January 26, 2010

IABC/Toronto is pleased to announce the 2009 IABC/Toronto Communicator of the Year Award will be presented to Rob Devitt at a special networking breakfast Wednesday, March 3, 2010.

Currently, Devitt is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto East General Hospital. He has a tremendous history of innovative leadership and implementing successful two-way communications programs. Simultaneous to his current role, Devitt recently served as interim CEO of eHealth Ontario and was instrumental in guiding the organization through a challenging and high-profile period. In 2007, he was appointed to a similar dual role as interim supervisor of the Scarborough Hospital for a one-year term. Under Devitt’s care, that hospital demonstrated marked improvements in quality and was returned to fiscal health. Devitt’s adept storytelling, openness and strategic communications have helped him become a trusted leader, influencer and ‘fixer’ in a challenging sector.

Join us at this special event to enjoy a delicious breakfast, hear from Devitt and have an opportunity to network with him, some of his team, and other guests.

Registration includes access to the event and full breakfast.

Are you interested in salary information? Your chance to participate in the IABC -Leger Marketing Salary Survey 2010 is winding down.
 
Take a coffee break and participate. Even non-members of IABC can provide their input. The online survey is open to all communicators across Canada, and it only takes about fifteen minutes to complete. In order that the most robust data is available, you are encouraged to tell your fellow communicators to provide their input as well.
 
Please provide your input before the end of day January 31, 2010. Click https://legerweb.com/IABC2009SalarySurvey/ to participate.
 
All individual responses will be kept confidential and only reported in an aggregate form. The data will be crunched and reported in spring 2010.
 
Thank you for your valuable input!

The OVATION Awards is celebrating its 25th year of honouring communications excellence and the Call for Entries is now available for download. This is your best opportunity to let the communications community know who you are and get the recognition you deserve for your tremendous work!

2010 OVATION Key Dates and Deadlines

• OVATION Awards Workshop – January 26, 2010
• OVATION Early Bird Entry Date February 5, 2010
• OVATION On-Time Entry Date February 19, 2010
• OVATION Last-Minute Entry Date February 26, 2010
• Judging of 2010 OVATION Awards March 2010
• Notification of 2010 OVATION Winners March 31, 2010
• OVATION Awards Gala May 6, 2010

Questions/Comments about IABC/Toronto's OVATION Awards Call for Entries? Please send them to our VP, Awards at toronto-awards@iabc.com. All inquiries are kept confidential.

This Valentine's Day, you're invited to show your love for our fabulous planet at IABC/AIP's sustainable Munch 'n' Mingle event on February 11. Learn about sustainable approaches to communications while you network with other members and enjoy healthy and delicious food. Participate in our green footprint icebreaker and have a chance to win eco-friendly door prizes.

This exciting event is being held at the Haworth Toronto Showroom featuring organic workspaces.

Start the New Year with our panelists as they share insights and tips on how they achieved their financial goals.

You will learn:

• How to market yourself to attract the clients you want
• How to grow your business to achieve your financial goals
• How to avoid pitfalls standing in the way of your success

Included in registration fee: Access to event and light refreshments (sandwiches, coffee, tea, pop and juice)

Date	Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Time	Registration and networking start time: 6 p.m. Presentation/Workshop and Q&A: 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. Networking: 8:15 to 8:55 p.m.
Venue	The Assembly Hall, 1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive (Kipling Avenue & Lakeshore Boulevard West)
Panel	Paul Lima, Freelance writer and author of “Six-Figure Freelancer: How to Find, Price and Manage Corporate Writing Assignments.” Diana Degan Robinson, President of Diana Robinson & Associates and winner of IABC/Toronto's 2009 Award of Distinction for Independent and Small Agency of the Year Ken Cherney ABC, MC, APR. Award-winning, senior communications practitioner at Ken Cherney and Associates Inc. Annette Martell ABC, MC. Award-winning, Independent Consulting Associate, TWI Surveys Inc. Guest speaker at IABC International conferences
Ticket Price	$25: IABC member $35: Non-member
Registration
Sponsor

This February is Worldwide Membership Month, and we have just the right offer for you to join IABC!

Whether you are a new or lapsed member, throughout February, IABC will waive the application fee for you to join or re-join. This adds up to savings of (US$40/CDN$44 for faxed/mailed/phoned enrolments; US$30/CDN$33 for Internet enrolments). Due to exchange rate fluctuations, Canadians are free to pay in either currency (except for participants in the payment plan, which is offered in US dollars only).

Explore Corporate Membership– Also, if you have two or more IABC members (from any chapter) in your organization, now is also the time to increase your savings and realize other benefits through a corporate (group) membership.  Contact: toronto-membership@iabc.com to learn more.

