February 23, 2010

Next Wednesday (March 3) is a special networking breakfast to celebrate the 2009 IABC/Toronto Communicator of the Year Award Winner. The award will be presented to Rob Devitt, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto East General Hospital.

Devitt has a tremendous history of innovative leadership and an impressive track record of 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. Devitt’s adept storytelling, openness and strategic communications have helped him become a trusted leader, influencer and ‘fixer’ in a challenging sector. Our sponsor for this special event is Sound Insurance Services Inc. Please come and enjoy a delicious breakfast, hear from Devitt and have an opportunity to network with him, some of his team, and other guests.

Date	Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Time	Registration and networking start time: 8 a.m. Food service: 8 a.m. Presentation: 8:30 a.m. Q&A: 8:50 a.m. Networking 9 to 9:30 a.m.
Venue	Marriott Downtown Toronto Eaton Centre, 525 Bay Street Map to Venue
Ticket Price	$25: Student/Transitional member $40: Regular member $50: Non-member
Registration
Sponsor

Learn:

• What skills are easily transferable across sectors. How to use your skills in a new challenging way!
• To move across job titles and into new industry sectors. Can you change direction without losing ground?
• What's new in hiring practices - what has changed since your last move?

On March 25th, IABC/Toronto is hosting a thought-provoking evening of practical advice from leaders across the communications field representing Government, Non-Profit, Agency and Corporate.

Speaker Panel:

• Richard McKinnell, Assistant Deputy Minister, Cabinet Office Communication
• Patrick Gossage, Chairman and Founder, Media Profile
• Gillian Howard, Vice President, Public Affairs & Communications, University Health Network
• Corporate Speaker TBA

Date	Thursday, March 25, 2010
Time	Registration and networking start time: 6 p.m. Food service: 6:15 p.m. Presentations: 6:45 p.m. Q&A: 7:45 p.m. Completion time: 8:15 p.m.
Venue	Sutton Place Hotel, Wellesley Room, 955 Bay Street, Toronto Map to Sutton Place Hotel
Panel	Richard McKinnell, Assistant Deputy Minister, Cabinet Office Communication Patrick Gossage, Chairman and Founder, Media Profile Gillian Howard, Vice President, Public Affairs & Communications, University Health Network Corporate Speaker TBA
Ticket Price	$45: Member early bird (ends Thursday, March 18, 2010) $25: Student/Transitional member $50: Regular member $65: Non-member
Registration
Sponsor

Submit your entry for the Bobbie Resnick Philanthropy Award! As a consummate communications professional, volunteer, educator and mentor, Bobbie Resnick, ABC, APR, MC, IABC Fellow, has been a communications and community leader for more than 50 years. This award in her name recognizes outstanding leadership, contribution to the communications profession and service to the community.

For consideration, a team or individual must demonstrate improvement to their community through an in-house program or serving as a volunteer to an existing cause. Please include the completed entry form with your submission, which is kept in strict confidence. There is no charge to enter.

Support material:

• A 100-word summary statement – why the candidate / team deserves this award
• Executive summary of communication plans / campaigns / projects in which leadership ability is demonstrated (submissions should include evaluation / results)
• Other awards and recognition (local, national, international)
• Recent media coverage, if applicable

The winner of the award will be honoured at the OVATION Awards Gala in May and will receive recognition in IABC/Toronto publications.
Entries will be accepted until Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Questions/Comments about IABC/Toronto's Bobbie Resnick Philanthropy Award? Please send them to our VP, Awards at toronto-awards@iabc.com. All inquiries are kept confidential.

IABC/Toronto is now accepting entries for the 2010 Student of the Year award.  This award recognizes student members each year who exhibit leadership and excellence in communication. The student award recipients possess creativity, strong writing skills and passion in both their academic and volunteer projects.

Established in 2004, the IABC/Toronto Student of the Year Award winner will receive $500 cash prize and will be recognized at the IABC/Toronto OVATION Awards Gala.
It is FREE to enter the Student of the Year Award; however, only IABC/Toronto Student Members can enter the Student of the Year Award.

Download the entry form here: http://toronto.iabc.com/awards/studentAwards.asp

Questions/Comments about IABC/Toronto's Student of the Year award? Please send them to our VP, Membership at toronto-membership@iabc.com. All inquiries are kept confidential.

