New Year, New Opportunities

Hello FPRA Treasure Coast!

Welcome to 2009! I hope that everyone is rested and ready to rock the New Year for the FPRA Treasure Coast Chapter.

January Monthly Meeting
The first thing on the agenda is our monthly business meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, January 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the Martin/St. Lucie Service Center in Stuart. The program topic is Effective Public Relations Campaigns & Image Award Information presented by the Image Awards Committee! Wendy Crites Wacker, APR, is our guest speaker. Wendy is the director of corporate communications for Regeneration Technologies Inc. (RTI), the Florida-based processor of orthopedic and other biologic implants. Wendy’s role at RTI includes directing all corporate communications, which includes internal communications, media relations, community relations, investor relations, government relations, donor services communications and general corporate public relations. Wendy has a bachelor’s degree in English and a bachelor’s degree in public relations, both from the University of Florida. She received her Accreditation in Public Relations in 2001. Wendy served as president of the Gainesville Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) in 2004-05 and vice president of professional development for the state association in 2005-06. She currently serves as vice president of chapter services for FPRA. The FPRA Gainesville Chapter has awarded Wendy with the Member of the Year Award in 1998, as well as the John S. Detweiler, Ed.D., APR, CPRC Professional of the Year Award in 2007.

Be sure to make your reservations by Friday, January 9 either online at http://www.fpratreasurecoast.com/ or by calling Programs Chairman Cara Perry at (772) 873-3339 or e-mail at ccarlton@fau.edu. The cost for members is $15 and $20 for non-members.

More Image Awards Tips…by Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC
This week, the emphasis is on the binder and what it should contain:

9. The binder – hardcover, stiff-spined, three-ringed, no larger than 3 inches thick - starts with the entry form on the front page. This can be an original or photocopied form with the necessary information, including the Division and Category circled.

10. The check, which was originally attached to the entry form, is now attached to a photocopy of the entry form and placed in the front pocket of the binder. For multiple entries, you may attach one check with copies of each entry.

11. The two-page summary follows the entry form. Three additional copies of the two-page summary can be provided in the front pocket of the binder. Those are distributed to the judges who will be reading your particular category and entry.

12. An organizational summary should immediately follow the two-page summary, providing the judges with an idea about the company background and PR staff. Remember, this is another way of introducing the judges to your project, how many people worked on it and what type of projects your business or agency handles.

13. Support materials will follow which could include everything from newspaper clippings, photos, brochures, and other printed materials used in the project, and more. Anything that doesn't fit within the 8 ½ x 11 format should be folded, photocopied or photographed for the judges to review. Any audio or video should be submitted on a CD or DVD. Again, that eliminates bulky tapes and allows the entry to maintain the 3-inch binder width requirement.

14. At the back of the binder, the final page should be a 50-word summary of your entry. This is what the narrators read at the Image or Golden Image event. It’s another opportunity to demonstrate the success of the project and how beneficial it was to your business or your client.

Professional Development Opportunity from the Southwest Chapter of FPRA
There’s something for everyone at this year’s PR University – the signature professional development seminar for the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association. Actually, there’s a deluge of information, inspiration and experience to be had at this one-day event, a downpour we think your members would love to be caught in!

FPRA SWFL would like to extend an invitation to you to join them on January 9 at Hodges University in Fort Myers. Information on speakers, schedules, and sponsorships can be found below. For details on costs and registering, please visit http://www.fpraswfl.org/calendar/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=2.

A Special Invitation from the Gold Coast PR Council

5th Annual Bernays Awards Luncheon
Keynote Speaker is CNN Reporter John Zarella

WHAT: The Gold Coast PR Council (GCPRC), the largest independent organization of public relations and marketing professionals in Palm Beach, Broward & Martin counties, invite you to attend the organization's fifth annual Bernays Awards, which are named after the late Edward Bernays, the father of modern public relations. Awards will be presented in five competitive categories, with winners selected by an independent panel of PR professionals.

WHEN: Thursday, January 29 -- 11:30 a.m.

WHERE: Indian Spring Country Club, 11501 El Clair Road in Boynton Beach (Located between Jog and the Turnpike, turn south off of Boynton Beach Blvd.)

WHO: Keynote speaker will be CNN’s Miami correspondent John Zarella, who directs the cable news Network’s coverage of Florida and the Caribbean. He also is CNN's chief reporter covering the space program. Among his major assignments were covering the Challenger shuttle disaster, all major hurricanes, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the Cuban and Haitian refugee crises.

COST: $40 for GCPRC members and $45 for non-members. If you would like to become a member of GCPRC at the luncheon, the cost is only $75, and this includes the cost of the luncheon. Tickets may be reserved by contacting GCPRC Vice President Gary Schweikhart at 561.756.4298 or by return email or at gary@pr-bs.net. The deadline to RSVP is January 22, 2009.

For more information about GCPRC, visit http://www.blogger.com/www.goldcoastprcouncil.com.

Have a great week!
Linette