic planning, social media, press/influencer relations, technical writing and marketing communications services to some of the world’s largest companies, including ADP, BellSouth, The Coca-Cola Company, IBM, Intel and Microsoft. She writes a blog at SoloPRPro, founded #SoloPR Twitter chat and is Chair of Social Media Club Atlanta. (Follow Kellye on Twitter or friend Kellye on Facebook ).
David McNally. Former award-winning American Forces Network (AFN) broadcaster, Dave is now a writer, photographer and social media specialist telling the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command story.
Angela Sinickas. A pioneer in the field of organizational communication measurement, Angela’s prolific publications and speaking engagements have made her name synonymous with measurement of organizational communication. Angela and her measurement work have been cited in Harvard Business Review, Investors Business Daily, HR Magazine, Executive Solutions, PR News, Journal of Communication Management, Ragan Report and Communication World, among many other publications. She’s also the author of what has, industry-wide, come to be regarded as the definitive source of information on conducting organizational communication research: How to Measure Your Communication Programs. (Connect with Angela on Linkedin or on Twitter or through her business website at Sinickas Communications ).
Are you excited? We hope so! Watch for the launch of our registration website very soon. And keep an eye out as we continue to book for this year’s conference.
What a great time of the year to recap the chapters accomplishments! Here is a recap from our November meeting, specifically Sonia Robinson’s State of the Chapter address:
NAPRCA placed Second Overall in the SPRF Chapter of Distinction Awards by placing in all eight categories:
- First Place, Accreditation, Chapter Management, and Membership
- Second Place, Communications and Public Service
- Third Place, Programs, Projects, and PR Education
NAPRCA also placed in five categories for the PRCA Chapter of the Year Awards:
- First Place, Membership
- Second Place, Communications
- Third Place, Accreditation, Chapter Management, and PR Education
Three members earned Professional recognitions from PRCA this year:
- Professional Achievement Award (NAPRCA Chapter nomination) - Lori Miller
- Educator of the Year (NAPRCA Chapter nomination) - Beth Garfrerick, Ph.D.
- Grover Smith Lifetime Achievement (PRCA State Level honor) – George Winters, APR
Two members earned professional recognitions from SPRF: Lori Miller and Kristina Hendrix, APR, were honored as SPRF Senior Practitioners.
A big congratulations to the our three newest accredited members: Sonia Robinson, APR (June), Abby Guasti, APR (Sept), and Deana Nunley, APR (Nov).
A great year for NAPRCA. And don’t forget! The PRCA State Conference PR:Recharge is April 15-17, 2012 at the Embassy Suites in Huntsville, Al. More good things to come in 2012!
NAPRCA would like to officially welcome the following new members from 2011:
- Maggie Clark
- Sarah Collison
- Cheryl Davis
- Pamela Donald
- Rachel Fears
- Kristi Forrest
- Lori Light
- Karen Petersen
- Brandi Quick
- Wendy Reeves
- Michele Solomon
- Mary Anne Swanstrom
- Thom Tingle
And a special welcome to our 4 newest members who joined in October:
- Anne Burkett
- Melissa Debolt
- Laurie Heard
- Amanda Terry
Congratulations to the 2012 Board! They were officially introduced at the monthly meeting Wednesday, November 16. The new board is as follows:
| President | Kristina Hendrix, APR |
| President Elect | Abby Guasti, APR |
| VP of Programs and Professional Development | Leah Gradl |
| VP of Membership | Margie Evans Morrow |
| VP of Students | Beth Garfrerick |
| VP of Accreditation | Marianne Higgins, APR |
| VP of Projects and Fundraising | Sarah Collison |
| VP of Communications | Eli Harper |
| Treasurer | Will Hoffpauir |
| Secretary/Historian | Melissa DeBolt |
| Immediate Past President | Sonia Robinson, APR |
| 2012 State Conference Chair | Lori Miller |
| Members at Large-Conference | Tracy Cieniewicz |
| Lisa Darnell, APR | |
| Dawn Speegle |
State of the Chapter Address
Date: Wednesday, 16 Nov 11 Location: Redstone Federal Credit Union on Wynn Dr Cost: $15 for members, $17 for guests, and $12 for studentsThe November meeting will be a State of the Chapter Address. NAPRCA has had a great year and we want to share our accomplishments with our members! We will review the SPRF Chapter of Distinction honors, and the 2011 Annual Membership Survey. Introduction of the 2012 Board of Directors will occur, followed by a Q&A time with them and the 2011 board. Last but not least, there will be a raffle to win door prizes.
Come and join us as we reflect on another great year and look forward to 2012!