California State University, Fullerton

PRSSA
Robert E. Rayfield
Chapter
2013
Teahan Award Entry

Regional Conference

March 15 - 17, 2013 Cal State Fullertons Robert E. Rayfield chapter hosted PR Pros Assemble
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. All events during the weekend were held on
CSUFs campus because of the free usage of rooms and minimal charges for staffing. As well,
the parking was free.
Theme
The theme started when the trend of superheroes in the media was up and coming the summer
before with the release of The Avengers. Plus, the news that PR was becoming one of the top five
jobs in the nation made a fun spin to say, PR practitioners are superheroes that have been in
hiding.
Facebook cover
photo showing
all the
suPRhereos.

And the theme was carried out in every aspect possible. It even went as far to the committee
having clipboards for attendees to know whom to ask questions to during the weekend.
Facebook posting showing who
to go to if attendees need help
during the weekend.

The theme kicked off the first night with a mixer for all the members to get to know each other
called Building a Web of Connections. With a requested dress-up theme, attendees could let
loose on the dance floor or in the photo booth. As well, they could bond over the bowling lanes.

(left) Attendees pose in front of the photo booth

with their costumes.

(right) Attendees show their moves

on the dance floor.

Professional Development
Day 2 of our conference consisted of speaker session with 22 professionals. This included
individual speakers, panels, and a very unique keynote speaker. For the keynote, instead of the
traditional speaking to an audience, we held a fireside chat. The conference director sat on
stage with the keynote and gave the audience a chance to tweet their questions to get answered
by the speaker.
(below) Keynote
Wing Lam and
Conference Director
Chelsea Blasco on
stage during the
Fireside Chat.

(above) Attendees
getting the
opportunity to
briefly talk and
take pictures with
the keynote.

(above) The screen with the

tweets coming in to ask
questions with #csufrc

The third day, was a crisis communication competition. Attendees were broken into groups and
given a scenario, and asked to make a statement press release. Our judges, Joan Gladstone
(President & CEO of Gladstone PR) and two of CSUF PRSSA members based them off a criteria
(provided by Joan). Attendees were broken into superhero teams.

Judges (sitting
from left to
right), Joan
Gladstone,
Amanda Nagoki,
Shelby Schmader
listen to
Conference
Director Chelsae
explain the rules.

Students
(annoymouly
placed) in
their groups
brainstorm a
press
conference
statement for
the crisis
given.

Schedule
Attached in the appendix is the weekend outline. We tried to give attendees enough involvement
each day, while still giving them time for on-their-own activities (that includes traveling to and
from the conference).
Promotion
It started from the beginning of passing out Batman invitations at National Conference in San
Francisco this past October. On the invitation was a QR code leading prospect attendees to the
website announcing our involvement in hosting Region One Regional Conference. (attached in
appendix).
Before leaving for National Conference, each member of CSUF PRSSA that was attending was
informed of our great news. However, we told them to keep it a secret until it was announced
publicly in San Francisco. Then each member attending (we had about 30) was assigned a school
with a PRSSA chapter in Region One. They were each given a few invitations and were told to
listen for the school they were assigned during roll call and then afterwards to find members
from that school and pass the invites out.
Social Media

Facebook/PRProsAssemble

Our Facebook contest was a success. Where students thinking of attending, they had the
opportunity to register at an extreme discounted rate. When submitting a fun caption for the
picture posted, it was up to the conference committee to decide who was the winner.
This is
the
picture
used for
the
contest.

Here are
responses
to
answering
the
question,
What
caption
would this
picture
have.

Another promotional idea was to release a

promotional video. We asked the Film & Media Arts
Association to team up with our chapter and produce
a video to get attendees pumped up for the last
remaining days til the conference.
Check it out on YouTube.com under
PR Pros Assemble 2013 Promo

Instagram handle was

prprosassemble with the hashtag
#csufrc #suPRheroes

Almost every day leading up to the

conference, to keep the theme alive and
get attendees excited, we would give
superhero ethics to remind attendees
about #hands4ethics

The website which was found at www.prprosassemble.com was the medium that held all the
information

Updates
About
o Conference Committee
o CSUF PRSSA
o Cal State Fullerton
Conference Information
o Programming
o Registration
Accommodations
o Hotel
o Travel
Miscellaneous
o T-Shirts for Sale
o Local Attractions
Sponsors

Another promotion idea was to slowly release the professionals speaking during the sessions.
This way we built interest, instead of giving it away all at once. Every Friday starting in
February was labeled Fact Friday. A few names of speakers along with their bio and links to
their own homepage would be uploaded on the website for attendees to view who they could sit
in on during their session.
One of the main promotion ideas that added that something extra special was the personal Skype
sessions with nearby chapters. The Conference Director, Chelsea would set up a time during
other PRSSA chapters meetings around the area to personally talk to the members. Members
were allowed to ask questions, while Chelsea gave more detail to the weekend.

