Time to renew your 2011 PRAWNC membership!

Hi! Sherri McLendon here, with Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina, reminding you it's time to renew your membership in our organization for the 2011 term.

NEW! In 2011 – Members who renew prior to the March 31 deadline will receive a FREE directory listing on the PRAWNC website. This listing includes your business name with link, description, and an individual link to you – an additional $97 annual value!

Existing benefits of membership include:

Full access to PRAWNC's 2010 membership in the Asheville Chamber of Commerce

quarterly luncheons with dynamic speakers at the Asheville Chamber

diverse “after-five” and evening events at a range of innovative venues

reduced fees for luncheons and events - including the prestigious Best of the Mountains awards entries and ceremony

unsurpassed professional networking opportunities

free job and internship listings on the PRAWNC web site and on Linked In

access to the Linked In private member network and discussion group

Currently, membership is $50 for practicing members, and $25 for student members. To renew, simply choose a preferred payment option. Thanks to electronic data submission, renewal is almost instant.

For more information or to fill out a new member form, industry professionals are encouraged to visit www.prawnc.org.

Thank you for your early renewal, and a brilliant 2011.

Best wishes,

Sherri L. McLendon, MA
2011 President, PRAWNC
www.prawnc.org

PRAWNC presents "Cooperative Marketing Strategies"

Please join Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina as we welcome Marilyn Ball with 12TwelveCollaborative Marketing Solutions as our guest speaker for the March quarterly membership luncheon on Friday, March 25, 2011. The program is "Cooperative Marketing Strategies."

How do you create strategic, cooperative programs allowing partners to make the most of their advertising budgets? By bringing collective resources to the same table, you not only foster a spirit of mutual cooperation and purpose, but you also discover more effective and focused strategies to develop your brand. Learn how to expand viable partnerships for enhancing and expanding your brand while maximizing media efficiencies.

About the Speaker

Marilyn Ball, owner of 12Twelve Collaborative Marketing Solutions, is a leading expert in creating partnerships through cooperative marketing strategies.

Marilyn's extensive experience in media and public relations campaign development supports her ability to guide clients in the most efficient use of marketing funds, yet it is her keen instinct and vision that business leaders recognize as her most valuable asset.

Not only does she demonstrate an impressive record of creativity and problem solving, it is her gift to motivate and inspire that makes her a sought after strategist and mentor.

Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina hosts Marilyn Ball and "Cooperative Marketing Strategies," at the Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina quarterly luncheon from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, March 25, at Asheville Chamber of Commerce. Members $15; Non-members $25. For more information or to RSVP, go to http://www.prawnc.org/, or email finance@prawnc.org.
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Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina, or PRAWNC, is the region's premier professional organization for public relations, marketing, advertising and communications professionals since 1983. Learn more about PRAWNC at http://www.prawnc.org/.

PRAWNC is a 501C3 not-for-profit corporation providing practitioners with opportunities for education, collaboration, networking and professional excellence.

PRAWNC hosts "A Time of Thanksgiving" at the Wine Studio of Asheville

Share and celebrate Thanksgiving with the Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina at the after­hours event, "A Time of Thanksgiving" at the Wine Studios of Asheville Monday, November 15, from 6 – 8 p.m.

Friends and colleagues will be greeted at the door with a glass of bubbly, then will sample four quality holiday wines hand­picked by Jessica Gulano, certified wine specialist and proprietor of the Wine Studio of Asheville.

"The array will showcase two whites and two reds," Gulano says. "I'm always thrilled to showcase excellent holiday wines, particularly so for the Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina."

Accompanying the wines will be turkey rolls, baked brie with cranberry chutney, and a pumpkin sweet.

"My heart overflows with gratitude for the exceptional year PRAWNC has enjoyed. I can think of no better way to celebrate the official opening of the holiday season than among friends," says Sherri L. McLendon, president.

The event is PRAWNC's second annual tasting.

Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina hosts "A Time of Thanksgiving" at the Wine Studios of Asheville, Monday, November 15, from 6 – 8 p.m., the cost is $15 for members and guests and includes drinks and hors d'oevres. The Wine Studio of Asheville is located at 169 Charlotte Street. For more information or to RSVP, email finance@prawnc.org.

PRAWNC Announces "Best of the Mountains 2010" Winners

Prestigious awards competition, ceremony honors top performing public relations, marketing and communications teams in Western North Carolina

The Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina annual awards program, "Best of the Mountains," recognizes excellence in public relations and marketing communications in Western North Carolina.

And when the winners are declared, top performers get the recognition they deserve in an audience of their peers and colleagues.

