WWPR Woman of the Year is November 4th

WHAT: The 2009 Washington PR Woman of the Year Award
WHEN: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
WHERE: Washington Marriott at Metro Center
KEYNOTE: Dana Bash, CNN's senior congressional correspondent, will serve as the keynote speaker.
REGISTER: Register by Friday Oct. 30 at 5:00 PM or pay $5 extra at the door!
HONOREES:
• Jody Arlington, PR Collaborative and Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance
• Kirsten Suto Seckler, Special Olympics
• Sarah Temple, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
RAFFLE ITEM PREVIEW: WWPR holds a raffle at this event to benefit our pro bono client, the Children's Law Center. Raffle tickets will be on sale (cash or checks accepted) during the registration and networking portion of the luncheon event. This year raffle items include the following:
* St. Regis Hotel One-Night Weekend Stay worth approx. $450, St. Regis Hotel
* Custom-made Gourmet Gift Basket, Basketcause
* Black Finn, Dinner Gift Certificate worth $50, Black Finn Restaurant
* 3 Maryland Wines in Wine Bags worth $50,Coster Communications
* Wolf Trap Curtain Raiser Membership worth $150, Wolf Trap
* Kate Spade Tote Bag worth $130, The Capital Buzz
* Sweet Ladies Bakery $50.00 gift certificate towards a specialty cake, Sweet Ladies Bakery
* One-year membership in Women on Course AND Callaway Women's Tote Bag worth $225, Margaret A. Ferry and Women on Course
* Regeneration Renewal Package: $75 Gift Certificate to The Red Door Spa, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, and 2 hour-long Life coaching sessions $240, Regeneration! Life & Business Coaching
* Georgia Nelson Photography Session for family or expectant mother photographs $50.00 gift certificate, Georgia Nelson
* Red Door Deluxe Gift Bag worth $95, Red Door Spa
* L’Occitane gift box, Marilynn Deane Mendell of WinSpin CIC, Inc

Communications in the Nonprofit Sector: How to Demonstrate PR Value

PRSA-NCC cordially invites you to the first professional development seminar presented by the PRSA-NCC Nonprofit/Association and Professional Development Committees: Communications in the Association and Nonprofit Sector: How to Demonstrate PR Value

Today, many nonprofits and associations are facing slashed communication budgets or even layoffs that have forced public relations professionals to do more with less. PRSA-NCC’s panel of experts will discuss how communication professionals can show the value of their work to management and accomplish more with fewer resources.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

8:00 A.M. – 10:00 A.M.

U.S. Navy Memorial & Heritage Center

701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20005

Metro: Navy Memorial/Archives (green/yellow lines)

Cost: $35 PRSA members and WWPR members/$55 non-members/$10 students/retirees$10 surcharge at the door

For details on panelists, and to register, visit http://tr.im/CGHk

Another Speaker, An Additional Perspective on Websites as Communications Tools

CCG Adds Speaker to Wednesday's Line-up

Stephanie Daily, Senior Public Affairs Specialist who works on NIHSeniorHealth.gov at the National Institute on Aging, will be part of the program with Len Johnson of JDG Communications at Wednesday's Capital Communicators lunch.

Wednesday, October 21 ~ Noon
Topaz (in the Enlightenment Room)
1733 N Street, NW Washington
Metro Stop: Dupont Circle on the Red Line

Cost: $26 To learn more about using website for advocacy and action be sure to sign up asap by emailing CapitalCommunicator@gmail.com

BOASTS AND TOASTS: JDG Communications Wins Graphic Design Award for IABC Piece

JDG Communications (a subsidiary of Sage Communications) and IABC/Washington were recognized with the Graphic Design USA Magazine American Graphic Design Award of Excellence for 2008 in the Collateral Category. Len Johnson, president of JDG, is a long-time active member of IABC.

