NC|Com by kiara jones

NC|Com NC3C’s Magazine for Communication Professionals

Winter 2013

Historic Greensboro

The site of the 2013 conference is where it all began for NC3C, way back in 2007

PIO’s Actually Do Work?

A new PIO finds out that we don’t just sit around with our feet up all day

Meet Cathey Armillas

This can’t-miss conference speaker will dazzle “9 1/2 ways”

Shop Talk

What it takes to plan the annual conference

Volume Two. Number Seven

NC|Com

NC3C’s Magazine for Communication Professionals

published by the Pitt County Office of Public Information for NC3C Volume Two. Number Seven

nc3c executive officers president vice president secretary treasurer past president

Mandy Pitts, City of Hickory Gary Herman, Alexander County Kiara Jones, Pitt County Joshua Harris, City of Morganton Steve Hawley, City of Greenville

contributors writers

Mandy Pitts, City of Hickory Kevin Elwood, City of Greensboro Gary Herman, Alexander County Stacy Beard, Town of Clayton

images

Digital Juice Dan Routh Photography Kevin Elwood Gary Herman

NC Com magazine, established in 2011, is published quarterly in Pitt County, North Carolina, by the Pitt County Office of Public Information for the North Carolina City and County Communicators (NC3C). Subscriptions: visit www.nc3c.com or the site of any executive officer for your free subscription. Magazine is published online only. To request a high-quality printed version, call 252.902.2955 or e-mail pittinfo@pittcountync.gov. Allow 10-15 days for delivery. For costs, contact the Office of Public Information. Advertising: Rate card available upon request from Publisher. © 2013 Pitt County Office of Public Information for NC3C (All Rights Reserved.)

PIO’s are like snowflakes: we all have something different that makes us unique and beautiful.

NC|Com

NC3C’s Magazine for Communication Professionals Volume Two. Number Seven

In This Issue Winter 2013

cover stories 7

Historic Greensboro

PIO’s Actually Do Work?

The site of the 2013 annual conference is where NC3C had its first conference back in 2007. Talk about historic.

The new PIO for the Town of Clayton was hit with quite a revelation - working as a PIO is really a lot of...work.

Meet Cathey Armillas

This author of The Unbreakable Rules of Marketing: 9 ½ Ways to Get People to Love You will headline the conference.

fixtures 6 8 18

President’s Message Should I...? Shop Talk

hey, you! don’t forget to apply for the excellence in communication awards! - sam the snowflake

President’s Message

Dear NC3C Members,

NC3C President Mandy Pitts

Happy 2013 to all of my NC3C peers and wishing you a new year full of professional growth, sanity, good health, and enjoyable times with family and friends. We held three successful regionals this winter in Statesville, Apex, and Jacksonville. In total, more than 50 people attended the meetings which exceeded our goal. Thanks to hosts Nancy Davis (Statesville), Annette Privette Keller (Matthews), Stacie Galloway (Apex), Deanna Boone (Cary), and Glenn Hargett (Jacksonville). The board continues to focus on the four goals listed below, and I will give you a report on the goals during our March Business Meeting that will be held during the conference. 2012-2013 Goals 1. 2. 3. 4.

For the NC3C membership to use the communications tools in place to help members network and seek advice from peers throughout the year. Increase participation in the “Excellence in Communications” awards program. Increase NC3C retention and membership. Hold three regional meetings.

