As a member of the CPRS Ottawa Board of Directors and a PR Student, I am continuously encouraging more student events and student involvement on the Ottawa chapter.

However, there is not a large amount of students getting value out of our local professional associations with two universities and one college . There are hundreds of students who are expecting to seek employment in the next few years but are not becoming apart of the few professional associations within our city.

I can see what CPRS has offered to me as a student, such as:

• Personal Contacts – I have become good friends with many of my fellow board members and chapter members that I have became friends with since joining. I know if I have work questions or industry questions I can go to them for help, which is really big benefit for junior PR professional.
• Informative PD Sessions: I know, I am in school most of the time, why do I need to go to another lecture, but PD sessions are cutting edge. As educational as my program as been it can take years to change school curriculum, where PD sessions are up-to-date reflections on whats going on now.
• Leadership Opportunities – I have volunteered both as a board member and leading event aspects such as the volunteers for the February Conference of 2008 and the marketing for the CPRS Ottawa PuRe Elements Awards.
• Networking Opportunities – events organized at least twice a year that allow me to stay connected with the personal contacts I have made.
• Future APR – once I have reached five year s in the industry I am hoping t o receive accreditation as a professional public relations practitioner.

I get value out of these opportunities, but what would you like to see out of a professional association as a student?

Last week, Algonquin PR students celebrated the start of the new school year with two networking events. Firstly, the 24th annual Welcome to the Program Party, where students were encouraged to put their best foot forward with professional clothing and crazy footwear.  Second-year students welcome the first-year students into the program. New energetic students coming into the program really helps you buckle up and focus on why you are really here. Their energy is amazing!

Secondly, many students joined together for the CPRS Season Opener at the Metropolitan. Catching up with many of the professionals in the Ottawa area was really informative and exciting!

Over a week ago, CPRS Ottawa-Gatineau held their conference “Take a leap from good to great.” Many Ottawa public relations practitioners took the time off work to learn from the experiences of their peers about the ongoing changes within their profession.  Having worked on the planning committee since November, it felt good to see all our hard work so well received. Everyone was very impressed by the speakers, the atmosphere, the volunteers, and the overall day.

Given the responsibility of volunteer coordinator excited me, but also scared me.  I knew I could handle it, but my work was still dependent on others. I was very happy that my volunteers pull through and were completely on point. I believe I have told them over and over, but they really made me proud.  I was very happy to see volunteers from all three academic institutions, Carleton University, University of Ottawa and Algonquin College.

Although I was running around a lot, I did get to enjoy some sessions. Many speakers were dealing with the devil that is social media and how they as PR practitioners handled it and what worked. But also, many speakers emphasized that other media should not be ignored, given that the average Canadian is not using these tools as much as TV, or the newspaper.  I think before investigating social media, you need to really understand if you target audience is using it, and what is the best way to reach them. Also, what are you trying to gain out of it.

Moreover, this conference helped me realized my potential. Getting told by senior level practitioners that I am awesome and driven, really meant a lot. It shows me that the messages I am trying to communicate to them are being received.

If you are a student wanting to get involved, try to discover what you would like to do in public relations, then try your best to show potential employers that you are capable of doing it. Never take no for an answer, just find another way to get where you want to be.

All and All, it was time well spent.

CPRS Feb. Conference: Take the Leap from Good to Great

The Canadian Public Relations Society of Ottawa/Gatineau, in collaboration with CPRS National, is proud to host a full-day conference for communications and public relations practitioners.

Friday, February 29th, 2008
7:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Chateau Cartier
1170, chemin Aylmer, Gatineau, Quebec
Free parking

7:30 a.m. – Registration
8:00 a.m. – Breakfast
8:30 a.m to 3:45 p.m. – Plenary sessions, breaks and lunch 
4:00 p.m. – Post conference reception

We are good at what we do, but sometimes we need to hear from experts to build on the skills we already have. Take the Leap… from Good to Great will put you in contact with experts from a variety of fields and help you acquire new skills to lead your organization with excellent communications.

This mini-conference will cover the following topics:

• Becoming a trusted strategic advisor
• Crisis communications – Restoring public confidence after a crisis
• Relationships, reputations and results
• Public opinion research and how to use it (results from a major
  • Canadian study on who Canadians go to for information)
  • Internal communications that build employee trust, confidence and loyalty
  • International branding
  • And more

  Learn from some of the top experts in their fields:

  • Jim Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, Founder, CEO, and chairman of the Lukaszewski Group Inc.
  • Edith R. Wilson, Advisor, External Relations, World Bank
  • David Scholz, Vice President, Leger Marketing  
  • Blair Peberdy, APR, Vice President, Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs, Toronto Hydro
  • Dr. Terry Flynn, APR, Associate Professor and Director of the MCM Degree Program, DeGroote School of Business
  • Adele Stevens, President, ASC Marketing Communications Inc.
  • Elizabeth Seymour, Executive Director, Government of Canada, Communications Community Office

  Take the Leap…from Good to Great, will offer you a full range of professional development sessions beyond our local society’s usual events and provide you with a chance to rub shoulders with some of Canada’s most seasoned PR veterans who are serving on the national CPRS Board of Directors.

  Prices:

  Early bird member: $195 (book by January 4th, 2008)
  Early bird non-member: $295 (book by January 4th, 2008)
  Member: $245
  Non-member: $345
  Student and retired members: $100

  Who should attend?
  All intermediate to senior communications and public relations practitioners from government, private and non-profit sectors.

  Register now at http://cprs.ca/professionaldevelopment/e_ottawareg.asp.

I attended my first ever Third Tuesday event earlier this week and it was rewarding experience. Any advice I could offer my fellow students is to get out there and take advantage of these opportunities.

Danielle Donders, blogger and communications practitioner, spoke to room full of marketers, communicators, students, and computer enthusiasts about her experiences throughout the years as a ‘mommy blogger’.

Danielle has been posting almost daily her in blog, Postcards from the Mothership since January 2005 with more than 950 blog posts.

The one thing I took from the discussion centered around blogger relations is how to pitch to a blogger. You should read the blog, know the person you are pitching to, and time your pitch appropriately. Personalizing and researching your pitch will show the blogger that you are really interested in their opinions and view them as a credible source. Everyone likes compliments and free offers, but truly showing a blogger that you value their endorsement can make a huge difference.

Also, Danielle acknowledged that when a public relations agency seeks her out to promote a product or service she views her client as the agency, rather then the product or service.

I will definitely be attending the next Third Tuesday event and hope more students will take advantage of this opportunity. I meet a lot of Thornley Fallis and 76design employees and made some good connections.

In other news, I got a job! I will be starting as a marketing assistant at DNA 13 next week and look forward to this amazing opportunity.