The award was for the IABC Silver Inkwell Call for Entries that JDG designed and produced in 2008 (and was used again this year). This is one of the largest design competitions in the country with more than 8,000 entries, only 15% of which were selected for recognition.

NOTE: Len's team also received an award for the FTC Kids website they created, which he will highlight in discussion of how to create effective websites for action and advocacy at the Wednesday, October 21 Capital Communicators Group (CCG) lunch program at Topaz. Cost $26; RSVP required: CapitalCommunicator@gmail.com

FREE WEBCAST ~ The new rules of media relations

Wednesday, October 28, 12:00 noon EST

The Capital Buzz loves sharing free stuff and opportunities with our readers! In this webcast, sponsored by PR Week and Marketwire, journalists discuss their daily workflow and how PR professionals can better work with them on stories and content.

Featured speakers:
Kevin McCormally, editorial director, Kiplinger Washington Editors;
Chloe Albanesius, news reporter, PCMag.com;
Jessica Strange, executive director, Media Relations, Marketwire

Moderator:
Rose Gordon, news editor, PRWeek

REGISTER, or e-mail Ashley Hewlett at mailto:ashley.hewlett@prweek.com for more information.

20 Years of PR Woman of the Year Marked with Pre-Event Reception

Invitation Only Event for Past Winners, This Year's Honorees, Sponsors
Last night Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) hosted what may become a lovely tradition, a pre-event reception at which past winners of its prestigious PR Woman of the Year Award were saluted and were joined by the three 2009 honorees and event sponsors.
(Pictured are Pat Wheeler, 1993 PR Woman of the Year; Jody Arlington, 2009 honoree; Kate Perrin, PRofessional Solutions LLC, representing The Capital Buzz which is a sponsor; a guest of Ms. Arlington; and Debbie Friez, BurrellesLuce, a WWPR Board member as well as sponsor.)

The award luncheon, which usually draws about 250 PR professionals and colleagues of the honorees, will be held Wednesday, November 4, at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center.

The three honorees (the winner of this year's award will be announced at the luncheon) are:
Jody Arlington, Managing Partner, PR Collaborative and Director, Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance;
Kirsten Suto Seckler, Director of Global Brand Marketing and Awareness, Special Olympics
Sarah Temple, Senior Vice President of Social Marketing Practice, Ogilvy Public Relations; Worldwide.

People, Planet, Profit

Executive Marketing Roundtable: Corporate Social Responsibility — Triple Bottom Line

Explore the vital role of marketing in driving and leveraging corporate social responsibility (CSR) with AMA-DC. "People, planet, and profit" are the new benchmarks for measuring business success. Corporate Social Responsibility has become one of the key benchmarks of an organization's overall success and reputation in today's marketplace. Over half of the Fortune 500 companies are reporting on these activities in conjunction with their annual reports.

Speakers:
Kevin Martinez, Executive Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, KPMG LLP
Susan Nickbarg, SVN Marketing, LLC
Erin Mote, Resources Manager, CHF International
Amy Lehr, Associate Foley Hoag

When: 10/22/09 @ 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM

Where: Steelcase, Inc.1121 14th Street, NWSuite 400Washington, DC 20005

AMADC Members: $50 Non-Member: $65 Onsite: $10 additional
Lunch is included

To register: http://www.amadc.org/events/event_calendar.html

Online registration closes 5:00 pm Wednesday, October 21. This event is open to marketing executives with director-level and above titles, staff management and 15+ years of industry experience.

What’s All the Twitter About? Adding Social Media to Your PR Strategy

"What’s All the Twitter About? Adding Social Media to Your PR Strategy" is PRSA-NCC's professional development for October. On Wednesday, October 28, 2009, from 8 to 10 a.m.


