March 2006 Archives

It was a joyous end to our two-day legislative fly-in to Tallahassee yesterday. The state's Board of Governors yesterday approved the creation of a medical school at the University of Central Florida.

This is not just a major success for UCF, it will, literally, change the entire landscape of Central Florida as we currently know it. This is not just a win for UCF, it is a win for Central Florida and the entire state. At the very base level, the school will bring new jobs to Orlando while and expand the availability of quality medical services in our community.

From a PR perspective, there are three keys the led to yesterday's success: organization, coordination and communication.

Organization - From the beginning, the effort was organized. The substantiating research was conducted, a solid strategy developed and a very detailed plan was designed.

Coordination - An initiative of this magnitude takes a lot of people and a lot of support. Countless members of the university, its alumni and the community at large were involved on a variety of levels but UCF served as the central point of coordination for the entire effort. An effort, I might add, that raised over $100 million in funding support from businesses, organizations and individuals.

Communication - A very strong message was developed and it underscores my "3Cs Rule" for message development (Clear, Compelling, Concise). Dr. Hitt, UCF's President, kept the community well informed of the plans and progress at all times while moving through the process. He asked us to hold off on contacting people until the time was right, ensuring we did not go blazing forth with a shotgun approach. He let us know when our assistance was needed and in what format.

Congratulations UCF. Go Knights!!

It's pretty exciting when you're sitting at your desk, the phone rings, and you see "Wally Amos" on your caller ID. It's even more excitcing when you answer the phone to find it is actually THE Wally Amos calling, not someone from his office.

Wally was following up on some business we'd started during the MEGA Book Marketing conference but I was blessed to enjoy an extended conversation with him that was, as you would expect, quite motivational and uplifting. He emailed me his Watermelon Credo when I told him how much I'd enjoyed his presentation of it at the conference.

You can download Wally Amos's Watermelon Credo from my website.

If you are looking for an energizing, captivating, motivating, inspiring, engaging, entertaining and all around GREAT speaker for your next conference or event, I HIGHLY recommend Wally. He had nearly 800 conference participants mesmerized for 90 minutes at MEGA!! If you're interested, contact me and I'll put you in touch.

I just returned from my latest jaunt to L.A., which included Mark Victor Hansen's MEGA Marketing Magic conference. As usual, Mark tapped into his extensive rolodex and brought in a stellar lineup of industry experts, this time focused on marketing with particular emphasis on internet marketing.

Mark's MEGA conferences are high energy and high intensity. Days start with breakout sessions at 7:30 a.m. and end with special bonus sessions that run until 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. Mark definitely gives attendees their money's worth!

Normally I fly out the day before the conference starts so I can do a little pre-conference networking and get a good night's sleep before the complete immersion, but I couldn't miss FPRA's Roast of Fred Leonhardt Thursday night (more about THAT event in another post).

My flight didn't get in to L.A. until 9:30 Friday morning so I missed the opening session with Mark. I also missed Scott Hallman's Power Implementation session while Mark and I were off discussing a project on which we're working. Fortunately, Mark has Barry Ackerman record the entire three days of sessions and breakouts so I have already ordered cds for the sessions I missed.

I did take copious notes and as soon as I decipher them, I'll post them on my website. In the meantime, you can see photos from the event on my flickr site.

In an upcoming teleseminar, PRSA will examine the different technologies available to assist independent practitioners and
small firms in operating their business more efficiently and effectively.

The teleseminar will be held on Tuesday, March 28. Download the flyer.

Next time one of your friends or colleagues forwards you spam, have them watch this video three times then repeat after you "I will not forward irrelevant email."

Normally I fly out the night before a MEGA conference kicks off so I'm well rested and ready for three days of nonstop high energy and high intensity, but I couldn't miss FPRA's Roast of Fred Leonhardt last night. Of course, with my husband as a roaster I was doubly committed to being there, but it was worth it. Nearly $40,000 was raised to provide scholarships for students at UCF and Rollins College.