IABC/Toronto wants to save you money!  Take this short survey now to tell us what kind of discounts would be most valuable to you. 

We're developing a member discount program that will offer you significant savings on a variety of products and services.  By taking just a few moments to complete our survey, you'll tell us what kind of discounts are most important to you--discounts on travel, publications or insurance?  How about office supplies, computers or professional development?  We'll take what you tell us and look for organizations willing to offer you discounts on the products and services you're most interested in. 

If you remember this survey from last year, it's not déjà vu--we ran it in spring 2009 but the response rate was too low for us to draw any meaningful conclusions.  So please take the survey now, even if it's for the second time. It's very short, anonymous, and it will bring great benefit to you and other IABC/Toronto members in the not-too-distant future.

TAKE THE SURVEY NOW!

In an era of Web 2.0, are you feeling pressured to replace that boring old 'corporate' communication content with something more creative? This shift can be easier than you think – if you know which social media tools to use. That’s why you don’t want to miss your opportunity, this Thursday, to hear Steve Crescenzo -- the number one seminar leader at IABC’s 2008 and 2009 World Conferences, discuss how to use creativity and social media to breathe new life in your communications.

The seminar will cover various topics, including: how to start using multimedia and social media tools, such as podcasts, blogs, social-networking sites and video -- without blowing your budget. It will also outline things you can do to turn your intranets and web sites from electronic wastelands to powerhouse communication tools.

This is Steve Crescenzo’s first time speaking to the Toronto chapter. Don’t miss out on this special opportunity to learn from him, and ask questions face-to-face during the Q & A session and networking period.

You won’t regret it! Steve is a dynamic and engaging speaker. He will share best practices and case studies from both small and large organizations in Canada and the United States.

Date	Thursday, February 25, 2010
Time	Registration, food service (cash bar) and networking start time: 6 p.m. Presentation: 6:45 p.m. Q&A: 7:30 p.m. Completion time: 8 p.m.
Venue	Sutton Place Hotel, Stop 33, 955 Bay Street, Toronto Map to Sutton Place Hotel
Speaker	Steve Crescenzo, President, Crescenzo Communications
Ticket Price	$25: Student/Transitional member $45: Regular member $65: Non-member
Registration
Sponsor

Join Professional Independent Communicators (formerly AIP) and Judi Hughes of Your Planning Partners for help with practical ways of staying focused on your business and give yourself new energy and enthusiasm to grow your business.

In this session, you will learn techniques to help you:

• Create focus through realistic strategic action plans
• Discover, manage and monitor your critical success factors
• Identify and stay focused on your ideal client

Date	Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Time	Registration, food service (cash bar) and networking start time: 6 p.m. Presentation: 6:45 p.m. Q&A: 7:30 p.m. Completion time: 8 p.m.
Venue	Centre for Social Innovation, Alterna Savings Office, 4th floor, 215 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
Speaker	Judi Hughes, Co-owner, Your Planning Partners
Ticket Price	$25: Student/Transitional member $25: Regular member $35: Non-member
Registration
Sponsor

IABC/Toronto's website is getting an extreme makeover! On March 1, our new web look will be unveiled. While all the things you love about the site will remain, like the information you need to stay up to date on chapter happenings, new features will make your interaction with the site easier, faster and enjoyable. We'll feature enhancements in future e-Lerts. Stay tuned!

IABC/Toronto members—the IABC 2010 World Conference is a rare opportunity to be inspired in our own backyard by such incredible speakers as Craig and Marc Kielburger and Guy Kawasaki.  Don’t miss it!

The Kielburger brothers are co-founders of Free the Children and co-authors of Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World.  They’ll show you how applying their Me to We philosophy can help you engage employees and develop loyal customers.

And Guy Kawasaki, managing director of Garage Technology Ventures and a former Apple evangelist, will inspire you to revitalize your role as a communicator by laying out steps to spark change and growth through innovative communication.

Hi 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.

This is the only seminar where you’ll get dozens of social media case studies where communicators have taken the plunge and are seeing the results! You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at successful blogs, podcasts, social-networking sites, interactive video, and other social media tools.

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 discount code for IABC/Toronto members is TORIABC10.

The whole day is going to be about creating great content for both new and traditional channels. You’ll learn field-tested tactics for blogs, podcasts, print publications, social networking sites, video, intranets, Web sites, and 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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