Karen Bergh

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Aaron Norris' review on Feb. 17 of the sweeping concepts of social media captured in Bernoff and Li's bestselling book, Groundswell. If you were unable to attend the February luncheon at Canyon Crest Country Club, or want to review the presentation, click here for the slide show.

We have another great professional development program lined up for you on March 17, when Dr. Glen Broom, the man who literally "wrote the book" on effective PR, will present details of the public relations accreditation program and why it is important to practitioners and our shared profession.

Dr. Broom's presentation coincides with our chapter's promotion of PRSA-CIEC members' participation in the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) process in partnership with the San Diego PRSA chapter during 2010. Additional information about the 2010 APR program deadlines, and how PRSA-CIEC members can participate is included in this e-newsletter.

In addition, register online today, if you haven't already, to attend the 2010 PRSA Western District Conference, which PRSA-CIEC is hosting along with presenting sponsor, Fleishman-Hillard. We have put together a great program for two days of great information, networking, and fun!

This event, which PRSA chapters in the Western states take turns hosting each year, replaces our annual PRSA-CIEC workshop-style conferences. We will not have either a Publicity Clinic or a Fall Workshop this year, but have a full year's worth of low-cost/high value monthly luncheons, brown bag teleseminars, and social/networking mixers lined up for you during 2010.

In addition, be sure to look for news about our first-time ever "Speed Consulting at the Speedway" event where we will match members with local business owners who need pro bono PR counsel. New PRSA-CIEC member David Talley, Director of Communications at the AutoClub Speedway in Fontana is serving as our host for the June 15 event. If you are interested in serving on the planning committee for this event, please contact me at president@prsaie.org.

Hope to see you on March 17 in Riverside, and in Palm Springs on April 28 - 30!

~Karen Bergh

Professional Development Luncheon Speaker, Dr. Glen Broom

The Five W's of APR: Learn + Inspire + Grow = More Earnings

We've all heard about the competitive market place today and how the slow, but promising economy will recover soon.  In the meantime, however, figures prove that employment of public relations specialists is expected to grow 24 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Stand out among the best in the industry with an Accreditation in Public Relations (APR). The APR is the only national, post-graduate certificate program in Public Relations. Plus APR professionals earn on average 25% more.

Learn the ins-and-outs of the APR process at the upcoming luncheon on March 17!

Dr. Glen Broom, Professor Emeritus, School of Communication at San Diego State University, Co-Author of Effective Public Relations, "wrote the book" on how to prepare for the APR process! His book is widely used for APR study and has been adopted by Public Relations programs in university curricula nationwide. Register for the luncheon today!

Don't miss this one-of-a-kind opportunity to find out more on how you can greatly enhance your skills, advance your profession, and increase your bottom-line.

New this year: PRSA-CIEC is partnering with the San Diego PRSA Chapter to offer our members an opportunity to easily participate in the APR process by taking part in their highly successful program. For more information about the APR process and PRSA-CIEC program with PRSA-San Diego, click here.

Thank you to our presenting sponsor for the luncheon, The Mission Inn.

~Diane L. Martin, VP Professional Development/Education

~Nicole Dailey, President-Elect

National PR Guru to Answer all your APR Questions in March

We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Glen Broom, APR, coming to speak about the APR accreditation, at our next PRSA luncheon on March 17. More than 70% of the APR's computer-based test is based on the book he co-authored, Effective Public Relations.

If you are interested and have not already signed up for the APR Accreditation interest list, please email aaron@thenorrisgroup.com and let him know you'd like updates. Aaron has created a schedule that will simplify the process and allow our chapter to work closely with the PRSA-San Diego chapter. 

March 1 is the recommended start date for reading the recommended books which are covered in the APR handout. If we start reading now, we will be on our way to public relations' accreditation and also be prepared to ask great questions of Dr. Broom at the March 17 meeting.

April 1 is the deadline for your personal application to National PRSA. All of this and more is explained on the Accreditation tab of the PRSA-Inland Empire Chapter website.    

PRSA-CIEC and Fleishman-Hillard present

"An Oasis of Opportunities" at the

2010 Western District Conference

in Palm Springs, California at the Riviera Resort & Spa

April 28 - 30, 2010

Many practitioners from the five-state Western region of PRSA have already begun signing up to attend the two-day conference being hosted by our chapter and held in Palm Springs on April 28- 30. The conference opens with a reception on Wednesday evening, April 28, and closes by noon on April 30. Our setting is the gorgeous Riviera Resort & Spa, so in addition to excellent learning sessions and networking, you can also plan to relax (what's that?) if you can spare time away from your day job!

The early bird registration deadline for this year's Western District Conference has been extended to March 18. The cost is a discounted $185 for PRSA members and PRSSA students, for two days jam-packed with professional development value. After March 18, the cost increases to $225 for members. So register today.

Please check the PRSA-WDC website for additional information about the sessions, including a West Coast media panel that features editors from Newsweek, and Wired, to name a few! Our keynote, Mark Weiner, is a guru on PR metrics. And we've provided several social media-related sessions, as well as practical tips and techniques for crisis communications, community-based marketing, and even some hands-on "geek labs," which have proven popular in other PRSA conference settings.  

Register now!

$225 after March 18 for PRSA and PRSSA members

$255 after March 18 for non-members

See you there!

If you have been considering becoming a member of the Public Relations Society of America, here is the offer you've been waiting for:

Join PRSA in the month of March or April and receive a free one-year membership to the PRSA California Inland Empire Chapter! Use the  promo code SPRING2010 when you join and PRSA National covers the cost of your first year Chapter dues.

Click here for the information you need to join now! Make 2010 the year you invest in your career!

 Subscribe

Did you know you can subscribe to updates about the PRSA-Inland Empire Chapter? Click here to subscribe to newsletter posts, blog updates and more.

Have you registered for the Western District Conference yet? Check out the most recent PRSA-Inland Empire board member blog post, about the upcoming conference, written by Diane L. Martin, PRSA-IE Vice President and WDC Chairperson, and Denis Wolcott, APR and president of The Wolcott Company.

Thank you to Lynda McClellan, an Inland Empire graphic designer who recently donated her talents to our chapter. If you have need of a designer, please consider contacting Lynda.