Competing entries must have taken place between Sept. 1, 2009, and Aug. 31, 2010.

This year, approximately 50 entries competed for awards in 15 categories. Winners were honored during an awards dinner at Pack's Tavern on Thursday, Oct. 21 from 6-8 p.m.

"This year, we chose to keep the results of the judging secret until the very last minute," says Sherri L. McLendon, president. "Raising the level of anticipation among those who entered made for an exciting evening."

Among the honorees were:

1. Pardee Hospital, Advertising Campaign-Complete campaign, Pardee Orthopedic Center of Excellence (One Step Starts the Adventure)
2. Buncombe County, Advertising Campaign-Outdoor, Did you know-Green
3. Cassel Caywood Love, Advertising Campaign-Print/Direct Mail, Trauma Print
4. CarePartners Health Services, Advertising Campaign-TV, The Way Back
5. Summit Marketing Group, Brand/Marketing Campaign, Camp Tech-Head
6. United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, Multi-Media Communication, Virtual Kickoff
7. Write Away, Inc., Online Marketing-Social Media, Action Pursuit Games video, web and FaceBook
8. UNC Asheville, Public Relations Campaign, Student Recruitment
9. UNC Asheville, Public Relations Writing, NASCAR Press Release
10. Buncombe County , Public Service/Advocacy-Campaign, Christmas in July
11. Pardee Hospital Foundation, Publications-Brochures, Orthopedics Brochure
12. Western Carolina University, Publications-Magazines, The Magazine of Western Carolina University
13. Pardee, Special Event, Hike to Health
14. Synergy Point, Online Marketing-Websites, The Upcountry
15. UNC Asheville, Online Marketing-Websites, Website Redesign

"The organization's goal remains to celebrate and gain recognition for the work of public relations, marketing, and design professionals in our region," McLendon says. "We have an amazing array of talent in this market. Its visibility and superior quality is a healthy economic indicator."

"Best of the Mountains 2010" to be announced Oct. 21

Accept this invitation to the event of the year!

Results kept secret until the final hour!

Has your team's excellence been recognized?

RSVP Now! For Best of the Mountains 2010.

The 2010 Best of the Mountains awards ceremony honors our region's top performers with the recognition they deserve in an audience of their peers and colleagues. Winners will be honored during an awards dinner at Pack's Tavern on Thursday, Oct. 21 from 6-8 p.m.

Could one of them be you? Absolutely! "Count me in."

"This year, we chose to keep the results of the judging secret until the very last minute," says Sherri L. McLendon, president. "Raising the level of anticipation among those who entered will make for an exciting evening."

The Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina annual awards program recognizes excellence in public relations and marketing communications in Western North Carolina. Competing entries must have taken place between Sept. 1, 2009, and Aug. 31, 2010.

Emcee Tammy Jones of WOXL will provide commentary during the recognitions. Regrettably unable to attend last year's ceremony, she brings her trademark zany wit and experience in radio and print news to the podium.

Professional organizations or teams who wish to reserve group seating should get their request in immediately, says McLendon.

RSVP Now! For Best of the Mountains 2010.

"The organization's goal remains to celebrate and gain recognition for the work of public relations, marketing, and design professionals in our region," McLendon says. "We have an amazing array of talent in this market. Its visibility is a healthy economic indicator."

The Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina hosts "Best of the Mountains 2010" at Pack's Tavern in downtown Asheville, with catering provided by the Century Room, on Thursday, Oct. 21, with an opening reception at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 for members and guests, and includes seating, food and a celebratory glass of sparkling wine. Members may choose to purchase additional drink tickets for use at the bar. RSVP to finance@prawnc.org by Friday, Oct. 15 to make reservations.

Do you have what it takes to be "Best of the Mountains?"

By Sherri L. McLendon
Gold-nugget strategies mined from "Best of the Mountain" award winners was the topic of the roundtable discussion of the Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina (PRAWNC) at the organization's first member breakfast meeting Thursday, Aug. 12, at Buncombe County Television offices. The assembled team discussed best practices to gain precious recognition in the prestigious awards competition.

The Call for Entries is now available.

Bring home the gold on behalf of your own team with the collegial advice of Jill Yarnall with UNC-Asheville; Judy Rhew Davidson and Kathy Hughes with Buncombe County Government; Rick Prudhomme with Pardee Hospital, and Brenda Murphree with Clear Point Marketing. They, together with PRAWNC past-president Jennifer Perez, with Park Ridge Health, address the finer points of judging standards, and offer the following guidelines for a stellar showing.

Find out more about submissions in this year's featured categories, which include a new social media component.