Details on the location are:
8:00-8:30 a.m.: Networking, registration and continental breakfast
8:30-10:00 a.m.: Program U.S. Navy Memorial & Heritage Center
701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20005
Metro: Navy Memorial/Archives (green/yellow lines)
Cost: $35 PRSA members and WWPR members/$55 non-members/$10 students/retirees$10 surcharge at the door


Details of the event are:


Everyone is talking about using Twitter, but how do you fit all the new social media into your strategy? Is it really right for all organizations? What’s new with social media and how can I find what will work? These are all questions PR practitioners are asking, and our social media expert panel will discuss proven ways to incorporate proven social media tactics into your overall PR plan. The panel will work to review the most useful and popular tools for PR. Taking if full circle, they will discuss ways to review and measure social media’s effectiveness.


Panelists include:
*Michael Pranikoff, director of emerging media, PR Newswire
*Susan Cato director web and new media strategy, Biotechnology Industry Organization
*Susan E. Jacobsen President, LUV2XLPR
*Mike Holden, American Board for Ceritfication of Teacher Excellence
*Moderator: Debbie Friez, vice president, BurrellesLuce and co-chair, PRSA-NCC Professional Development Committee

To register, visit: https://secure.kinsail.com/results.asp?p=prsancc&pt=store&GroupID=13905

Learn About Creating and Using Websites for Action or Advocacy at Oct 21 CCG Program

There is an art, as well as good research and science, to designing websites for action and advocacy. The October Capital Communicators Group program will feature Len Johnson, President & CEO of JDG Communications talking about creating research-based solutions for several FTC sites, using FTC kids consumer education web site YouAreHere as the prime example.

The site was created to created an environment where kids learn to be smarter consumers through games, activities and online conversations. Len will share who his team conducted interviews with kids, parents and educators; how they tested the site; and how they evaluated the outcomes.

WHEN: Wednesday, October 21st
WHERE: Topaz Hotel, Enlightenment Room, 1733 N St, NW (Metro Stop: Dupont Circle on the Red Line )
COST: $26 - Cash only; exact change preferred.
RSVP required: CapitalCommunicator@gmail.com

Speaking of Social Media....US Chamber Program Delivered Strong Content

Did you miss the second session in the New & Social Media series with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce? Thanks to online reporter and Capital Buzz reader Mary Fletcher Jones, who covered the event for Examiner.com, you can learn some of what you missed.

The panel discussion presented by The Communication Center and The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on September 30 included (from left to right):

Paul Argenti, Professor, Corporate Communications at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business,
Matthew Zablud, Partner, Adfero Group,
Laura Howe, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs for the American Red Cross, and
Adam Conner, Washington D.C. Associate for Privacy and Global Public Affairs for Facebook.

More Content, Less Filling: WWPR Offers Great Lunch Speaker ..... But No Lunch!

Little and local Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) has a success record for keeping on top of issues and trends and offering value-packed programming before the bigger players. For years it has had two basic formats for monthly programs: sit down lunches at the Arts Club or hotel, usually with a panel, or inexpensive (free to members) bring-your-own "brown bag" lunches in conference rooms around town.

This month WWPR is again offering a hot program -- in-demand speaker Chuck Hester, Communications Director for iContact, social networking/ LinkedIn expert and author of "Linking In to Pay it Forward" -- a strong follow-up to their panel on Twitter that beat PRSA's schedule for the same topic and format by two months.

But there is a radical difference this month: it's a brown bag in the usual office conference room setting, but the cost ($40 for WWPR members; $55 for non-members) is sit-down luncheon pricing, but without food! Anyone not a regular at WWPR programs could be excused for being surprised upon arriving and finding that she was expected to bring her own grub, since this is not specified on the web site or in the Cvent registration.

I'm looking forward to the program, but I think I may bring some extra food in case my neighbor at the table looks hungry.

The T.E.M.P. Report 2.0™ for OCTOBER 2009 ~ Exclusive to The Capital Buzz

A brief update on the current Washington area PR employment scene based on the view from PRofessional Solutions, LLC, the Washington market’s only PR temporary staffing agency.

