APR – You know you waant it!

Philip A. Mulder, APR, FEC (Hon.)
Director of Communications
The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta

Cheesy? Yes. But the Accreditation process itself is far from cheesy. In fact, it’s quite a rigorous three-part, peer-evaluation process. But as your funny uncle used to say “nothing is worth doing if it’s not a challenge.” Okay, maybe that was just my funny uncle, but the point is this: there are lots of reasons for you to pursue your accreditation. Fame and fortune – not so much. Career advancement and increased remuneration – meh. Professional development, sense of accomplishment and commitment to the practice of PR in Canada – definitely! So join me, Prairie Regional Examiner Philip “Big Daddy” Mulder, APR, and recently accredited guests as we share our accreditation knowledge and experience. Find out all the gory details about the process, how others made it through and why YOU should plan to pursue accreditation. Because – you know you waant it! BTW, did I mention there’ll be door prizes? #cprs11 @philipmulder

Building Multi-cultural Awareness into your Public Relations Strategy: A Primer from Government and Corporate Perspectives

Stephen Heckbert
Professor/Coordinator
Algonquin College

Stephen will look at using available tools (including social media) to make sure there's an awareness of Canada's multicultural mosaic in communications campaigns from government to corporate and not-for-profit.

Corporations, Cults and Communication: Countering the Persuasive Power of Propaganda-like Strategies and Tactics in a Positive and Ethical Fashion

Mark Giles, APR
Manager, Stakeholder Relations
and Communications Branch
Port Hope Area Initiative
Atomic Energy Canada Limited

The public relations profession has come a long way since the days of the so-called "spin doctor." Today, public- and private-sector communicators are expected to be open and transparent - matching operational, on-the-ground realities to the information and messaging sent out to internal and external audiences. Yet some business, advocacy, not-for-profit and faith-based organizations adopt different approaches - often with apparent success. Sometimes by saying it loud and often enough, while exploiting the fog of cognitive dissonance, these groups can significantly impact public opinion on a variety of issues. Online communications and social-media channels are helping expose these propaganda-like strategies and tactics more than ever. Understanding this and how these organizations work allows professional communicators to successfully counter their actions in positive and ethical ways.

It's 2011; Do You Know What your Metrics are? Measurement for the New Decade

Katie Delahaye Paine
CEO
KDPaine & Partners

Katie Paine will deliver a big picture overview of communications measurement in the 21st century covering where we've been and where we are headed:

• The Barcelona Principles of Measurement and what they mean for the profession
• How to integrate traditional and social media into one actionable program
• What "best in class" measurement programs look like in 2011
• The best tools available today
• Wither measurement?
• Where we are headed
• How you'll measure results in five years

It's a Privacy-Sensitive World: What You Need to Know!

Sarah K. Jones, APR, FCPRS
Partner
Kennedy Jones & Sweeney Inc.

This presentation is designed to assist mid- to senior-level practitioners understand how they can help their colleagues/clients/employers and employees meet the privacy standards and behaviours that are now expected (and, in some cases, required).

Long Live Common Sense: Building a Digital Strategy

Kevin McCann
Vice-President
MT&L Public Relations

It's about social media. No, wait; it's about a killer website. No, no...it's about mobile. Well, we know it's all of those things, but how do you bring it all together into a cohesive, persuasive, engaging digital strategy? How do you go from PR message to real engagement? What's the social piece? Does email fit in? What about mobile? Should I tweet? What about FourSquare? In this session, Kevin McCann -- an online advocacy specialist recently returned to live in Atlantic Canada from over a decade in Washington, D.C. -- will share his experiences and reverse-engineer successful digital campaigns. He'll use case studies to explore the tactics of great campaigns (both within and outside his experience), looking at the entire digital footprint and how it can knit together different web tactics to tell a compelling story, galvanize supporters and meet objectives.

Make your Audience the Hero: How to use stories to inspire and motivate the people who matter most

Leo Artalejo
Senior Counsel
MT&L Public Relations Ltd.

Every one of us is living and telling our own stories. Media tools today let us tweet and text and type and call so that we're broadcasting our story as we live it, and letting other people live it right along with us. This session will focus on the value of storytelling, and the skills and techniques required to tell your organization's stories clearly and engagingly to your intended audiences, no matter what communications platform you use.

Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement: Beyond the Open House

Gay Robinson, APR
President
Gay Robinson Consulting

Stakeholder relations is becoming an increasingly important part of the job for many public relations professionals. Not only do we need to build relationships with our community, but in doing so, we often need to engage them in consultation. How do we design a consultation program that is effective and meaningful for those involved? This session will explore the link between public relations and stakeholder engagement, and outline the factors that make engagement meaningful. Practitioners will be provided with some practical ideas and techniques that can lead to more effective and meaningful engagement - beyond the traditional open house.

Measuring the Value of Sponsorship/Community Investment: How ROI can be Calculated to Measure Outcomes

Brent Barootes
President
Partnership Group -- Sponsorship Specialists™

This session will look at the age-old question, how can we effectively measure ROI or the success of a sponsorship program? This session is targeted to appeal to all delegates but in particular, those communicators assigned the task of delivering the corporate brand and message through the investment made by the SME or corporation in sponsorship; for communicators and PR leaders from non-profit, charity and member associations who are engaged in supporting the sale of sponsorships; and for agency and PR firm delegates to further understand their role in their clients' partnerships in the new world.

