PRSA-NCC

Contacts:
Mary-Jane Atwater - IPRA Chair: 703-683-4213
Audra Capas - IPRA Marketing Committee Chair: 703-437-9301

Fairfax, VA – September 13, 2004 – Starting next week, metro area businesses that belong to the Fairfax County and Vienna-Tysons chambers of commerce will be able to learn the ins and outs of attracting favorable media attention, handling communications in a crisis, and the benefits of strategic PR planning during a series of six free monthly workshops led by senior-level PR executives who are members of the Independent Public Relations Alliance (IPRA), a network of 80 top communications professionals who own or operate practices in the Washington area. IPRA is a section of the National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, the world’s largest professional organization for PR practitioners.

Beginning in September 2004, IPRA executives will hold a series of six workshops. The workshops topics are: The Power of Public Relations, Strategies for Boosting Your Coverage and Credibility with the Press, Generating Top Business News Coverage, Crisis Communications, Media Training, and Cause-related Marketing.

“As senior public relations professionals, IPRA members will draw on their years of specialized knowledge, experience and skills to provide chamber members with practical PR information that they can apply in their daily business operations,” explained Mary-Jane Atwater, IPRA chair. “We are thrilled to be working with the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and the Vienna-Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce to highlight the value and benefits of public relations for any organization.”

The first workshop, The Power of PR, will be held September 21, noon to 2:00 pm, at the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce’s headquarters at 8230 Old Courthouse Road in Vienna. The session will include proven, practical techniques for setting public relations goals, strategies and tactics to communicate messages with impact and generate positive news coverage. Workshop participants will also learn what goes into selecting a PR agency and the “how-to’s” of writing a Request for Proposal for PR services. Presenters will be Linda Dickerhoof, president of Signature Strategy, Inc.; Audra Capas, president of 5StarPR, LLC; and Heathere Evans-Keenan, president of Keenan PR.

Additional workshops will be offered on the following dates and will also be held at the Fairfax Chamber’s headquarters in Vienna:

Strategies for Boosting Coverage and Credibility with the Press, Tuesday, October 26, 8:30 am – 10:30 am
Presenters: Audra Capas, president of 5StarPR, LLC; Mary-Jane Atwater, president of Atwater Communications and IPRA chair; G. Scott Shaw, principal of Creativerge Communications, Inc.

Generating Top Business News Coverage, Tuesday, November 30, 8:30 am – 10:30 am
Presenter: Audra Capas, president of 5StarPR, LLC

Crisis Communications, Tuesday, January 11, 2005, 8:30 am – 10:30 am
Presenter: Sean O’Neill, principal, Symmetrix Public Relations & Communications Strategies, LLC

Media Training: Controlling the Agenda in a Tough Press Interview, Wednesday, February 16, noon to 2:00 pm
Presenter: Heathere Evans-Keenan, president, Keenan PR

Cause-related Marketing, Tuesday, March 22, 2005, 8:30 am – 10:30 am
Presenter: Sean O’Neill, principal, Symmetrix Public Relations & Communications Strategies, LLC

The workshops are free to members of the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and the Vienna-Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce. Members of the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce can register online at www.fccc.org; members of the Vienna-Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce should call 703-281-1333 to register.

The IPRA network (www.ipralliance.com) is a section of the National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and consists of senior-level public relations and marketing executives who own or operate their own practices, have three or fewer employees and belong to the world’s largest professional organization for PR practitioners, PRSA. A majority of members have been in business for three or more years, average 18 years of experience and together provide specialized services across 36 industry sectors to clients as diverse as Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, associations, nonprofits and government agencies. PRSA’s local National Capital Chapter (www.prsa-ncc.org), is the country’s largest with nearly 1,100 members.

Founded in 1925, the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce is the largest chamber of commerce in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, representing more than 400,000 jobs across the region. The mission of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce is to leverage its access, influence and relationships to advance the economic vitality and quality of life in Northern Virginia. For more information about the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, call 703-749-0400 or visit the Chamber’s web site at www.fccc.org.

Since the 1940s, the Vienna-Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce has worked to build awareness of the Chamber as the preeminent business voice of the Vienna regional community. The Chamber is committed to representing the interests of Vienna’s businesses in the legislative arena as well as advancing economic opportunities for Vienna area businesses. Its programs give its membership extensive networking opportunities while fostering a positive business atmosphere. For more information, please visit www.vtrcc.org.

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