“Behind the Scenes at ARINC: 10 Years After 9/11,
Communicating the Noncommunicable”
PRSA Program on Sept. 29 to Feature ARINC Operation Center Director for 9/11 Airplanes

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. – When the camera turns on, will your clients or associates be prepared to deliver an interview confidently and on message? Will they be able to effectively deal with off-topic questions? On April 28, Gillian Pommerehn, the speaker at PRSA’s next Annapolis meeting will present a two-hour workshop on “Media Training for the Media Trainer.” Attendees will leave armed with information on how to prepare clients for interviews, while getting a refresher for themselves when they are called upon to serve as spokespeople. The program will be held Thursday, April 28, from 3-5:00 p.m. at Country Inn & Suites in Annapolis. Register at (410) 626-0805 or rtilton@crosbymarketing.com.

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.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010: How to Make History with Communications – Joel Machak, executive creative director for Crosby Marketing, will share the approach that resulted in the historic “Crash Test Dummies” seat-belt PSA campaign. This campaign, of which Machak was co-creator, was recently inducted into the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Machak will motivate listeners to reinvigorate their thinking in the workplace by taking bold steps that go beyond the “tried and true.” As part of the holiday festivities, there will be a drawing for special door prizes donated by Country Inn and Suites, Stoney River Steak House, and others.  In addition, the 2011 slate of board officers will be elected. The lunch presentation will be held from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at Country Inn and Suites, PRSA’s location sponsor, at 2600 Housley Road in Annapolis (across from Best Buy). The cost is $20 for members, $25 for non-members.  Please RSVP to Renee Tilton by Friday, Dec. 3, at 410-626-0805 or rtilton@crosbymarketing.com.