MRP: Canada's PR Measurement Standard

Rachel Douglas
Manager, Brand PR
Kellogg Canada Inc.

MRP is the Canadian public relations industry standard for measuring editorial coverage. Developed for the PR industry by the PR industry, it’s a consistent, customizable and affordable reporting standard for Canadian PR practitioners. In this session, Rachel will give an overview of MRP and demonstrate how the system allows users to analyze and score media coverage, attach clips and produce comprehensive and professional reports to show the value of a media relations campaign.

Power of PR in Canada: Where/What are the Opportunities?

Colleen Killingsworth MCM(c), APR, FCPRS
Principal
CK Communications
and
Ilda Dinis, MCM(c)
Director Internal Communication
Intact Financial Corporation

Are the accountabilities of public relations and marketing functions in an organizational setting blurring? If so, where, how and why? Do the skills, competencies and attributes executives are looking for in their public relations managers and leaders align with this changing landscape? What value is being placed on academic and professional credentials? These questions and more were recently asked in two separate studies on the state of public relations in Canada. By weaving together the findings of the two studies, participants will gain a better understanding of the power of public relations in Canada and where the opportunities exist.

Social Media Reality Check 2.0

Dave Scholz
Executive Vice-President
Leger Marketing
and
Laurie Smith
Vice-President, Culture and Communications
CNW Group

Social Media has become a powerful force in shaping stakeholder relationships and communications strategy. It has allowed new avenues of communication and provided a voice to many who have not had the opportunity to speak up. The Social Media Reality Check is a research series that looks into the use of social media in the world of communications. Using new research into the social media habits, desires, and expectations of Public Relations practitioners, the co-presenters will demonstrate how we are coping with the influx of new ways to create stakeholder relationships and share information.

The Power of PR: Speaking to Government through the Media

Mike Van Soelen
President
Playbook Communications Inc.

As the President of a government and public relations firm based in Toronto and Ottawa, and formerly a Director of Communications to a Federal Minister as well as a Chief of Staff in the Ontario government, Mike Van Soelen knows government audiences care about what appears in their morning paper. Even more, they care what's in their constituents' morning paper. The fact is PR has an ever-growing capacity to influence civic, provincial and federal dialogue. In trying to reach government audiences today, it is critical to focus first on PR tactics, rather than traditional government outreach and lobbying.

Under the Microscope: How Canadian Offshore Regulators Dealt with Intense Public Scrutiny Following the BP Blowout in the Gulf of Mexico

Sean Kelly APR, FCPRS
Manager of Public Relations
Can-NL Offshore Petroleum Board (CNLOPB)

The presentation describes what happened in the Gulf of Mexico BP incident and how that affected Canada's offshore oil industry. Canada's regulators and the industry were placed under intense media, public and political scrutiny. This presentation is about issues management and how the CNLOPB, in particular, managed the issues. It also describes the value of PR in issues management, the very important and powerful role we play in organizational decision-making and policy development.

What Happens When You Let Employees Decide How to Celebrate a Major Company Milestone? Success!

Julia Quinton-Oosterman
Director, Corporate Communications
RSA Canada

Few companies can claim that they have been around for 300 years but RSA is one of them. In early 2010, the communications team at RSA Canada began tackling a huge challenge: how do you celebrate your 300th birthday, directly involve 3,000 employees and influencers in the celebration and do so in a way that extends appreciation to Canada's many communities for their long-term support. What would that look like?

Teaching Public Relations – Learn what it takes

Join an expert panel of public relations and communications career educators as they explore the full range of teaching opportunities, from guest lecturer to course leader to professor of public relations. This session is intended for senior practitioners who are interested in exploring academia. You will hear directly from the educators on what it takes to be a competitive candidate for paid and non-paid teaching roles.

Panelists: details to come

Creative Ideas: How to generate big ideas and sell them to decision makers

Erin Hardy
Vice President & Creative Director
APEX Public Relations

The session will explore two facets of creativity: idea generation and presenting ideas to clients. You will learn tools and exercises to foster group brainstorming, and approaches to maximize independent idea generation. Once your roster of winning ideas is in place, your work is far from over. Your approach to presenting the ideas effectively to decision makers is just as important as the idea development phase. This session will explore ways to add sizzle to your sell.

PR Means Business: Demonstrating the Value of PR to Senior Management

Daniel Tisch, APR, FCPRS
President, Argyle Communications
Chair-elect, Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management

Using research and thinking from the Canadian and global public relations communities, this session will examine ways to engage CEOs and senior executives most effectively in framing a public relations strategy. Participants will learn research-tested ways to make the case for public relations more effectively to both internal and external clients – both in the content of the message and the way it’s delivered. This session will also introduce delegates to the Stockholm Accords, the international public relations community’s 2010 declaration on the role of public relations in governance, management, internal and external communication and — above all — sustainability.