I know that all of you have been a part of spectacular projects in your organization, so start writing your NC3C Award of Excellence entries and nominate as many as you would like. All entries are due in my office in Hickory by 5: 00 p.m. on February 8. I am hopeful that I will see you at the 6th annual conference in March in Greensboro … you will not want to miss it! We have an over-the-top, stellar speaker who is known across the country for being one of the top authors in the marketing and branding arena, sessions that fit our communications needs, and of course, the annual Award of Excellence program. See you there! All my best,

2013 NC3C Conference Planning Committee President Mandy Pitts (City of Hickory) • Vice-President Gary Herman (Alexander County) Kevin Elwood (Greensboro Transit Authority) • Donnie Turlington (City of Greensboro) • Jake Keys (City of Greensboro)

Historic Greensboro The site of this year’s conference is where NC3C was born. Let’s take a tour

Greensboro. For many outside of the Tar Heel state, the sprawling metropolis of some 272,000 residents is not the first city to come to mind when North Carolina is mentioned, despite being the third largest city in the state. “Charlotte”...oh yeah, the financial center...the Panthers...NASCAR. “Raleigh”...the capital...Research Triangle Park...the Wolfpack. Even the mention of Chapel Hill and Durham brings vehement responses both for and against those Tar Heels and Blue Devils. But what about the “Gate City” of Greensboro, North Carolina? If its remarkable history and recent achievements are any indication, this city is poised to make its mark on many levels, earning coveted one-word recognition like Miami, London and, Paris (the city...not the woman). The history buff would find no shortage of historical resources in the former Greensborough. Founded in 1808, many significant moments in American history have been made in our fair city. Namesake General Nathanael Greene’s southern campaign during the Revolutionary War included the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Greene lost the battle here, but along with other strategic conflicts in the area helped weaken the enemy and liberate the southern states from British control. A chronology of his role in the war is available at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (www.nps. gov/guco) off of Battleground Avenue. The Civil Rights movement made an appearance on the local railway line with Charlotte Hawkins Brown’s eviction from a passenger train and subsequent ten-year lawsuit against the Pullman company. Also, a sit-in protest at a Woolworth's lunch counter with the “Greensboro Four” rivaled more publicized protests in Alabama and worked together to introduce civil rights for African-Americans. A visit to the International Civil Rights Museum (www.sitinmovement.org) is the perfect way to experience a wide range of civil rights events and people from Greensboro to Birmingham. The Greensboro Historical Museum (www. PGA Golf Tournament. The Wyndham Championship Tournament is held in Greensboro an- greensborohistory.org), just a few blocks north, offers a retrospective of the area's extensive history, including the creation of Vick’s VapoRub, nually at the Sedgefield Country Club. author O.Henry, and favorite First Lady Dolley Madison. For views of exciting historic architecture, visit Blandwood Mansion (www.blandwood.org), the former home of Governor John Motley Morehead, or the historic Carolina Theater (www.carolinatheatre.com), a couple of blocks east. Even the Irving Park neighborhood offers fantastic examples of residential design as it mirrors designs found in the Pinehurst golf community. Here in Greensboro we love to eat. While we have down home “cue” joints worthy of presidential appetites like Stamey’s (www.stameys.com), we know it takes more to please our diverse palates. Downtown offers a wide range of culinary delights ranging from Asian to pizza to cheesecake. If you’re in the mood for a song with your meal, be sure

continued on page 11

Should I...

Participate in NC3C elections

Yep, you should! Contributed by Steve Hawley, City of Greenville, NC3C Past President Fellow NC3Cers, I hope you're doing well and are anxiously awaiting the upcoming conference in Greensboro. Our bylaws call for the annual election of officers at the conference. To ensure the process is a smooth one, we are calling for nominations for the following offices: President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer-Elect (serves one year, then automatically becomes Treasurer for a two-year term in 2014) Please send your nomination to me via email - steve@nc3c.com. You have until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 18, 2013, to send in your nomination for any or all of these positions. You may nominate yourself and/or someone else. I will contact each person whose name has been submitted to ensure they wish to be considered for the position they are nominated for. Nominations can also be made to me on the first day of the conference or from the floor during the elections which will be held during the business meeting - but they will not be on the printed ballots. Current officers are: President - Mandy Pitts (City of Hickory) - terming out and cannot serve in this position again Vice-President – Gary Herman (Alexander County) Secretary - Kiara Jones (Pitt County) - terming out and cannot serve in this position again Treasurer - Joshua Harris (City of Morgan) I hope you will consider serving the organization. It is only through the efforts of a variety of people who are willing to give of their time that we are able to advance the organization and our profession. The time commitment is typically not a large one, but what you do is important.

