Thursday, April 26, 12:00-1:15 p.m.

At Sidus Data, Annapolis

Are you one of the millions of people with multiple email and social media accounts? Do you find yourself struggling to manage all of the text messages, tweets and emails that come at you every few minutes? If so, then “Spring Cleaning: Decluttering and Organizing Your Digital Life” is just what you need to learn how to better manage and organize all the technology in your life.

On April 26th, Professional Organizer Kathleen Durham, Founder and President of KD Spacelifts and member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, will provide tools to help communicators stay organized in this fast-paced digital world. There’s no doubt we are a technology-driven society — everything from email to social media to smartphones and even files on our computers — it’s a lot to manage. Statistics show that the average corporate user sends and receives 112 emails per day! Tools like HootSuite are out there now to help manage social media accounts, but what other things can communicators do/use to simplify their lives?

 In addition to walking away with some valuable spring cleaning tips to aid in being more effective and efficient in your job as communicator, don’t miss the opportunity to take a “walk through the clouds” as we tour the Datacenter of local cloud hosting provider, Sidus Data. Get a first-hand look at where data from around the globe is stored and gain a better understanding of the benefits of cloud computing.

The presentation and tour with lunch will be held from 12:00-1:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 26, at Sidus Data, PRSA’s location sponsor, 175 Admiral Cochrane Dr., Suite 301, Annapolis, MD 21401. The cost is $25 for members, $30 for non-members. To RSVP, please contact Renee Tilton by Tuesday, April 24, at (410) 626-0805 or rtilton@crosbymarketing.com.

 Thursday, Feb. 23, 12:00-1:15 p.m.

Country Inn & Suites, Annapolis

Are you doing all you can to take advantage of the fastest growing area of communications: that is, smartphone marketing? Although smartphones represented 44% of handheld devices in the United States in 2011, they accounted for 78% of online traffic. And the number of smartphone users continues to grow. How are you, as a public relations professional, responding to this trend?

On February 23, Daniel Waldman, president of Evolve Communications, and Samantha DeVita, Director of Marketing at R2integrated, will present the latest and most creative ways to use smartphone technology. They’ll give an overview of consumer trends and the particular considerations of smartphone marketing that communicators must factor into their outreach strategies.  They’ll discuss the growing use of QR codes, the unexpected ways they are being used, how consumers are responding to them and potential problems/opportunities. They’ll also talk about geosourcing, the value of apps and other tools.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to use smartphones as a proactive communications tool. Be sure to bring your smartphone with you to participate in the demonstrations and experience the different ways to communicate with your audiences!

The presentation with lunch will be held from 12:00-1:15 p.m. on Thursday, February 23, at Country Inn & Suites, PRSA’s location sponsor, 2600 Housley Road in Annapolis. The cost is $20 for members, $25 for non-members. To RSVP, please contact Renee Tilton by Tuesday, February 21, at (410) 626-0805 or rtilton@crosbymarketing.com.

Annapolis, Md. – The PRSA Central Chesapeake Chapter will kick off its fall 2011 schedule with a luncheon meeting to be held at the ARINC Corporate Headquarters on Thurs., Sept. 29, with a first-hand account of the company’s role in the 9/11 events.

When a catastrophic event takes place and you play a critical role in it, what do you do when you are not allowed to share information with the media or via social networking?  That’s the position in which ARINC found itself on 9/11.  Looking back 10 years later, a communications director from ARINC will share the challenges they faced on that horrific day and the steps they took to only communicate critical information.

The meeting will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the adjoining room to the Operations Center where constant communication took place on 9/11 with airline operations personnel and cockpit crews. The speaker is Scott Foster, Director Airline Operations Center, who was “right in the thick of things” that fateful day. He will share his personal experience of how bringing thousands of planes and passengers safely to the ground was the utmost goal.

The program with lunch will be held at ARINC’s offices at 2551 Riva Road in Annapolis.  Reservations are required by Monday, Sept. 26, for security clearance reasons.  All attendees will be required to provide photo identification.  Any non-U.S. citizen planning on attending will need to provide proof of country citizenship and be required to fill out additional paperwork before being allowed into the facility.

The cost is $25 for members, $30 for nonmembers and guests. To RSVP, contact Renee Tilton at (410) 626-0805 or at rtilton@crosbymarketing.com.  For more information, visit www.prsachesapeake.org.

Program Sponsor

The PRSA Central Chesapeake Chapter thanks ARINC, who is sponsoring this program. “For nearly eight decades, ARINC has provided communications, engineering and integration to deliver mission-critical solutions to the commercial, government, and defense industries.” For more information, visit www.arinc.com.

