Implementation
We're finally ready to #DiveIn!
Agency Tours: Saturday, April 8, 2017
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Katz & Associates
Our exploration of San Diego's diverse PR industry began with a tour of Katz & Associates, a nationally recognized communications firm that specializes in issues-based communication for clients in the public and private sectors. Guests set sail on an inside look at its office and an informational presentation on the firm's work in community outreach. |
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San Diego Convention Center
Our course continued to the San Diego Convention Center, where we disembarked to tour the premier convention center of America's Finest City. Guests dived into its communications team's work promoting tourism and local businesses, educating citizens about the convention center's regional impact and engaging its audiences through visual storytelling. |
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Network Night: Saturday, April 8, 2017
We invited PR professionals of all ages to plunge into their careers through our Network Night at Barra Barra Saloon, anchored in the heart of Old Town. Attendees forged meaningful connections with local professionals and lasting friendships with students from San Jose State University, California State University-Northridge, University of Nevada, Las Vegas and SDSU. With a total of 43 guests throughout the night, Barra Barra Saloon's spread of bite-sized Mexican food was perfect for snacking on while shaking hands and trading business cards.
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Two tailor-made Snapchat filters were created for the event, which spurred a steady flow of engagement and the use of our conference hashtags, #PRSSAinSD and #DiveIn, on all digital platforms throughout the night. The filters reinforced our conference's ocean-themed branding with turquoise waves and our conference's logo.
Snapchat wasn't the only photo magic taking place -- the event featured a photo booth complete with a pre-recorded branded message and instant printouts featuring our conference logo with the message "Network. Grow. Explore. PRSSA 2017 Regional Conference." It was an attraction that kept guests lining up and coming back multiple times throughout the night, so they could take home a memory of the event and even share it on social media. |
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Our conference's keynote speaker Amanda Sapp, vice president of planning for Edelman, accompanied by her longtime friend and former professor and mentor Kaye Sweetser, APR + M were in attendance -- both of whom are respected members of the PR industry. Melissa Cameron of Southwest Strategies and Brianne Page from Port of San Diego, two PRSA SD/IC Chapter executive board members, among other School of JMS faculty also made appearances at the event. Another friendly face present was Liz Skeele, PRSSA National's vice president of professional development. The evening ended with a group of happy friends parting ways not with a "goodbye," but a "see you tomorrow!"
PRSSA 2017 Regional Conference: Sunday, April 9, 2017
Registration and Breakfast: 8-9 a.m.
Students from SJSU, Biola University, California State University-Dominguez, CSUN, UNLV, California State-Fullerton, SDSU and Cal Poly Pomona arrived at the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union on the SDSU campus -- ready to #DiveIn. At registration, attendees received a branded name tag and a navy conference tote, which included the program, conference schedule, flyers, pamphlets, SDSU pens and KIND bars donated by the event's sponsors. All of these items reinforced our conference's branding and showcased our theme to our attendees.
Students from SJSU, Biola University, California State University-Dominguez, CSUN, UNLV, California State-Fullerton, SDSU and Cal Poly Pomona arrived at the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union on the SDSU campus -- ready to #DiveIn. At registration, attendees received a branded name tag and a navy conference tote, which included the program, conference schedule, flyers, pamphlets, SDSU pens and KIND bars donated by the event's sponsors. All of these items reinforced our conference's branding and showcased our theme to our attendees.
Our oceanic decor, gold PRSSA letter balloons, event-tailored Snapchat filters and PRSSA SDSU-branded step and repeat encouraged conference guests to take pictures and post them to Instagram and Twitter with our conference's hashtags, #PRSSAinSD and #DiveIn. Throughout the conference, waves of engagement poured in on all digital platforms. Mikayla Duchene, PRSSA SDSU director of special events and conference coordinator, prepared students to embark on their journey into the ocean of PR with introductory remarks. Afterwards, PRSSA SDSU President Graciella Regua gave her welcome address and introduced our keynote speaker.
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Keynote: 9:40-10 a.m.
Amanda Sapp Guests dived into the beginning of our conference with Amanda Sapp, the vice president of planning for Edelman. Sapp shared her knowledge of the industry and her unique experiences that led her to become the vice president of planning at a leading global communication marketing firm. She also discussed the well-known Edelman TRUST BAROMETER, revealing that trust is at an all-time low. Therefore, it's the responsibility of mass-communications professionals to establish credibility and trust with their key publics. Sapp ended her session with a few words to steer our guests' future careers in the right direction," Be competent. Be sincere. Be consistent." |
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Session I: 10:45-11:45 a.m.
Political PR: Hope Reilly and Dariel Walker, Southwest Strategies
Dariel Walker and Hope Reilly from Southwest Strategies splashed into session I by discussing Southwest Strategies' campaign opposing the One Paseo Project. Walker and Reilly described the challenge of engaging community members throughout their long-term campaign and the success they achieved in influencing changes to the One Paseo Project. Walker and Reilly emphasized the importance of listening to influential community members, researching public policy and maintaining trust.