This is a two-for-one “Should I...?” special: Should you help us find conference sponsors? Absolutely! If you work with or know of a company that would like an opportunity to be a sponsor for our 6th annual conference, invite them! Check out the sponsorship letter and form at www.nc3c.com. The letter is a personal invitation to sponsors from NC3C President Mandy Pitts, and the form includes sponsorship tiers that state the cost and benefits of each sponsorship level. If you have any questions, just call Mandy at 828.261.2290. Thanks! 8

PIO’s Actually Do Work? Breaking News: Former reporter misleads herself

Six months ago, I was a stressed-out, over-worked, always-frenzied TV reporter and anxious new mother. I had just spent almost six straight weeks at a courthouse 2 hours from my home recounting every torrid detail of a former NC Senator's fall from grace. My job hours were wild, wacky, and unpredictable, but no day was ever the same and each one held the potential to learn something new. I loved to write, I loved to tell people's stories, I loved weaving pictures with those stories. But I had an epiphany one late Sunday night during the exhausting trial coverage. Even though I had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to head back to Greensboro the next day, I was up - holding a crying, diaper-rashed baby in one hand and a Blackberry buzzing from frantic breaking news calls from my newsroom in the other. It hit me...the madness had to end. It was time to get out.

Leaving broadcast journalism was a frightening proposition. It was the only career I'd ever known or dreamed of. Was I going to flush 15 years of hard work away? Could I possibly consider...gulp...selling out and joining the dark side?! Would I take a job at a dreaded PR firm like so many of my colleagues were doing?! Noooo!!! I shuttered at the thought. But then the local paper landed in my driveway one Sunday morning with a front-page feature about how town leaders we thinking of hiring their first PIO. PIO?! Heck, I can be a small town PIO! After all, how many seemingly unimpressive PIO's did I come across on a daily basis. You know, the ones who take two days to get back to you on a simple question. The ones who act like finding someone on their staff to interview with you on camera was practically impossible. Or worse, offer you up someone you don't need to interview, but they INSIST needs to be. Ugh! I hate that. I would never do that. I would run circles around other PIO's! This was my way out. Easy life, here I come! Besides, I always pictured PIO's sitting idle in their cushy little offices, waiting DAYS for something to happen, passing the time by freshening up a few sentences from last year's news release on the Christmas parade and posting a Tweet or two. Being a PIO was going to be a POC - Piece Of Cake!

“

...I always pictured PIO’s sitting idle in their cushy little offices, waiting DAYS for something to happen, passing the time by freshening up a few sentences from last year’s news release on the Christmas parade and posting a Tweet or two. Being a PIO was going to be a POC - Piece Of Cake!

”

Flash forward four months into my new gig with the Town of Clayton and I now know I had the acronym ALL wrong. PIO doesn't stand for Public Information Officer, it stands for Pile It On! The workload has been utterly overwhelming! I can't believe all I'm doing! I can't believe all the demands! I have never been pulled in more directions in my entire life! I'm sorry to use so many exclamation points, but, sincerely, I really can't believe it. I take back all of those terrible things I uttered about carefree PIO's. You're not carefree...you take two days to answer a question because that's how long it sometimes takes to, first, reach all the people you need (who are busy doing their jobs), then secondly, seek approval for those answers with the big bosses (also people who are busy) and then take some time to translate all of their information into plain, understandable English so you can formulate a response that hopefully has more upsides than downsides. I see now why you might offer up people who don't need to be interviewed. It's because you're trying to get people exposure, trying to give credit, trying to promote the diversity of your organization or just trying to find a warm body that's available. 9

