IMCA 2010 Annual Meeting and Showcase Awards

Mark Your Calendars for the 2010 Conference!

June 27-30, 2010
GRAND HYATT ATLANTA

Once again in 2010, our annual meeting agenda will include several outstanding presenters. Among those already scheduled to appear in Atlanta:

Shel Holtz
Principal, Holtz Communication + Technology

Edge Content and the Wisdom of Crowds

Marketers have taken mass communication for granted. In fact, mass communication has been a temporary aberration. Enabled by digital media, we have returned to the kind of communication in which we engaged before the Industrial Revolution: communication between people within communities. The ability for anyone to publish also heralds the end of the era of the destination website as the attention of audiences shifts to content created by other individuals.

To adapt, organizations need to learn to engage where their customers are rather than try to drive traffic to their increasingly irrelevant websites. In this eye-opening keynote address, online communications authority, IABC Fellow and five-time Gold Quill Award winner Shel Holtz, ABC, will explore these transitions and the ways organizations can influence customer decisions through these increasingly influential networks.

Patrick Kuhse
International Speaker, Trainer and Consultant - Speaking of Ethics

From Prominence to Prison: Why Smart People Can Do Such Dumb Things

Patrick Kuhse is one of the most in-demand speakers on business ethics and critical thinking skills in America today. A favorite in the financial services community and on college campuses, his dynamic presentation takes you on his own personal journey, from successful stockbroker with a loving family and home in the suburbs of San Diego, to the jungles of Costa Rica as an international fugitive, to incarceration in two countries and back again.

Patrick’s business ethics and critical thinking skills presentation is a fast-moving combination of stories, engaging examples, spontaneous humor and concrete, practical ideas and strategies that guarantee results. He shares how seemingly unimportant decisions created havoc in his life and the lives of loved ones, and then masterfully ties his poignant messages together using examples taken right out of today's headlines. He will highlight common ethical dilemmas in the financial services and insurance industry and discuss why people make bad ethical decisions. He will also provide insight on how to define, develop and control your own ethical behavior.

Michelle Bernhart
President, True Blue Communications

Brand, Reputation, and Responsible Business: Best Practices for Communicating Corporate Responsibility
 
When it comes to communicating corporate responsibility, there’s no shortage of challenges. The NAIC has required insurance companies to report on climate change-related risks. Public trust in corporations has reached record lows. The meteoric rise of green marketing has been met with greenwashing claims by regulators and others. Demands for transparency and disclosure have increased. And communication budgets have shrunk.

In this environment, communicators need clear guidance on best practices and ways to avoid ineffective campaigns, unnecessary risk, and greenwashing. This session will explore best practices in corporate responsibility communications, including fundamental principles, available tools, and real-life examples of what works—and what doesn't.

Help plan the meeting

• Network with members throughout the U.S. and Canada
• Enhance your personal and professional development in a supportive environment
• Enjoy the satisfaction of helping your association grow and improve.

Volunteers are needed on the following committees

Registration Committee

Handle all aspects of conference registration.

Committee members will:

• Attend planning meetings by conference call
• Produce name badges
• Produce registration list to be provided to attendees
• Prepare invitations for sponsors and first-timers 
• Staff registration desk.

Graphics and Printing Committee

Coordinate the production of all printed materials including conference logo, ads for trade publications, registration materials, and handouts. Committee members will:

• Attend planning meetings by conference call
• Gather and write content
• Coordinate layout and printing
• Give direction to external paid graphic designer 

Sponsorship Committee

Committee members will:

• Attend planning meetings by conference call
• Obtain conference sponsors
• Coordinate sponsor booths
• Host sponsors at conference

Meeting Promotion/Marketing Committee

Coordinate promotion of conference using direct mail, association newsletters, trade publications and Internet.

Committee members will:

• Attend planning meetings by conference call
• Work with Graphics and Printing committee to develop ads and place them in publications
• Write and gather content for promotional e-mails
• Coordinate visits to organizations to promote conference.

Showcase Awards Committee

Coordinate the Showcase Awards program.

Committee members will:

• Attend planning meetings by conference call
• Develop entry materials
• Secure judges
• Coordinate judging
• Produce winners brochure
• Arrange for presenters
• Coordinate A/V requirements with paid A/V professional
• Speaker Committee 

If you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities, please contact Temie Seibert  at (206) 219-9811 or email tseibert@imcanet.com.