Appendix

Scenario examples:
1.) NASCAR Last Lap Crash: During the last lap of the Daytona 500 Nationwide race, a huge
crash injured approximately 28 people in the grandstands putting two people in critical condition,
including one child. The first mistake NASCAR made was completely staying quiet on social
media after the incident on the most televised race of the season. They should have acted
immediately and took the blame but they obviously did not have any type of proper crisis
training.
2.) The Red Cross rogue tweet: One of the Red Cross' social media employees accidentally sent
the tweet (Ryan found two more 4 bottle packs of Dogfish Heads Midas touch beer... when we
drink we do it right. #gettingslizzerd) -- which was meant for her private account -- and didn't
realize it. It stayed up for about an hour before the company's social media director was alerted
and took it down.
3.) Last week ESPN Zone found maggots in a salad that was almost served out to a guest. They
quickly retrieved the salad and 86 (meaning to be out of) the lettuce, which they used to make
the salad until they could thoroughly clean the kitchen that night after closing. Today more
maggots were found in a bowl of soup. The head chef lifted the pot holding the soup to find
maggots all over the counter behind and under the food. The restaurant needed to be shut down
immediately.

Press Conference Opening Statement Guidelines:

(next page)

De ar Uni ver sit y o f A las ka, Anc ho rag e PR SS A Me mbe r,

Th e P ubl ic Rel ati ons wo rld is in an e thi cs cri sis ! P lea se
as sem ble at Ca l St at e Fu lle rto n t his sp rin g f or R eg ion al
Co nfe ren ce .
{S can th e Q R co de to vie w yo ur mis sio n}

This is the invitation passed out at National Conference in San Fransico

PR Pros
Assemble
With Great Power
Comes Great
Responsibility
PRSSA Region One
Regional Conference
Hosted by: California State University,
Fullerton
March 15 - 17, 2013

Friday, March 15
Titan Student Union Underground
5:30 - 6:00 p.m. ~ Registration
6:00 - 9:00 p.m. ~ Build a Web of Connections Mixer
{Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be provided}

Saturday, March 16
Titan Student Union Meeting Rooms
9:00 9:45 a.m. ~ Registration & Breakfast
{served in the Titan Student Union}
10:00 11:00 ~ KEYNOTE The Traditions Behind a SuPRhero
(Titan Theatre)
Wing Lam - Co-Owner of Wahoos Fish Taco
Wing Lam is one of three brothers who owns the up-andcoming restaurant Wahoos Fish Taco. As a PR and marketing
pro and the face of Wahoos, Wing will tell you his
tricks of the trade in how he used his communication skills
to build a successful brand.

{Block #1} 11:15 a.m. 12:15 p.m.

Session #1: "Avengers Initiative - All Forces of Communications
Working for One (Ontiveros)
Daniel Rhodes - General Manager at Idea Hall
It's not all about you. More and more communications
professionals are joining forces to create an integrated
marketing business model for their clients. Learn how
Daniel
Rhodes
successfully
combines
the
forces
of
advertising, marketing, public relations, and business to
create the ultimate campaign strategy.

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Session #2: Discovering My True Powers - Unmasking a Career

Path in PR (Gabrielino)
Dan Nasitka - Manager of Public & Community Relations at the
Discovery Science Center
How does someone who majored in music education at one of the
nations best public universities become a suPRhero in less
than five years? Dan Nasitka will be sharing his success
story, as well as his Ten Best Practices for Succeeding in
Public Relations.
Session #3: Do it like the X-Men, The Beast - How Data Mining
Applies to PR (Alvarado)
Nick Anas - Executive Director of the Democratic Party of
Orange County
Jonathan Barba - Vice Chair of the Orange County Young
Democrats
Doug Chaffee - Fullerton City Council Member
Drew Cornick - Democrats of North Orange County Political
Director
Lori Vandermeir - Communications Director the California
National Organization for Women
Data mining has become a predominant aspect of public
relations. Today, super markets, credit cards, banks, and
schools compile huge databases of consumer trends to predict
purchasing habits. While the general practice and use of data
mining has become an ethical dilemma for PR practitioners
worldwide, it has been a long standing practice in political
campaign. Learn how campaigns use data to predict how and if
you will vote. This panel will enlighten you to the future of
data driven public relations, and teach you how psychographic,
demographic and geographic data can be used ethically to
tailor your PR message.

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Session #4: A Day in the Life of a Healthcare SuPRhero

(Hetebrink)
Lana Peterson - Senior Public Affairs Representative at
Kaiser Permanente
Find out what its really like to practice PR at Kaiser
Permanente, a non-profit healthcare organization. Learn how
KP combines the powers of corporate communications, issues
management, and social media to help its employees physicians,
and members thrive in the changing landscape of healthcare.

12:30 1:45 ~ Lunch

{on your own}

{Block #2} 1:45 2:45 p.m.