continued on page 10

PIOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s...Work? continued And you DEFINITELY aren't sitting idly in your office. Yesterday morning, I arrived at work hoping to finally work on updating our Planning Department's web pages, when I was interrupted by an email that a camera crew was coming to downtown (in 15 minutes) to shoot a promo and they needed business people to interview (The nerve! Darn reporters think you should just drop everything for them at a moment's notice!). Then I rushed back to the office and put off the Planning web pages again, to work on a news release about our police reports going online (which now also means adapting that release into a web story, posting something catchy with a link on Facebook, and thinking of a clever and succinct Tweet). That's when the parks & rec department called to remind me they need some more exposure for their new fitness classes. I needed to call the paper about the correction they were supposed to run about a recent sewer project. Which reminded me I needed to get up with our town engineers so I could return the call of a resident who demanded to know (rightfully so) if her trees were going to be cut down during the project and what specific types of plants we would replace them with. I wanted to work on logging the video for the half-hour show we're producing for our Public Access Channel, when I saw a post from a man on our Facebook page complaining his trash hadn't been picked up and had to get to the bottom of it. Oh yeah, and I was supposed to write a magazine article about my life as a new PIO for some state-wide organization. Whoops. Suddenly it was time to run home, get my son to the babysitter and get back for that night's Board of Adjustment meeting. Sincerely, that was my Wednesday. So as you can see, I'm still frenzied. My days are still unpredictable. And I still get calls on the weekends. But I'm actually getting to write more now than I ever did as a reporter. Each day IS something new. And I am ABSOLUTELY learning something every day. My biggest lesson so far: I was DEAD WRONG about PIO's. This job is TOUGH. To do it right you need to be organized, responsive, efficient and well, it would help if you could stop time. That's why I was SO relieved to learn about NC3C. To know there are dedicated professionals out there who are willing to share ideas, lend a hand, and just offer a shoulder to cry on. I hope you'll all tell me it gets easier, but I have a sneaky suspicion it doesn't. So Pile It On, I say! With your hard-earned knowledge, experience, and encouragement, I'm confident I can not only survive, but succeed. In fact, maybe I owe a thank-you card to John Edwards for pushing me to take the plunge into the wild, thankless, misunderstood world of PIO's. Thanks Johnny! Stacy Beard |Town of Clayton She may still be frenzied, but at least itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for a good cause

Historic Greensboro continued to visit Fincastle’s Diner (www.fincastles.com), which famously features a waiter offering up the best of Motown with your order. An extensive listing of restaurants can be seen at www.visitgreensboro.com/dining. Greensboro has been long been recognized as a growing and vibrant arts scene. Triad Stage (www.triadstage. org) features regional professional theater rivaling the most popular Broadway shows. The Greensboro Coliseum (www.greensborocoliseum.com) offers a myriad of concerts, shows and sporting events featuring national tours the likes of Taylor Swift, NCAA Basketball, Ringling Brothers Circus and even tapings of The X Factor and American Idol. The most recent addition, the Greensboro Aquatic Center (www.greensboroaquaticcenter.com) is a state of the art facility capable of hosting local, national and international swim and diving events. For collegiate sports fans, a few extra steps will take GAC visitors next door to the Atlantic Coast Conference Hall of Champions (www. acchallofchampions.net). Of course, like any mid-sized city, plenty of entertainment options are here, with movie theaters, nightclubs and comedy shows. A full listing of nightspots is available at www.visitgreensboro.com/visitors/nightlife. If you’re a sports fan, don’t forget to check out New Bridge Bank Park, home of the Greensboro Grasshoppers, Class A affiliate to the Miami Marlins. Seeking a strong dose of retail therapy? Shopping opportunities abound. The downtown area (www.downtowngreensboro.net) features blocks of boutiques offering everything from antiques to spa services to retro clothing. The three-level Four Seasons Town Centre (www.shopfourseasons.com), directly adjacent to your hotel, is a popular regional mall with over 180 local and national stores and restaurants within a protected environment. Friendly Center and The Shoppes at Friendly (www.friendlycenter.com) is easily accessible by car or bus.

