By Victor Vrsnik
President, CPRS National
The depth of activity and dedication of our CPRS volunteers never ceases to amaze me - it’s breathtaking! Underway are numerous projects worthy of mention that advance our professional association. We like to shine the spotlight on prize events like the National Conference or the Awards of Excellence that appear to lift off the page like a well-rehearsed script. There’s so much more than meets the eye. Did you know there is a Local Advisory Committee who have come together to guide the direction of 2020 National Conference in historic Québec City: May 24-26, 2020? They have our full confidence and we wait with bated breath for the reveal of the professional development and events program. A salute to Daniel Granger ARP FSCRP for helping pull the team together. Are you interested in being a conference presenter? Workshop proposals are now being accepted. Click
here.
I’d be remiss not to shamelessly plug Conference registrations. CPRS and Global Alliance members have until October 14 to take advantage of Last Year’s Rate to save $440! Register
here. Join hundreds of Canadian practitioners and academics to converge, learn and network at Canada’s premier PR and communications management event. Visualize yourself wandering aimlessly through the cobblestone streets of Vieux-Québec on your spare time or unwinding at the luxurious Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. Did you know Québec City is an UNESCO World Heritage site?
For the Anglophone members, now is as good a time as any to brush up on our French language skills as we head into La Belle Province. The Conference has helped to crystalize CPRS National’s commitment to be, and to be seen as a truly bilingual professional association. Merci beaucoup National Board members and co-Chairs Brigitte Stock ARP, Marc Angers ARP FSCRP and members of the French Services Task Force to ensure we close the gap on the communications and services available to French-speaking members.
What would the National Conference be without recognition of our credential achievers and our award winners? The awards gala is on track to offer so much more this year. Presiding Officer Beatrice Pepper APR FCPRS and National Board Member Lisa Covens M.A. are leading the charge to review and expand the awards program this year to better reflect the scope of work carried out by today’s practitioners. The volunteer-driven Council on Accreditation and College of Fellows will fete the new recipients of the PRK, APR and FCPRS designations during the Conference.
To my delight I was recently handed a hot-off-the-press copy of the Credential Continuum Marketing Plan, penned by National Accreditation Council sub-committee members Jeff Meerman APR, Patrice Leroux ARP, and Colin Babiuk APR, FCPRS. The three members have developed a strategic marketing plan to grow awareness of CPRS credentials and designations to external audiences and to motivate practitioners to follow the credential path throughout their career and CPRS membership.
As you can see, CPRS National is a busy hive of activity with a near natural self-ordering force of volunteers engaged in new research, analysis and deliverables aligned with the Strategic Plan. I look forward to reporting out next time on more exciting member driven activities.