Event Registration

31st Annual Chesapeake Conference

Preliminary Program

8:00-8:50 am -- Registration/Continental Breakfast/Opening Remarks by Erika Murray,
President, PRSA Maryland, and Director of Corporate Public Relations and Community Affairs,
MedStar Health

9:00-10:20 am -- SESSION I

Option 1 - The Need for Green: Branding Green Products and Services

Shawn Draper, Partner, Sr. Vice President, IMRE Communications
Keister Evans, President, Tropical Forest Foundation
Steve Tourek, Sr. Vice President & General Counsel, Marvin Windows and Doors

Public interest in green products and services is exploding, but are we green washing our
audience to the point where the message is lost? During this session we’ll explore strategies and tactics for building an effective green image. Learn how marketers are successfully
communicating green practices to their publics and how sustainability initiatives can change
company perception. Hear from our panel of experts what makes a product/service green, how
companies achieve green certification and the implications it has on the brand.

Option 2 - The Digital Revolution Has Changed Everything … Right?
David Warschawski, President and Founder, Warschawski

Gain insight into the future of the marketing/communications field and the role that PR plays. David Warschawski will dispel common myths surrounding the digital revolution and give advice on what digital techniques should be leveraged by marketing/communications and PR professionals.

Option 3 - Thinking About Getting Your APR?
Hear what these panelists have to say about the benefits of acquiring an APR certification.
Panelists include:

• Christine P. Barnhart, APR, Magellan Health Services
• Kenneth R. Smith, APR, Senior Communications Manager, Internal Communications, Boeing Military Aircraft
• Tom J. Williams, APR, Senior Communications Manager, MPRI, a division of L-3 Communications

10:20-10:30 -- Break

10:30-11:50 am -- SESSION II

Option 1 -- Speed Pitching
Pitch your story ideas to these media professionals:

• Joanna Sullivan, Editor, Baltimore Business Journal
• Hanah Cho, Reporter, The Baltimore Sun
• Angela Jackson, Editor/Producer, WBAL Radio 11
• Keith Daniels, Reporter, FOX 45
• Susan Otradovec, Community Affairs, WJZ 13
• Peggy Phillip, News Director, WMAR
• Barbara Nicholson, Church News Director/Producer, WCAO AM
• Ericka Blount, Freelance Writer
• Susan Matthews Apgood, President & Co-Founder, News Generation, Inc.
• Lynn Harris Medcalf, Executive VP & Co-Founder, News Generation, Inc.

Option 2 -- Brand Migration
Laura Pasternak, Founder and President, MarketPoint, LLC.

Brand migration. What is it? When does it come into play? What do you need to know? Why is it the right thing for your organization? Organizations going through transition are often faced with branding challenges – integrating multiple brands, acquiring another company’s brand, divesting of a brand, adding a brand or brand extension for a new product or service, or simply rejuvenating an existing or “stale” brand. Brand managers need to understand both the potential risks and benefits associated with rebranding and brand migrations, the key questions to ask and essential steps to take to effectively guide their organizations through these transitions.

Option 3 – Ethics Seminar
Jeff Julin, APR, Chair and CEO, PRSA President, MGA Communications

Learn how to address and apply the fundamental principles of ethics to the new communications environment in an era of evolving technology, which is rapidly changing the nature and channels of public discourse. “Just as the Internet continues to spawn new iterations of longstanding legal principles, online communications cry out for a new framework to extend fundamental principles of communications ethics to social and other new media,” says Jeffrey Julin, APR, PRSA National chair and CEO. See how PRSA maintains its Code of Ethics as a model of behavior for public relations professionals working in the 21st century. (subject to change)

11:50 – Noon -- BREAK

Noon – 1:15 pm – Luncheon

Annual Meeting of PRSA Maryland Chapter & Election of 2008 PRSA Maryland Slate of Officers-Led by Erika Murray

Luncheon Keynote: Public Relations: Challenges and Opportunities
Jeffrey Julin, APR, Chair and CEO, PRSA; President, MGA Communications.

1:15 -1:50 pm – Speed Networking & Roundtable Discussions
Choose to speed network or continue a discussion on a hot topic during the Round Table Discussions.

Speed Networking: Get advice on how to move your career forward when you meet one-on-one with past PRSA Maryland presidents, current board members and other seasoned PR professionals.

Roundtable Discussions: Meet other attendees and share your experiences or ask questions about hot topics such as social media and executive blogs, PR and non-profits, being/becoming an independent practitioner, and crisis PR management. (NOTE: Roundtable discussions to be lead by moderators: Linda Foy of BGE-crisis PR management; Lisa Coster of IPRC-being/becoming an independent practitioner; Mona Rock of JHPIEGO & Taiisha Pinkney of MD School for the Blind, PR and non-profits; Glenn Fannick of Dow Jones & Co., social media & executive blogs.)

2:00 – 3:20 pm – Session III

Option 1 – Media Monitoring & Measurement: Evolving Twin Practices in the Digital Media Age
Glenn Fannick, Product Development Manager, Dow Jones & Co., Inc.

Learn how the twin practices of media monitoring and measurement continue to evolve in the age of electronic consumption of news and, especially, social media. Plus, understand why communicators should not use major search engines to conduct media measurement.

Option 2 – Best Practices in E-mail Marketing
Gina Watkins, Regional Development Director, Constant Contact

Build the relationships that are the key to your business success with easy, inexpensive and highly effective email marketing. In this seminar, we will provide tips to increase your email deliverability and open rates, write good headlines and content, and perhaps most importantly, strategies for getting -- and keeping -- high quality prospects, customers and members.

Option 3 – Communicating Confidence in an Era of Low Trust
Angelique Rewers, ABC, APR, President, Bon Mot Communications
Toni Cascia, Ph.D., Vice President, Bon Mot Communications

The purpose of communicating with employees is to share information to influence behavior, drive engagement and achieve business goals. But what if employees distrust the source of that information—or the information itself? This skill-building workshop will show communicators: the link between low trust, employee engagement and financial performance; how to leverage managers as communication ambassadors; what employees need and want to know; and how to master the fundamental communications skills that build trust.

3:30 – 4:00 pm – Closing Remarks by Erika Murray

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