With the 2012 PRCA State Conference being held in Huntsville, NAPRCA members will have a lot of great professional development opportunities this month. Therefore, the conference Social will take the place of our regular April monthly membership meeting. If you cannot attend the conference you can still join us at the social. Admission for non-conference attendees is $20. Click on the invitation below to register.
No conference succeeds without the financial and material support of good sponsors. We are quite fortunate to have them and we will use this space to acknowledge their valuable contributions and encourage our members to visit their websites, their booths and — most importantly – to thank their representatives.
2012 Overall Sponsor
2012 Medallions Sponsor
2012 Gold Sponsors
2012 Social Sponsor
2012 Silver Sponsors
YOU CAN BE A SPONSOR, TOO
Our PR conference attendees are influencers and decision makers throughout Alabama. They represent nonprofits, higher education, energy, government agencies and corporate brands.
As a sponsor of PRCA’s annual conference, you will have the opportunity to interact with some of the state’s leading PR professionals, as well as local small business owners. PRCA members regularly work with vendors for a variety of public relations-related needs such as agency services, research, writing, photography, video, graphic design, printing, event planning and media tracking.
For sponsorship opportunities, email conference@prcaonline.com for a prompt response.
Join us for our March joint meeting with the American Advertising Federation-North Alabama Chapter.
Guest Speaker: Karla Redditte, Anchor & Reporter, WAFF Greg Screws, Anchor and Executive Producer, WHNT News 19
[ NOTE: WHNT's Screws was a last minute substitute for Karla due to illness. We wish her a speedy recovery.]
As marketing and communications professionals, we’re all trying to tell a story. Do you have what it takes to let your voice be heard?
How can you develop stories that engage, attract attract an audience, and garner the attention of the media? How can you build relationships with journalists that add value to your organization and the media outlets? Join us as Karla Redditte, News Anchor and Reporter, shares strategies and a journalist’s perspective from her seat behind the news desk.
Karla Redditte joined WAFF as a reporter/anchor in April 2010. Karla comes to the “Rocket City” from Savannah, GA, where she most recently served as the public information manager for the Savannah Chatham County Public School System. She’ll share insight on how she evaluates local story pitches and translates them into engaging news stories. And, she’ll share her approach to pitching her own stories to regional and national media outlets.
Click here to view Redditte’s recent story on the national lifestyle program “America Now,” which is hosted by Leeza Gibbons and Bill Rancic.
Click here to access Karla Redditte’s professional biography.
Date: Thursday, March 15, 2012
Time: 11:45am
Costs: Members-$15, Guests-$17, and Students-$12
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!