Entry Deadline: March 11 - 2010 Local Image Awards

Important Dates and Information:
Entry Deadline: Thursday, March 11 at 5 p.m.

Entries can be dropped off at the Monday, March 8 FPRA Business Meeting or be mailed or dropped off anytime at Southwest Florida International Airport (3rd Floor, Attn: Public Relations) by March 11 at 5 p.m.

Image Judging for Central West Coast Chapter entries: Tuesday, March 23
Thanks to all of our chapter volunteers for judging!

Local Image Awards Banquet: Wednesday, April 14
Location TBA!

Thanks to our Local Image Sponsors!

We are still on the lookout for more sponsors and/or giveaways for the event!
Please contact Erin Comerford at 590-4504 or eecomerford @ flylcpa.com.

Image Tip #5: Time Flies!

The Aviation industry is a leader in technology. Current modernization programs are improving safety and reliability, while reducing fuel costs and consumption. The term “NextGen” is used to describe more efficient aircraft and engines, sustainable airport infrastructure projects and the move to satellite-based air traffic systems. The focus is on managing precious resources, supporting growth and ultimately having a positive effect on the environment.   

As most of you know, the end result of an Image campaign, especially in Division A, is a large binder filled with pages – and pages - of supporting documents in page protectors with sections and tabs. And of course, we do a back-up binder just in case. After all, PR professionals are organized and detail oriented!

And where do those books end up? Piled - forlornly - on a table at Golden Image to be sifted through, picked up, hauled to your room, returned to the office and then…stored on a shelf.  

In an effort to be “Next Gen,” your Image committee suggested an innovative idea to the Vice President of Golden Image. Let’s manage our resources and submit entries electronically? The VP of Golden Image was receptive to the concept and said she would discuss it with the State Office.

A few weeks later, the chapter chairs were told that the State Office liked the idea of Golden Image “going green!” Since it will take some logistical changes, the State is considering beta testing electronic submissions for Golden Image 2010. Entries would be submitted the traditional way, along with an electronic version. Judges would be able to see what changes or enhancements would be needed to support and evaluate electronic submissions in the future. Of course, you would not be penalized for anything related to the electronic version - it would just be used to work through the process of bringing Golden Image into the “jet age!”

As you are getting ready to work on your local Image entry, think about how you would submit it electronically. It may take a little scanning and use of different resources, but eventually you will end up with a complete digital file of your best projects on your hard drive, instead of collecting dust on your shelf.  

Thanks for your support in this effort to be creative and sustainable!


The Call for Entries will be available in early February, so start getting (or scanning) your award materials together now!

Soon and Very Soon

We are going to attend the first quarterly state board meeting of the year tomorrow at 8:30. It's a full five-hour driveto get here from Southwest Florida, particularly when rush hour in Orlando strikes just as we're driving through the area. We arrived safe and sound at the Hampton Inn right around 6 p.m. on Friday night in Palm Coast in Flagler County. The Volusia/Flagler Chapter graciously hosted a welcome reception at the nearby Emergency Operations Center for members who arrived a little earlier. Ginny and I stopped by hoping to catch up with crowd, but we missed it by minutes. Famished from our journey and eager to check out a new city (neither of us has visited this area before), we decided to grab a bite to eat at a local dig. Where better to get local than at a restaurant that proclaims "Locals Welcome," we thought. Right next to a nearby airport tarmac sits a great sports bar named..."High-Jackers." You can even eat outside on the patio and watch the planes take off. So, in the spirit of the November luncheon meeting: turkey or triumph? Either way, the food was great and atmosphere was very laid back and friendly.

On another note, Ginny and I brainstormed some ideas about the coming year. Because there are Image Awards benchmark deadlines are already creeping up, we decided to make it official. Ginny and I will be chairing the Southwest Florida Chapter Image Awards and Gala with the help of several Leadership team members who have enthusiastically volunteered to pitch in. Plenty of committee members added to the mix will really make this a team-earned success! With that determined, she and I were up to our knees in the brainstorm that followed. Image ideas we floated included ways to carry out the theme "SuperPoweRed PR" and new ways to generate buzz to increase the number of entries for this year's awards. How does City Pier turned Gotham City with a PR symbol projected into the sky sound? Also, we tossed around the idea of offering a discount to the event based on prior event attendance and participation. Not to mention, this blog will be a great place to post ongoing progress by the soon-to-be-formed committee.

Although no specifics have been decided yet on Image, two things are for certain: 1. Ginny and I are amped up about the events to come this year, and 2. Long drives go by in a heartbeat when you have so many exciting things to talk about on the way!

Fondly,
Kathleen Taylor