By Eva Keiser, APR
2018 President, Minnesota PRSA Chapter
Since 1996, Minnesota PRSA has been a place where I learned new skills, broadened my perspective, developed leadership abilities and connected with peers.
Over the years, the greatest value has come from the individuals I’ve met, the colleagues I volunteered alongside and the network Minnesota PRSA helped me create.
It is this perspective that I bring to the chapter as your 2018 President.
As our chapter went into planning for 2018, I challenged committees to create new and enhanced opportunities for members to connect with each other, with our organization and within our professional community.
I’m excited to share how this vision is being brought forward!
Beginning with “Telling Your Brand Story through Design” event on January 18th at MSR Design (Click to register), we’ll be exploring topics and facilitating discussions around subjects that impact our profession, evolve how we communicate and enhance our careers.
The educational, community-connecting and network-building programs scheduled for the coming year, include (but not limited to!):
- Expanding Your Role Beyond Communications Counsel - February 23 (Click to register)
- Making Big Ticket Corporate Partnerships Work for You - February 23 (Click to register)
- Building and Maintaining a Corporate Social Responsibility Program - March 13 (Click to register)
- Responding to a Crisis
- Forecasting the Future of Communication in 2019 and beyond
- Understanding and Executing Content Marketing Strategies
- Building, Maintaining and Nurturing your Network in the Digital Age
Beyond engaging programming, we are creating opportunities for members to not only network but also share perspective and provide advice.
In addition to traditional networking and informational happy hour events, we will be hosting quarterly Pint Size Solutions & Social Events. These events are a slight twist on the typical networking events as there will be an opportunity for small group sharing and discussions of challenges attendees are facing at the office.
- The first event will be held March 6th at the BlackStack Brewery in St. Paul. We are also launching a quarterly Career Coffee Series. This member only-series is designed as a forum to explore a wide-range of career topics.
- The first Career Coffee will be held on January 12th at Beehive Strategic Communication in St. Paul. Led by career counselor and Pioneer Presscolumnist Amy Lindgren and focus on “Career-Life Alignment” and how to develop strategies to realize personal and professional goals.
Later in the year, we will be introducing our new Meet the Brand Icon Series. This member only-series is an opportunity for members to engage with the CMO of various icon brands. In these events, attendees will hear first-hand accounts of the challenges and strategies being employed by some of the world’s most well-known brands.
In February, we will be hosting the first annual PR North Student Summit at the University of St. Thomas. This all-day event brings together students from across the region to connect with Public Relations professionals and learn about potential career paths.
- In the afternoon, there will be a career fair focused on connecting future public relations graduates with agencies, corporations and non-profits hiring within the profession.
And let’s not forget about the chapter’s largest networking event; the Minnesota PRSA Classics Galawill be held in April.
From what I’ve seen, this year’s event promises to be spectacular. Additionally, the award entry categories have been streamlined and new categories have been added so that there is a place for everyone to enter.
We are also looking to connect with you through our bi-annual Member Survey. In past surveys, members told us that, like me, got the most value from networking opportunities. In the survey you’ll receive soon, we want to hear more about how our chapter can support you (and your colleagues).
I hope our vision for 2018 energizes you to attend events, volunteer and build your network. Thank you for the opportunity to make a difference and to serve you in 2018. I look forward to connecting with each of you this year.