Annapolis, Md. – The PRSA Central Chesapeake Chapter is holding its Summer Social, “Vin, Vine and Maryland Wine,” on Thursday, June 2, from 5:00-6:30 p.m. This unique event will take place at VIN 909, Annapolis’ newest wine café, and feature wine tastings from three Maryland wineries. In addition, a special guest from the Maryland Wineries Association will provide an insider’s perspective on the Maryland wine industry, its history, updates on the regulatory front, and the challenges and opportunities of owning and promoting a winery in our state.

The event will include:

• Hors d’oeuvres from VIN 909, prepared by Executive Chef Justin Moore, whose culinary experience ranges from Manhattan to San Francisco.
• A sampling of Maryland wines.
• Regina McCarthy, guest speaker from the Maryland Wineries Association.

The event will be held at VIN 909 (former home of The Wild Orchid), located at 909 Bay Ridge Avenue in Eastport. After the event, attendees are encouraged to stay for dinner and enjoy a 10% discount, compliments of Owners Alex and Chuck Manfredonia, a father and son team who opened the restaurant in early April.

The program will be held from 5:00-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 2. Reservations are required and guests are welcome. The cost is $25 for members, $30 for nonmembers and guests. To RSVP, contact Renee Tilton by Tuesday, May 31, at (410) 626-0805 or rtilton@crosbymarketing.com.  For more information, visit www.prsachesapeake.org.

ABOUT PRSA
PRSA is the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals. The Central Chesapeake Chapter’s speaker series offers a guest speaker of professional interest along with networking opportunities and lunch/refreshments. For more information, visit the website at www.prsachesapeake.org.

The media training workshop will cover tips and techniques on how to take charge of an interview through basic bridging techniques; how to stay on message; understanding the nuisances between print, broadcast and social media interviews; and getting comfortable with the interview process. Participants will see the techniques put into practice through a series of mock interviews. In addition, they will leave with helpful reference materials they can use when advising and preparing clients for future interviews.

The speaker, Gillian Pommerehn, director of public relations at Crosby Marketing, has more than a decade of experience in corporate settings and PR firms. Prior to joining Crosby, she was a vice president with Stanton Communications, leading business and consumer PR campaigns. She has worked with clients from start-up firms to Fortune 500 organizations. Pommerehn has an MBA in marketing from University of Baltimore, where she graduated with honors, and is the recipient of the University’s H. Mebane Turner Service Award.

The workshop with refreshments will be held from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, at Country Inn & Suites, PRSA’s location sponsor, 2600 Housley Road in Annapolis. The cost is $25 for members, $30 for non-members. To RSVP, please contact Renee Tilton by Tuesday, April 26, at (410) 626-0805 or rtilton@crosbymarketing.com.

For more information, visit www.prsachesapeake.org.

ABOUT PRSA

PRSA is the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals. The Central Chesapeake Chapter’s speaker series offers a guest speaker of professional interest along with networking opportunities and lunch/refreshments. For more information, visit the website at www.prsachesapeake.org.

On Friday, Feb. 25, the PRSA Central Chesapeake Chapter will present “Survey Says: Using New Tools to Conduct Online Focus Groups and Surveys.” The 12:00 p.m. lunch program will feature speaker Duncan JB Horner, senior digital research consultant at Qualvu. He’ll demonstrate new digital technology to increase the speed and decrease the costs of qualitative research, such as traditional focus groups, along with other tools for online research such as mobile video surveys and a do-it-yourself qualitative platform.

Qualvu, an online research firm, was started in 2007 when its founder saw the potential of combining “new technologies with the reach of the Internet” to provide customers with “a level of depth and candor that had never been achieved through traditional qualitative research methods.” Clients have included Fortune 500 companies, such as American Airlines, General Mills, MTV, P&G, Toyota and Yahoo!, and top agencies including Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Leo Burnett and TBWA/CHIAT/DAY.

The presentation with lunch will be held from 12:00 to 1:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25, at Crosby Marketing, 705 Melvin Ave., Suite 200, in Annapolis. Seating will be limited to 15 participants, so reservations are highly recommended.

The cost is $20 for members, $25 for non-members. To RSVP, please contact Renee Tilton by Wednesday, Feb. 23, at (410) 626-0805 or rtilton@crosbymarketing.com. For more information, visit www.prsachesapeake.org.

ABOUT PRSA

PRSA is the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals. The Central Chesapeake Chapter luncheon speaker series offers a guest speaker of professional interest along with networking opportunities and refreshments. For more information, visit the website at www.prsachesapeake.org.