Hilton Bayfront Case Study: Brook Trujillo, Hilton Bayfront
In the other room, Brook Trujillo from the Hilton San Diego Bayfront explained how she turned the tides to create momentum and excitement around Holiday by the Bay, the hotel's holiday programming. Guests sailed through Trujillo's journey of creating buzz around the hotel's winter wonderland transformation and its goal to create magical holiday memories.
Political PR: Hope Reilly and Dariel Walker, Southwest Strategies
Dariel Walker and Hope Reilly from Southwest Strategies splashed into session I by discussing Southwest Strategies' campaign opposing the One Paseo Project. Walker and Reilly described the challenge of engaging community members throughout their long-term campaign and the success they achieved in influencing changes to the One Paseo Project. Walker and Reilly emphasized the importance of listening to influential community members, researching public policy and maintaining trust.
Hilton Bayfront Case Study: Brook Trujillo, Hilton Bayfront
In the other room, Brook Trujillo from the Hilton San Diego Bayfront explained how she turned the tides to create momentum and excitement around Holiday by the Bay, the hotel's holiday programming. Guests sailed through Trujillo's journey of creating buzz around the hotel's winter wonderland transformation and its goal to create magical holiday memories.
Session II: 1:15-2:15 p.m.
Entrepreneurial Panel: Jennifer Borba von Stauffenberg, Sara Brooks and David Oates, APR
After lunch, guests convened for session II. The entrepreneurial panel set sail with CEO and Founder of Covet PR Sara Brooks, President of Olive PR Solutions Inc. Jennifer Borba von Stauffenberg and President of Stalwart Communications David Oates, APR. Each panelist described the waves of challenges they overcame to start their firms and the currents that influenced them to do so. Key takeaways the panelists provided were:
- Know your craft and be the best that you can be
- Know the type of organization you want to serve
- Identify characteristics that make you stand out from the rest of the practitioners
Sports Panel: Ian Cook, San Diego Sockers and Jamaal LaFrance, former San Diego Chargers
In the other room, Ian Cook, the director of marketing/PR for the San Diego Sockers, and Jamaal LaFrance, the media/PR coordinator for the former San Diego Chargers, discussed key aspects of sports PR. They emphasized the importance of being versatile, applying best practices and communicating with fans. Immediately after session II came to a close, attendees crowded the hallway to network with speakers before the last session of the day.
Session III: 2:30-3:30 p.m.
San Diego Zoo 100th Anniversary Campaign: Ted Molter, San Diego Zoo Global
After exchanging business cards with the previous panelists, students took their seats to listen to the final speakers. Ted Molter, the chief marketing officer of San Diego Zoo Global, joined the conference to speak about the brand's marketing strategy and his team's success in driving the nonprofit's mission to save species worldwide through conservation science. Students were completely immersed in Molter's transition from starting his career taking care of penguins to becoming an influential storyteller for a global brand.
Tourism and Hospitality PR: Marlee Ehrenfeld and James McIntosh, MJE Marketing
In the other room, Marlee Ehrenfeld and James McIntosh from MJE Marketing, a nationally award-winning full-service agency, walked students through four steps to achieve a strategic communication plan: research, planning, execution and evaluation. Ehrenfeld and McIntosh stressed the importance of research to steer your communication plan in the right direction. Ehrenfeld and McIntosh's various case studies gave students a strong foundation to set sail into their careers understanding these essential four steps.
San Diego Zoo 100th Anniversary Campaign: Ted Molter, San Diego Zoo Global
After exchanging business cards with the previous panelists, students took their seats to listen to the final speakers. Ted Molter, the chief marketing officer of San Diego Zoo Global, joined the conference to speak about the brand's marketing strategy and his team's success in driving the nonprofit's mission to save species worldwide through conservation science. Students were completely immersed in Molter's transition from starting his career taking care of penguins to becoming an influential storyteller for a global brand.
Tourism and Hospitality PR: Marlee Ehrenfeld and James McIntosh, MJE Marketing
In the other room, Marlee Ehrenfeld and James McIntosh from MJE Marketing, a nationally award-winning full-service agency, walked students through four steps to achieve a strategic communication plan: research, planning, execution and evaluation. Ehrenfeld and McIntosh stressed the importance of research to steer your communication plan in the right direction. Ehrenfeld and McIntosh's various case studies gave students a strong foundation to set sail into their careers understanding these essential four steps.
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Closing Remarks: 3:45-4:30 p.m.
When session III ended, attendees gathered to listen to closing remarks. Regua thanked our teams, volunteers, attendees and sponsors for their contributions and support. To conclude the conference, PRSSA National Vice President of Professional Development Liz Skeele awarded our Chapter for its hard work and dedication in planning the conference. Attendees parted ways as they returned home, taking with them newfound knowledge and inspiration to bring into their future careers. |
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