State Conference Scholarships Available

The Southwest Florida Chapter is offering a limited number of full and partial scholarships to attend this year's annual conference, August 7-10 at the Naples Grand Beach Resort.

Explore the Evolution of Public Relations while networking with 200-plus colleagues.  Hear from top PR professionals with MacDonald's; the Department of Homeland Security; Universal Studios; CSX Railways; Triple AAA; and many more. 

To apply for a scholarship submit two or three paragraphs on why you need a scholarship and how attending the conference will help you professionally.  Applications are due by April 20 and should be sent to Pam Nulman.  Scholarship recipients will be announced at the May 2 meeting.

Learn more about PR 2011 The Evolution of Public Relations.

Wanted: Bloggers for State Conference in August.

Now’s your chance to jump in and help blog at the state conference.  If you’d like to be part of the blog team this year, please contact Chris Gent, VP of Technology, as soon as possible.  It requires a lot of planning to cover each session so the earlier Chris can pull his team together, the better for all.  You can reach Chris at:  cgent@kua.com.

Annual Conference: Exceeding Expectations!

By: Dan Whicker

Director of Marketing and Communications
Southwest Florida Community Foundation

The 2010 FPRA Annual Conference was the first one that I attended. Having been a member of the FPRA’s Southwest Florida Chapter for just over a year, I was finding that the learning was great and the networking even better. Fellow members encouraged me to attend the Annual Conference, especially since it was being held right down the road from where we are in Fort Myers. So, with the blessing of my employer, I headed down to Naples with high expectations that I would be returning with some good PR-enhancing ideas.

Well, my high expectations were more than met, and I ended up making some nice friends along the way. The conference was well thought out and the sessions were all very informative. It’s too hard for me to pick a favorite speaker because they all did such a wonderful job. One of the most memorable was, of course, Jenny Dervin from JetBlue Airways, who had the misfortune of having to deal with a major PR incident at the exact time she was attending the conference and speaking! She expertly turned the situation into a learning experience for session attendees and it was a very potent reminder of how the PR professional’s role must constantly adapt to changing situations.

It is usually difficult for conference attendees to immediately put into practice what they have just learned. The everyday demands of work threaten to push new knowledge and ideas into the recesses of our memories once we return after a few days of learning and networking. However, through local chapter recaps, new relationships, and FPRA resources, help is never far away and you eventually find that you are using what you learned without even thinking about it.

I highly recommend this Annual Conference to all FPRA members and to anyone interested in growing in their roles as professional communicators. Kudos to all who were involved in setting up the 2010 event. I can’t wait to see what you do in 2011!

PR2011: The Evolution of Public Relations
August 7-10, 2011
Naples Grande Beach Resort www.fpra.org

Southwest Florida Chapter Recognized at FPRA Annual State Conference

The Florida Public Relations Association Southwest Florida Chapter was well-represented at the 72nd Annual FPRA State Conference held August 8-11 at the Naples Grande Beach Resort. Throughout the four-day conference, more than 25 local chapter members attended general sessions, breakout presentations, panel discussions, award programs and networking events.

This year’s conference theme was “The Big Picture: Bringing PR Leadership and Strategy into Focus.” Attendees gained a big picture public relations perspective from authors, professors, consultants and business leaders, including communications specialists from Ford, NASA, JetBlue, SoBe, and North Carolina State University about a variety of topics including social media, strategic planning, writing, crisis communications, transition, and creativity.

Throughout the conference, five local chapter members participated on the conference blog team, providing continuous online coverage: Ginny Cooper, Kerri Goldsmith, Diana Sabino, Kathleen Taylor, APR, and Carla Ulakovic. The conference blog may be found at http://www.fprablog.com/.

At the President’s luncheon on Monday, August 9, the new chapter officers including 2010-2011 President Pamela Nulman, APR, CPRC were installed and Kathleen Taylor, APR, 2009-2010 President of the Southwest Florida Chapter was recognized with two President’s Awards - one for Leadership Development and one for Membership Growth and Retention. On Tuesday, August 10, five chapter members took home a total of 13 awards from the Golden Image Awards, a statewide competition recognizing excellence in public relations, including 7 Awards of Distinction, 3 Judges Awards and 3 Golden Image Awards.

Following is a list of FPRA Southwest Florida Chapter members who received awards:

• Briggs & Rogers Marketing and Public Relations
• Award of Distinction, Institutional Category for Home-Tech
• Judges’ Award, Promotional/Marketing Category for Lee Memorial Health System “Healthy Bonita Estero”
• Golden Image Award , Special Event Category for the Southwest Florida Children’s Charities’ Wine & Food Fest
• Award of Distinction, Website Category for Lee Memorial Health System’s “Healthy Bonita Estero” website
• Lee County Electric Cooperative
• Golden Image Award, Community Relations Category for “Power to Share – An LCEC Community Partnership”
• Lee County Port Authority
• Golden Image Award, Crisis Communications Category for their LCPA Crisis Management and Communications Plan
• Award of Distinction and Judges’ Award, Special Events Category for the 2010 Southwest Florida FPRA Image Awards
• Award of Distinction, Specialty Item Category for their Air Service Appreciation Gift
• Pushing the Envelope
• Award of Distinction, Website Category for their company website
• Susan Bennett Marketing & Media
• Award of Distinction, Promotional/Marketing Category for Physicians’ Primary Care of Southwest Florida “Let Our Family Take Care of Your Family”
• Award of Distinction and Judges’ Award for Southwest Florida Addiction Services’ “Spend A Night In Instead of A Night Out”

Established in 1938, FPRA is the oldest public relations organization in the country. FPRA is dedicated to developing public relations practitioners, who, through ethical and standardized practices, enhance the public relations profession in Florida.

FPRA Southwest Florida Chapter online:
Website: http://www.fpraswfl.org/
Blog: http://www.fpraswflchapter.blogspot.com/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/swfl_fpra
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FPRASWFL