“

Greensboro has been long been recognized as a growing and vibrant arts scene.

The “Gate City’s” strategic positioning at the intersections of Interstates 95, 85 and 40 as well as State Highways 29, 68, 220 and 421 makes it easily accessible from major population centers and ports along the east coast, thus attracting transportation-dependent companies as Fed Ex, Volvo Trucks, Lorillard and recent addition O’Reilly Auto Parts Distribution Center. The crown jewel of public transportation, J. Douglas Galyon Depot, is a multi-modal transit hub renovated from a 1920’s era railway depot donated to the City by Southern Railway. Today, the facility is the central transfer point for Greensboro Transit Authority (www.ridegta.com), carrying over 4.3 million passengers per year. Piedmont Triad International Airport (www.flyfrompti.com) is located just west of the city and offers daily non-stop and connecting flights throughout the country, should you ever want to leave Greensboro - which we don’t know why you ever would!

”

We have have the numbers to back up our claim of being a “college town.” Greensboro boasts over 33,000 students in post-secondary education. Thriving campuses of higher-learning include Historically Black College and University Bennett College for Women, ECPI, Elon University School of Law, Greensboro College, Guilford College (founded by the Quakers), Guilford Technical Community College, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (another HBCU), the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Virginia College, preparing tomorrow’s leaders with the best that the region has to offer. This is just a short summary of what ‘Da ‘Boro has to offer. We hope as you spend a few days here for the conference, you’ll learn to appreciate Greensboro’s significant history, exploding present, and awesome future.

Kevin Elwood|City of Greensboro GTA Kevin is part of the conference planning committee. 11

March 20 - 22, 2013 Join your colleagues from across the state as we return to the birth city of NC3C! The spring conference hosted by the City of Greensboro and Greensboro Transit Authority will feature communications networking, sharing of ideas and plenty of workshops including:

Greensboro, NC

- Increasing Your Value as PIO - Freeze Frame: Taking Picture Perfect Photos - Citizen Contact...thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an app for that! - New Social Media Trends - Next Gen 911 and much more!

Registration is only

$150 for Members

$225 for Non-members *Become a NC3C member and save $25!

Conference Schedule

Wednesday, March 20 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Registration Begins 1:00 p.m. Opening Session 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Workshops 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Reception followed by Restaurant Romp

Thursday, March 21

8:00 a.m. Breakfast Meeting/Speaker 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. Workshops 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. NC3C Awards of Excellence Luncheon 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Workshops (or possible tours) Restaurant Romp

Friday, March 22

8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Breakfast/Business Meeting 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 pm Workshops Adjourn

Register for the conference today at nc3c.com For a special room rate of $119 including free parking and wifi, 12 contact the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons by calling 1-800-242-6556 before February 17.

Meet Cathey Armillas This renowned author and speaker headlines this year’s conference

Last year at the 3CMA conference in Portland, Oregon, Cathey Armillas headed up a workshop based on her best-selling book. A few members of the NC3C executive board were in the audience, and afterward, President Mandy Pitts chatted up the author. Fast forward to 2013, and Cathey will be heading up another conference workshop - this time, in Greensboro, North Carolina. This is quite a big deal for NC3C, having an internationally known speaker to share her knowledge and experience, so we wanted to take the time to introduce her. Biography: Cathey Armillas When companies need to reach people in unique ways, they call on Cathey Armillas. She has been notorious for creating wildly successful marketing strategies. She runs PURA Marketing and is the author of the book The Unbreakable Rules of Marketing: 9 ½ Ways to Get People to Love You. Cathey’s use of the Unbreakable Rules of Marketing has helped reach millions of people and quadrupled her clients’ sales. In one example, she created a viral marketing campaign for a client by shredding items such as soccer balls, torpedoes, even a Volkswagen, and posting videos of them online. It landed the client on the David Letterman Show, CNN, CNBC, the Discovery Channel and many other national TV shows; as well as netting them $25 million dollars in additional revenue in the first year it ran. Cathey’s mission is to teach people the unbreakable rules of marketing so they can use them in their efforts to get people to love them, and love what they do. About the book The Unbreakable Rules of Marketing are the rules that govern how to get people to love you, your company, your products, your ideas, your cause, or your dog. After you read this book, you’ll be far more conscious of how you’re marketing all the time, and how you can be much better at it. Whether you’re trying to get someone to buy your product, vote for you, go out with you, marry you, hire you, or get your kids to clean up their room, you’re marketing. This book is about the principles of marketing that have always been with us, but that most people aren’t even aware of. What folks have to say about Cathey and the “Rules”