Session #1: Webbing Connections with Supporters, Partners, &
Sponsors (Ontiveros)
Gregg Schwenk - CEO of the Newport Beach Film Festival
Did you know that supporters, partners, and sponsors are
the most important parts of a successful non-profit
organization? Learn how essential these groups are to a
well-known film festival along with the tricks of the trade
of incorporating them into your business.

Session #2: Discovering Your Powers as an Upcoming Professional

- Ethical Challenges When Dealing with a Crisis (Gabrielino)
Tiffany Trias - Associate Account Executive at Global Results
Communications
The agency life is a fast paced and exciting world, each day
bringing
new
challenges
to
effectively
and
ethically
communicate with both media and clients. How much can you

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share with media to land coverage? How do you then report

results to your clients? What do you do when a crisis occurs
and all eyes and ears focus in on you and your team? Tiffany
Trias will explore these topics and open your eyes as young
professionals to questions you may encounter when you become
part of an agency and explain how you present yourself as a
potential new hire at an agency.

Session #3: Wonder Woman of PR - Turning Your Passion Into a

Job (Alvarado)
Danielle Gano - CEO/Founder & Publicist at Elle
Communications
Danielle knows first-hand that starting your own PR firm is
not easy, but she will show you how to turn your passion into
a job by highlighting how she got started and why she is so
passionate about public relations. Learn how environmental
and humanitarian work has shaped her company and how giving
back is the true test of a PR superhero.

{Block #3} 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Session #1: "Building Your SuPR Power" - Breaking Into PR

(Alvarado)
Matt Prince - Manager of Social Media at the Disneyland
Resort
Have you ever wondered what the secrets are to making it big
in the PR industry? Matt will share his secrets on branding
yourself and acting professional while staying true to
yourself.

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Session #2:"SuPRheroes with Super Stories - The Power of a

Brand on Social Media (Hetebrink)
Carolyn Kim - Public Relations & Corporate Communications
faculty member at Biola University
In todays virtually connected world, social media may be the
most important power at your disposal. Learn about the
different ways PR professionals utilize the power of social
media to generate publicity for their brand, how they
cultivate creative stories, avoid gimmicks, and maintain
their ethics in the process.

Session #3: Mr. Fantastic - The Man Who Does It All

(Gabrielino)
Mike Altieri - VP of Communications & Corporate Development
for the LA Kings Hockey Team
Meet the man who was able to move a whole hockey team to the
famous Staples Center. (This is not unknown territory for him
since the Lakers were his first team to handle.) How does a
professional
handle
internal
communications,
electronic
communications, and media relations on a daily basis? Ask Mr.
Fantastic how it can be done.

Session #4: Rolling Up in the Batmobile" - Behind the Scenes of

Hollywood (Ontiveros)
Damion Dean - Director of Operations for The Notice Network &
Executive Director of Evolve Minds Media
London Moore - CEO of The Notice Network
Not all superheroes stand in the spotlight. Some of them
create the spotlight for others. From company operations to
events and future projects, Damion Dean and London Moore will
explain what it takes to make the red carpet glamorous, the
celebrities glow and the batmobiles shine.

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{Block #4} 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.

Session #1:The Power is Yours - Combining Our PR Powers to
Make a Difference (Gabrielino)
Brandon Sowers - Chief Dreamer at Sevenly
Earth, Fire, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs. With all of our PR
powers combined, we can save this planet! Brandon Sowers,
Chief Dreamer at the nonprofit organization Sevenly, will
tell you how to do just that with stories of adventure, PR
stunts, and teaching nonprofits across the nation about
social media.

Session #2: The Incredible Company - Communications Happily

Ever After (Ontiveros)
Matt Prince - Manager of Social Media at the Disneyland
Resort
Kyndell Paine - Manager of Government Affairs at the
Disneyland Resort
Paul Garcia - Manager of Public Relations at the Disneyland
Resort
Get an insiders look at the Magic Kingdom and how
communications
shaped
the
careers
of
three
Disney
professionals in the world of PR, Public/Government Affairs
and Social Media. It's the happiest panel on Earth!

Session #3: Superheroes from Around the World - Multicultural

PR (Alvarado)
Sandra Bernardo - VP at Westbound Communications
Are you ready for the New America? By around 2040, the U.S.
population will be a majority minority with the largest
group represented by Hispanics. This session will provide
an overview of the evolution of multicultural public
relations, current demographic data and how to prepare
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yourself as a future practitioner to have the skills to

effectively reach the emerging ethnic populations. Real
case studies will also be presented.

Sunday, March 17
Titan Student Union Pavilions

9:00 - 10:00 a.m. ~ Breakfast

{served in the Titan Student Union}
10 - 11:15 a.m. ~ Crisis Management Competition
hosted by Joan Gladstone - President & CEO of Gladstone PR
11:30 a.m. 1 p.m. ~ Avenging Your Options Career & Resource
Fair

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