Capital Region to Host Public Relations Professionals from Throughout the Northeast at 2010 PRSA Northeast District Conference

TROY, N.Y., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Capital Region Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) today unveiled the program for this year's Northeast District Conference to be held Thursday, Nov. 4 at the Hilton Garden Inn & Rensselaer Banquet and Conference Center in Troy, N.Y.

The event, which marks the first time the Capital Region will host the annual networking and educational confab, is titled "Capitalizing on Core Strengths: Connecting, Collaborating, Communicating." It will feature more than two dozen renowned industry speakers and communicators, as well as remarks from PRSA International Chair and CEO Gary D. McCormick.

"This is the first time that our chapter has hosted the Northeast District Conference, and we are excited to show our peers in the district all that the Capital Region has to offer.  Our planning committee has committed a tremendous amount of time, energy and resources to ensure that every attendee goes home with more tools in the toolkit," said Andrea Colby, Capital Region Chapter president.  

The conference brings together PRSA members from each of the eight Northeast District chapters – Capital Region, Rochester, Buffalo/Niagara, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Boston, Southeastern New England and Yankee – as well as public relations, public affairs, and marketing professionals from New York City, Connecticut and New Jersey.

"This conference will provide many excellent programs for practitioners at all levels of their careers," said Joslyn McArdle, conference co-chair, "at a very affordable price for those whose budgets don't have a lot of room for professional development expenses."

The breakfast keynote will be delivered by Jay Rifenbary, president of Rifenbary Training and Development and author of "No Excuse! – Incorporating Core Values, Accountability and Balance into Your Life and Career." Rifenbary will discuss self responsibility, organizational accountability, attitude, integrity and purpose.

David Binkowski, a 15-year web veteran and executive vice president of digital marketing at Lippe Taylor in New York City, will present the lunch keynote address, which will focus on real-world cases of how companies are creating, measuring and adapting their public relations campaigns to show a clear return on investment.

The full-day program incorporates three specialized tracks tailored to individual expertise: students and entry-level professionals, mid-career practitioners and managers, and seasoned, senior-level professionals. A fourth track, "Potpourri," includes discussions and topics that should resonate across all skill levels, such as "War, Politics and Murder in Iraq: Experiences of a Public Affairs Officer," and "Social Media and Politics: To Tweet or Not to Tweet." The slate of presentations, workshops and discussions will be as informative as they are diverse. Topics include everything from communicating, the "Art of Storytelling" and leveraging marketing to drive PR, to the role of the contemporary practitioner in the visioning process. Case studies will be presented as will training sessions and advanced workshops on public speaking, creativity and ethics.

Public information officers from four state agencies will also be on hand to speak to the role of PR in the public sector and the challenges of communicating in the face of growing public suspicion toward government.

In addition, Joe Donahue, host of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio's popular "The Roundtable," will join Karen DeWitt, Capitol bureau chief of New York State Public Radio, Pulitzer Prize winner and Glen Falls Post Star opinion editor Mark Mahoney, and Benita Zahn, WNYT NewsChannel 13's award-winning health reporter, in a review of PR performance over the past year, from a media perspective.

For additional information or to register for the conference, visit www.prsacapitalregion.com.  

SOURCE PRSA Capital Region