“I attended Cathey’s presentation in Perth at a conference. She was a fantastic presenter. I loved her stories and was highly impressed with the way that Cathey was able to express marketing and how it applies to all of us regardless of what we do or what business we are in. I’m implementing her rules tomorrow!” - Darren Fleming President, Executive Speaking Perth, Australia “Cathey rocks! She came to Viacom and rocked our world with her Unbreakable Rules. We love her over here at Nickelodeon and you’ll love her too. If you have an opportunity to bring her in as a speaker, don’t even think twice about it. Do it. ” - Gerald Yarborough, Art Director, Product Development Nickelodeon

NC Com

10 Ways to Boost Your PR Career in 2013

Or 10 ways to be a smarter and more productive communications pro

With 2013 well underway, I’ve been reflecting on ways to be a smarter, happier, and more productive professional. Here are my suggestions for professional resolutions: Take risks and challenge authority. The most successful relationships are built on mutual respect. Instead of saying “yes,” when given an assignment, carefully consider business implications. Don’t be afraid to offer ideas and solutions that may seem against the norm. Your ability to take initiative, generate new ideas, and deliver thoughtful counsel will earn you respect and grow your role beyond that of a tactician and into a true strategist. Affect change as much as possible. Focus on clients, projects, and priorities with the highest opportunities for meaningful results. Don’t get distracted by process or minutia. Stop complaining. It is easy to dwell on reasons our career, lives, and families are challenging, unreasonable, or stressful. In 2013, instead of staying on the complaint hamster wheel, take control and change your situation for the better. And as the cliché goes, “choose your battles”—stop stressing about organizational or personal situations you truly cannot change. Avoid drama. You are never going to win an argument with someone who isn’t rational. Instead, turn the demand or rant your boss or client spouted into a calm and positive opportunity. Don’t get defensive or seek validation; overcome your need to be right or prove a point. Walk away from situations that truly aren’t worth your energy. This includes office gossip. Admit you’re human. Take responsibility for your errors. Admitting you are wrong and working to rectify the situation in a thoughtful manner builds camaraderie and encourages an honest approach to business. Maintain perspective. We aren’t doing life-saving surgery, fighting a war, or solving the debt crisis. It may feel like that sometimes, but although the work we do may be important and meaningful, maintain perspective and lose the self-importance. Get over it! Your boss or client criticizes your work, or worse, you. Not everyone is going to love your work all the time. Your openness to suggestions or criticisms and ability to learn from them, and not dwell on the negative, will serve you well. Turn off the devices. Being accessible 24-hours a day not only kills work/life balance, but it also sets unrealistic and unreasonable expectations. Truly shutting down for even a few hours a day will lessen your stress and help you recharge your body and your brain. Consider your legacy. We are all too young to think about our long-term legacies, yet take a moment to think about how you wish to be remembered and reflect on how you are living your life. If you honestly consider how you are perceived by colleagues, friends, and family, you may change your behavior, relationships, and perhaps even your professional path. Be benevolent. Volunteer, take on a pro-bono client, and consider building your corporate social responsibility offerings or career path. Working to improve society should be an element of everyone’s work and lives, regardless of the profession. Best wishes for a productive, joyful, and healthy 2013. Author: Lorra M. Brown is an assistant professor of public relations/professional communication at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. Source: www.prdaily.com. Thanks to Annette Privette-Keller and Mandy Pitts for sharing.

