During May 2012, any member joining PRSA National under the Associate Member category will receive a free New Professionals Section membership for one year! This is especially helpful for PRSSA graduates as they approach graduation and transition into PRSA Associate Members.

Register now! Our May Professional Development Session- Tourism Communications - will be held at PortMiami Terminal J on May 30^th.

Speakers for the event include:

1. Bruce Turkel – CEO of Turkel Advertising, the agency that handles the Greater Miami Convention & Visitor's Bureau
2. Paula Musto – Communications Director for PortMiami
3. Cynthia Martinez –  Director of Global Corporate Communications for Royal Caribbean Cruises
4. Rolando Aedo – VP and Chief Marketing Officer of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

These speakers are all frequent presenters at national conferences on tourism communications and are among the top branding, marketing, and public relations professionals at the national and international level.

Dear Members,

Our last Professional Development (PD) session on Friday, April 27, was again an outstanding presentation by three seasoned communications professionals with extensive experience in crisis management: Martha Pantin, American Airlines (AA) Director of Corporate Communications for Miami, the Caribbean, Latin America, and U.S. Hispanic market; Alejandro Alvarado, previously VP of Strategy for Porter Novelli and currently Director of the Spanish Language Journalism Master’s Program at Florida International University; and Lauren Stover, Assistant Aviation Director for Security, Operations and Communications, Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD). A summary of their outstanding presentation is included in this month's newsletter under the "Event Recap" section.

For our May PD session on tourism communications, which will take place at Port Miami, we’ve also lined up another outstanding group of professionals: Bruce Turkel, CEO of Turkel Advertising, the agency that manages branding and advertising for the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (GMCVB); Cynthia Martinez, Director of Global Corporate Communications for Royal Caribbean Cruises; Paula Musto, Communications Director at Port of Miami, and Rolando Aedo, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer – Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. These speakers are all frequent presenters at national conferences on tourism communications and are among the top branding, marketing and public relations professionals at the national and international level.

I would also ask that you keep in mind that now is the time to sign up for upcoming PRSA conferences:

The Sunshine District 2012 Conference: Navigating New Channels will be held on June 21-23 in St. Petersburg. The conference will feature more than a dozen of the country’s top media and communications authorities, presenting on a wide range of carefully chosen topics specifically targeted at improving professional growth, learning new tactics and techniques, and exploring new media. 

The PRSA 2012 International Conference will take place on October 13–16 in San Francisco and will offer you the opportunity todiscover new leadership tools and new ways to reorganize your company’s strategies. You will hear from iconic entrepreneurs and dynamic communicators who offer up more than 80 learning sessions on the best strategies to boost your bottom line, help you demonstrate the value of public relations, offer real-world case studies, and demonstrate how you can deliver measurable results.

I hope to see you on May 30 at PortMiami, and hopefully at the conferences listed above.

Fernando Figueredo

President – Miami Chapter of PRSA

Director - Communications and External Affairs

Office of the Mayor

Miami Dade County

Crisis Management – How to Plan for the Unexpected

 By Nathalie Santa Maria, APR

Fusion Communications

On Friday, April 27, 2012, PRSA Miami hosted its third professional development session of the year, which focused on crisis communication. There is no denying that a crisis can affect a corporation, non-profit organization or public relations agency and knowing how to handle a crisis is a key component to being an effective communications facilitator. The presentations by seasoned communications professionals Martha Pantin, American Airlines (AA) director of corporate communications for Miami, the Caribbean, Latin America, and U.S. Hispanic market, Alejandro Alvarado, director of the Spanish Language Journalism Master’s Program at Florida International University, and Lauren Stover, assistant aviation director for Security, Operations and Communications, Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) showcased case studies and techniques for handling crisis situations diligently and successfully.

The concepts of creating a plan, having statements ready and handy at all times and setting up a crisis team are important, but there are a few take-a-ways I found most valuable.

1. We often think solely about work plans and setting up a crisis strategy for our office team. But, if you are part of the crisis team for your organization, you need to have a personal crisis plan. Determine who will be responsible for taking care of your family while you’re away, food, bills, etc.
2. Be “the” news source. After flight AA331 overran the runway in Jamaica, American Airlines was divulging details in real-time. Become the trusted source of information for your customers and the media.
3. Debrief! It’s so important to meet with the crisis assembly team after the crisis has passed to evaluate how it was handled, what improvements need to be made and set preparations for future occurrences.
4. It’s all about who you know. In a crisis situation, it is so important to have a solid network of reliable contacts, including third-party influencers. Knowing your counterparts within the organization and relevant media outlets is important during a crisis so you know who to call to get the answers you need.
5. People’s “true colors” will appear during a crisis. Remember to stay calm and be transparent in all communication.
6. Drill/Practice – make sure you develop a crisis management plan covering a number of scenarios and conduct regular practice sessions so that you can cover those scenarios.
7. Make sure spokespersons are clearly identified so they can take on their role quickly, and that other team members understand their roles, as well as the roles of others on the team since they may have to fulfill another role.
8. Executives should be familiar with press releases before a crisis, and the releases need to be cleared up-front with the company’s attorneys
9. Know your counterparts within and outside the organization; it’s best that you don’t have to deal with them for the first time during a crisis.

In an age where social media is bringing crises to light faster than ever, it is essential for every organization to research its threats and vulnerabilities and have a plan to tackle each scenario should a crisis strike. 

PR Account Executive

Work for a fast-paced PR/Marketing firm based in Coral Gables, handling entertainment, banking and healthcare clients, to name a few. Must be very detail oriented, quick, self-assured, good writer, excellent media contacts, gets along well with others and have 4-5 years of experience. Bilingual is preferred, but not mandatory. Contact cl@conroymartinez.com. No phone calls please.

Fusion Communications, Inc. has an immediate opening for a creative and detail-oriented public relations graduate to join our team.  The ideal candidate will work alongside other public relations professionals and will be given real account responsibilities ranging from managing public relations programs, creating rich content, engaging reporters, and planning events throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. 

 Potential candidates must be bilingual and possess strong writing skills in both English and Spanish languages. Additional requirements include a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, Mass Communications or Public Relations. If interested, please send your resume and a brief cover letter explaining why you would love to join our team.  We offer a flexible working environment.  Feel free to learn more about us at www.fusioncomminc.com 

 Send your resume to info@fusioncomminc.com