News and Updates

Back from a great beyond. BTH4 Conference Review

The fourth annual Beyond the Hype conference, a one-day intensive program aimed at senior PR practitioners, happened November 4th, under gorgeous blue skies at Royal Roads University. This year’s line-up featured a lot of interactive discussions, featuring panel discussions instead of the more common speaker presentations. One panel featured a debate about the merits of the open data movement, that ended up being partially hijacked by talk about recent changes to the Freedom of Information rules, one of the panelists personal pet peeves.	The Marketing Compassion panel featured Alan Rycroft, Maggie Kerr-Southin and Mike Russell (L to R)
A three-person talk about marketing compassion in Victoria offered some unique insights into the world of non-profits. The Victoria PD’s newest Twitter star, Cst. Mike Russell, “stole the show” according to one participant, with his social media insights. Two veterans of the PR world joined forces to offer up insights into the choices they’ve made over the years while pursuing a career. Their stories, punctuated by hilarious anecdotes and poignant reflections, struck a chord with many in the audience and sparked a genuine discussion about career options.	Barb Carver, Patsy Worrall and Kellie Garrett had lots of fun talking about career choices (L to R)
Finally, our keynote speaker, Cyrus Mavalwala, challenged his listeners to push themselves on the strategic front by embracing business objectives and finding solutions to problems - not just executing tactics. In an era when many conferences are becoming packed with people and choices, Beyond the Hype offers an alternative. It’s an intimate gathering (attendance was limited to 60 people) and participants are urged to add their voice to the discussions and challenge the speakers. It’s a stimulating environment that seems to work for those attending. Special thanks, as always to Royal Roads University for their tremendous support, as well as the staff at the Magnollia Hotel & Spa. The ongoing support of these two great organizations is what makes this conference possible. What did this year’s attendees think?: “Thank you so much for developing yet another informational and thought-provoking program.” “I took notes voraciously and shared with colleagues who could not attend - good choices!” It made me realize that I have finally chosen the right profession for myself. Thank you.” “The conference was an opportunity for me to see who and what the profession is about as well as where it can take me. I can definitely see the value in future CPRS conferences as it will be a great way to connect keep with fellow communicators and keep current in the profession.”

National News: 2011 Torchia Scholarship Winner Announced
Toronto, Ontario – September 12, 2011

Melodie Hamel Trepanier, Danville, Quebec, is the winner of the fifth annual Torchia Scholarship in Public Relations/ Communications, awarded by the Communications + Public Relations Foundation. The $1,500 annual Scholarship was established to recognize a student who best exemplifies the spirit and practice of bilingualism in the Canadian communications and public relations profession.

A student at Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Hamel Trepanier is entering the second year of the Bachelor of Public Relations program. She holds a diploma in business management from CEGEP de Sherbrooke and is fluent in English and French.

“The jury is proud to award the Torchia Scholarship to Melodie,” says jury chair Antoine Landry. “She has demonstrated a significant commitment to the profession, a passion for public relations study, and a strong belief in Canada’s biculturalism.”

Read the full release
Find out more about the Torchia Scholarship

President's Message :: SEP 2011 :: Great Expectations

It’s a new year for us at CPRS-VI with several fresh faces on this year’s Board of Directors, and so far it’s shaping up to be a great 2011 and 2012! Having just hosted the annual strategic planning session, our guiding goals remain firm: providing members with enhanced professional development offerings, and generating greater awareness of CPRS-VI and the profession of public relations.

With that in mind, we have a number of great professional development and networking events planned for this year to engage the community on Vancouver Island.

Once again, we’re kicking things off with a September pro-d event, which is a great opportunity for communicators to learn about "New Economic Order" marketing trends, identified in research by Ross Honeywill. Come on by to get the sneak peek at this research, see how companies are already reaching out to "NEOs", join in the discussion with fellow members, and meet the 2011-2012 Board of Directors.

Extra excitment is pulsing through the Society this year for two reasons: CPRS-VI marks our 30th anniversary, and Victoria will be hosting the 2012 CPRS National Conference in June. Stay tuned for more information about how we will be celebrating these stand-out events. In the meantime, you can keep up your learning at Beyond the Hype, our one-day Fall conference for professional communicators. Now in its fourth year, Beyond the Hype has a number of relevant and inspiring speakers lined up – please visit the website for details.

I look forward to meeting new members and catching up with old ones at all of this year’s solid line-up of events, and the many trade shows and events we'll be attending! Please stop and say "hi" to me, or any of your 2011-2012 board.

Sarah Milner, MBA
President, CPRS-VI

Those were the days... :: Oral History Project

Do you have CPRS-VI photos from times gone by in your albums. Take a walk down memory lane to help us share local stories with our counterparts across Canada at the 2012 National Conference in Victoria.

The Oral History Project is an opportunity to highlight CPRS-VI, and photos are needed to illuminate our (video) story. With your help, we'll show how the re-emergence of the Vancouver Island Society in the early part of the 1990s contributed to national initiatives for CPRS in Canada.

Photos are being collected now. Please email your images from the past (or project questions) to Linda Wilkinson by November 30, 2011 to help with this important project.

Royal Roads Student Recipient of 2010 Denis Racine Student Bursary

Royal Roads student and CPRS-VI member Michelle May is the 2010 winner of the Denis Racine Student Bursary. May is currently working on her BA in Professional Communications and expects to graduate in 2011. She is a long time volunteer with CPRS-VI.

The annual $500 bursary is available to CPRS-VI student members who live on Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands, are registered in a post-secondary educational program and have completed three or more courses. Recipients are chosen by a CPRS education committee of public relations professionals.

Denis Racine was a prominent figure in Victoria's public relations community and a strong mentor for youth. He was president of both CPRS-VI and CPRS National as well as Tournament Director for the Times Colonist Open and an advisor for the University of Victoria. The bursary was renamed in his honour after his death this year.

Donations to the Denis Racine Student Bursary may be sent to:
Communications + Public Relations Foundation,
Suite 1515, 73 Widdicombe Hill Blvd,
Toronto, Ontario, M9R 4B3

Applications for the 2011 Denis Racine Student Bursary will be accepted in the fall of 2011.

CPRS-VI Material at the Library

CPRS-VI’s Whistler Conference Fund supplied the Greater Victoria Public Library with a donation of $463.70 in early 2009 to purchase public relations-related material to benefit members. Material from the 2008 bursary have been ordered and catalogued and include the following titles:

In the News: The Practice of Media Relations in Canada
PR!: A Social History of Spin
The New Influencers: A Marketer's Guide to the New Social Media
The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication: A Guide to Internal Communication, Public Relations, Marketing, and Leadership
Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management
Public Relations Writing: Form and Style
What I Saw at the Revolution: A Political Life in the Reagan Era
Building Media Relationships: How to Establish, Maintain and Develop Long-Term Relationships with the Media
All Too Human: A Political Education
The Canadian Press Stylebook: A Guide for Writers and Editors
Public Relations Strategies and Tactics
Weathering the storm; protecting your brand in the worst of times

CPRS-VI members will find links to these and many other titles available at the library on the member-only section of this website, and can use their library card number to reserve the book through the library's on-line catalogue.

Non-member can visit the nearest local Victoria library to find these and many other public relations-related books and resources, or visit the library’s online catalogue at http://catalogue.gvpl.ca.