Try a taste of membership with a trial access to IABC’s members-only IABC website. Sign up at: http://www.iabc.com/login/trial.cfm (This login will not be available before or after the month of February.)

To Join or Renew

Click "Register Online" to access the secure online registration form on IABC's International site. If you do not wish to register online, download a copy of our full-member application form and mail it in.

Membership Payment Plan

IABC gives members the option of paying their membership dues in four equal monthly payments. For more information, please go to http://www.iabc.com/about/membership/memPmtPlan.htm.
* Please remember: applications must be received at the San Francisco Headquarters office during the month of February to qualify. This promotion does not apply to current members, transitional members or students.

OTHER MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS

Join IABC and Go to the IABC World Conference

If you’re a non-member thinking of attending the IABC World Conference in Toronto this June, you can also take advantage of the Join and Go Option for the Conference. For only $110 on top of all Conference package fees, you can become a full member, and enjoy your membership benefits all year long!  This is a significant saving to the regular membership rate. Go to the World Conference Registration page on IABC.com to obtain more information and to sign up.

Student Membership (new or renewal)

For only $50.60 CND or $46 US - Student memberships are available to full-time students of colleges, universities and other educational institutions as well as part-time students working toward a degree, or a certificate program in Canada, who are not presently working in the communication profession.

Transitional Membership

$192.80 CDN or $175.27 US - Professionals who have graduated from a degree program from an accredited institution in the last year are eligible for the student transition rate.

IABC/Toronto's Alliance of Independent Practitioners (AIP) is updating its membership list. Please check your listing at http://toronto.iabc.com/members/aip/aip-members.asp and advise us of any changes, or, if you are a new member and would like to be included in the list, please send your details as per the current list at http://toronto.iabc.com/members/aip/aip-members.asp.  Please note that you have a maximum of 18 words for the description of your specialty along with your IABC membership number.  Please send your update or new member listing to contact@silverleafcommunications.ca by January 31, 2010.
 
What to know more about what AIP is and who can join? Please go to http://toronto.iabc.com/members/aip/about-aip.asp

Hey, IABC/Toronto Members:

Time and space is running out! Sign up for my brand-new, one-day seminar at the Sutton Place Hotel in Toronto on February 26, 2010: Creative Communications: Taking the next step.

You get a $100 discount—only $495 for IABC members . . . which is about half of what we normally charge for this seminar – plus you don’t have to spend money on traveling to another city – you can’t afford not to go!

The whole day is going to be about creating great content—for blogs, podcasts, print publications, social networking sites, video, intranets, Web sites, and new tools such as Twitter.

Because here’s the thing: Anyone can have a blog these days (and many do). Anyone with an $80 digital recorder can have a podcast. Everybody is on Facebook, Twitter is the fastest-growing communication platform in the world, and for $180 bucks you can have your own show on YouTube.

But . . . so what? If your content sucks, it really doesn’t matter how many of the new tools you’re using.

Some companies understand this, and some companies don’t. Some companies are changing the way they approach communications . . . and some are just shoveling the same old corporate crap into the new channels.

In my seminar, at the Sutton Place Hotel on February 26th, we’re going to showcase what the smartest communicators and companies are doing. You’ll learn:

• How UPS used a video contest to link its internal and external communication campaigns . . . and by doing so was able to reach, engage, and motivate both audiences!
• How the IRS—yes, the IRS!—is using blogs and podcasts to creatively connect with its various audiences.
• How one Lockheed Martin communicator used a $300 investment to turn a group of engineers (yes, engineers!) into dynamic storytellers.
• How Teko Energy—a small Florida power company with a limited budget and a small staff of communicators—overhauled their intranet and made the entire thing an interactive, multimedia tool that employees love . . . and use.
• How Southwest Airlines uses new media tools to reach both internal and external audiences.
• How SaskPower, a Canadian utility, revamped its tired old print publication, and turned it into something that would stand out on any newsstand.

You’ll get all of those practical case studies . . . and dozens more. Plus we’re going to do some hands-on work—such as creating podcasts and video right there in the class.

And the best thing about the entire day is the price. It’s only $495 for IABC members ($100 of the regular price)—that includes a light breakfast and lunch!

If you want to send three or more people from your team, we offer group discounts! Just email us at service@crescenzocomm.com and we’ll arrange everything from there.

And, since there’s no travel involved, you can’t afford NOT to go!

The bottom line is this: We’re bringing some of the freshest, most creative case studies right into your backyard, at a price you can afford. Why wouldn’t you sign up?

Hope to see you there!

Steve Crescenzo

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