NC Com

2012-2013 Membership Dues Invoice Please complete and return this form with membership dues of $50.00 to:

NC City & County Communicators

c/o Joshua Harris, Treasurer PO Box 3448, Morganton, NC 28680-3448

Make checks payable to NC3C

NC3C Tax ID Number: 26-0265279

Membership Information Name Title Jurisdiction Address City:

Zip:

Phone E-mail Website

NC3C 2012-2013 Officers

President ............ Mandy Pitts ......... City of Hickory .......... mpitts@hickorync.gov Vice-President .... Gary Herman ...... Alexander County .... glherman@alexandercountync.gov Secretary ............ Kiara Jones .......... Pitt County ................ kdjones@pittcountync.gov Treasurer ............ Joshua Harris....... City of Morganton .... jharris@ci.morganton.nc.us Past President .... Steve Hawley ....... City of Greenville ...... shawley@greenvillenc.gov NC3C | North Carolina City & County Communicators | www.nc3c.com Treasurer: Joshua Harris | PO Box 3448 Morganton, NC 28680-3448 | jharris@ci.morganton.mc.us | (828) 432-2516

07/2012

Shop Talk

Planning the annual conference Contributed by Gary Herman, Alexander County, NC3C VP One of the main duties of Vice President of NC3C is planning the annual Spring Conference. While it’s exciting, I’m learning that’s also time consuming and requires a lot of detailed planning and coordination. My experience this year makes me want to express my sincere appreciation to the past Vice Presidents and to the host city representatives who worked tirelessly to make our past conferences so fun, informative, and successful. Many thanks! Of course, this year’s conference is being hosted by the City of Greensboro, and we’re super excited about that. I am working with a great group of guys from Greensboro, including Kevin Elwood, Donnie Turlington, and Jake Keys. These guys are an integral part of making sure that Greensboro welcomes you with open arms! So, March 20-22 is not that far away… What have we accomplished so far? Well, it actually began with the NC3C Board of Directors deciding on a good location (we like to spread the fun across the state!), and we ultimately decided on Greensboro, which is actually the birthplace of NC3C. Once that decision was made, Mandy Pitts and I traveled to the “Gate City” to meet with Kevin, Donnie, and Jake. We had a great lunch meeting, and came away with some ideas to make this a great conference.

The City of Greensboro and Greensboro Transit Authority are hosting the 6th annual NC3C conference.

Based on our conversation, and suggestions from the Board, we developed a long list of potential conference topics. I then created a “Survey Monkey” online survey and sent it to the membership, as well as potential members, to gauge everyone’s interests for this year’s conference. Using your input, we are close to finalizing the conference agenda and will begin lining up some dynamic speakers to keep you engaged and informed. The next step was securing the hotel and conference area. Jake sent out RFPs to three nice hotels in Greensboro, with only two responding. After negotiating the number of room nights, the food/beverage budget, and meeting space arrangements, we signed a contract with the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center. This hotel offers free parking and free Wi-Fi to all guests, along with nice rooms and elegant meeting space. The deal even included the availability to use the special $119/night rate for three (3) days before and after the conference if you want to make it a mini-vacation for you and your family. Next, we’ll be working with the catering manager at the hotel to determine the meals and snacks for each day, table arrangement, room set-up, and more. As the conference planner, there are many fine details that have to be considered and resolved to ensure a smooth conference… because, in the words of Phil Robertson of “Duck Dynasty” fame, we want you to be “happy, happy, happy!” While planning the conference does take a lot of time, effort, and planning, it is also very rewarding to know that we are working hard to advance your knowledge in the communications field, as well as creating opportunities to network with our NC3C colleagues. I look forward to seeing everyone in Greensboro on March 20-22. Don’t forget – the hotel reservation deadline is February 17!