Last month (September ’09): Fair
Last year (September’08): Slow

Ratings:
Bust - virtually no hiring for jobs, freelancers or temps
Slow - a few, mostly low-level, positions being filled; fewer jobs for freelancers or temps
Fair - existing jobs are being filled and moderate work for freelancers and temps
Strong - organizations are hiring at all levels and good work for freelancers and temps
Boom! - virtually everyone who wants work is finding it

Kate’s Overview: For many of us autumn not only means the start of a new school year but also the start of a new fiscal year. That fresh start seems to have invigorated the public relations activities at a number of area organizations and PRofessional Solutions, LLC has seen an increase in hiring, both to fill empty positions and to create new ones. Money also is being spent more easily now than in during the past year to use temporary public relations staffing and freelancers for projects that lean permanent staffs cannot handle as part of business as usual.

GW Communications Industry Expo 10/22

Looking for interns or entry-level hires for your communications, PR or government relations practice? Want to expand your network to include the next generation of communicators? Then check out the first-ever George Washington University Communications Industry Expo for GW students on Thursday, October 22.

The expo offers GW students the chance to network with Washington-area communications firms and doesn't operate like a traditional job fair--that is, communications firms are encouraged to participate whether they have jobs open or not. You can attend to network, share information about your firm and the business of communications, or to serve as an industry panelist during the first half-hour.

The expo is free and will take place from 4-6 p.m. in the University’s Marvin Center. To participate, you'll need to register for the expo online in the university's database for connecting students and employers, called GWork. Register for a new account, receive a user ID and password, then follow the quick links to events and the Expo to register. Or email bshukri[at]gwu[dot]edu for more information.

WWPR Media Roundtable Delivers

Strong Panel Provides Candid Comments and Lively Interaction

Tuesday's may have been the best Media Roundtable that Washington Women in Public Relations -- or any of the other communications professional societies -- has hosted in many years thanks to a strong panel from the press who represented young, new-media alongside experienced long-time broadcasters, print and electronic.

The group (pictured starting from the left in the photo supplied by Gale Curcio) included:

Autumn Brewington, Op-ed Editor, The Washington Post
Jim Asendio, News Director, WAMU 88 5
Patrick Pho, city captain for DC Metblogs (http://dc.metblogs.com/) and Editor of http://www.dmbosstone.com, and
Jerry Phillips, Public Affairs Television and Radio Producer

Unlike most of these programs this group didn't have to be coaxed -- after the first question from the moderator they were off and running, sharing perspectives, history, how-to's and how-not-to's and more.

Brewington, who reported that she gets 60 to 100 unsolicited op-eds each day at The Washington Post, said that it is better to be impersonal than incorrect, noting some who pitch to her as a friend but don't even get her name right. She said that little mistakes matter and even small errors impact the credibility of the person and organization making the pitch.

While all of the panelists reinforced the message of other panels to Know Your Media and Understand the Needs/Interests of Those to Whom You're Pitching, Jim Asendio emphasized the need to know your subject and be prepared for a two-way conversation and the critical importance of immediate response to time sensitive media inquiries. He noted it was insulting and useless when organizations had untrained and uninformed interns make pitch calls.

Pho was refreshing in his honesty that bloggers are not journalists. He said that the DC area is one of the top blogged about communities, along with New York and Los Angeles, and urged that pitches to bloggers be low pressure and make a personal connection.

Phillips tried to educate the group about the increasing difficulty of getting their message covered because technology and the emphasis on profitability have eliminated public service coverage. He gave an example of a small independent pharmacy that was running a special community diabetes program but stations couldn't mention it or cover it because it was now considered advertising and the pharmacy would be expected to pay for coverage.

The program was so successful it could easily have continued for another half hour with questions from the audience. If the next program is nearly as strong (a discussion with Chuck Hester, Communications Director for iContact, social networking/ LinkedIn expert and author of "Linking In to Pay it Forward" about LinkedIn) Capital Buzz readers will want to register immediately for the October 15 brown-bag lunch.