Tip No. 1
Take your time

When beginning the submissions process, entrants need to read the entry guidelines and follow them carefully. Decide what categories in which to submit, and whether your entries are in-house versus agency products based on the provided definitions.

"Don't throw the entry together too fast," says Yarnall, known for her high performance press releases. "Go above and beyond, so that it's not just good. It needs to be unique in a certain way." To do this, she recommends leaving "plenty of time" to complete the entry process.

The final step of the entry process is to include a jpeg file of the work with submissions, Perez says.

Tip No. 2
Make the Entry Stand Out

One way to showcase a project's unique qualities is to include specific information, including the analytics on the product.

A rigorous proofing process stands the entry in good stead, says Prudhomme. He and Yarnall agree that showing measurable success, analytic information, return on investment (ROI), or other returns when submitting an award furthers this objective.

"Do it justice," Prudhomme urges. "Look at the entry as a project in itself. Evaluate the criteria and its effectiveness. Most importantly, evaluate the craft of the entry – the concept and process. Make certain yours is a professional presentation." Using the language from the Call for Entries assists in this latter endeavor, he suggests.

Tip No. 3
Proof Your Work

Once you've prepared the entry, reading the guidelines carefully, obtaining outside feedback could assist in gathering a competitive edge, the panel agreed. Murphree suggests culling "anything that's not award-winning work. If it's not award-winning in quality, one shouldn't consider submitting it regardless of category."

"Either the entry shows above and beyond performance, or we change it and make it better. If it doesn't have this quality – even if the project is good – we couldn't enter it," Hughes concurs.

Tip #4
Understand the Judges

Judges for Best of the Mountains are drawn from across the Western North Carolina region or the southeastern United States, according to Perez. "We do require they are a working member in the communications field. This would correlate to all fields, including print media, public relations, graphic design, and others who can speak to a broad spectrum of communications. Also, as a basic rule of thumb, the judges should not have any of their own work submitted into Best of the Mountains, nor should they have any clients submitted," she explains.

Entries are scored on a ten point system, with a maximum point total of 60, says Perez. Judges start with an average score of six in each of the ten criteria areas: creativity, innovation, planning, implementation, effectiveness, and overall evaluation. They, they may choose to grade up for superior work or down for below-average entries.

"We ask for comments and constructive feedback on the judging form," Perez notes.

Judges working in teams of two focus on the criteria and excellence of the submission during the judging process. They may reclassify entries they feel are entered into the wrong category, and may not find that a Best of the Mountains award is warranted in a given category.

Tip #5
Watch the winners and learn

If you give it your best shot, and your project doesn't place, what is a public relations pro to do? First, consider past and current winning entries, says Amy Fowler, 2010 PRAWNC chief of staff. "It really has to be great stuff to take Best of the Mountains."

Want to take "Best of the Mountains?" Download the submission guidelines now!

The Best of the Mountains Awards Breakfast

Do you plan to enter a top performing project for a "Best of the Mountains 2010" award?

Gain a competitive edge on your competition by joining past and current top award winners in a breakfast round table discussion at Buncombe County Government Television offices on Thursday, August 12, from 7:30-9 a.m.

But get your RSVP in early to finance@prawnc.org. The training room reserved is currently limited to 24 seats offered on a first come, first served basis. And this year's submission guidelines are scheduled to be released August 10, just prior to this member event.

Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina members will share the experiences and best practices capturing top recognitions in our area's most prestigious communications awards competition. Sharing the perspectives and lessons they've learned are Jill Yarnall with UNC-Asheville; Judy Rhew Davidson and Kathy Hughes with Buncombe County Government; Rick Prudhomme with Pardee Hospital, and Brenda Murphree with Clear Point Marketing.

By special arrangement, Jennifer Perez with Park Ridge Hospital, will speak regarding the finer points of the PRAWNC rules and judging standards. All shareholders in the roundtable discussion will enjoy a loose structure, with a small number of guided questions for the round-table participants. Then, the floor will be opened to member questions and information sharing.

At the breakfast networking event, PRAWNC members and colleagues and newcomers will enjoy City Bakery's fresh-baked bagels with cream cheese, jam, and butter and pastries. Featured are the Biltmore Avenue establishment's famous cheddar scallion biscuits with butter and jam, followed by assorted fresh fruit, juice and coffee.

The Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina hosts "The Best of the Mountains Awards Breakfast" at Buncombe County Government Television in the training room at 199 College Street, downtown Asheville. The cost is $10 for members, $15 for non-members, and includes City Bakery baked goods, fruit, and beverage. Metered parking is available on the street, or attendees may park in the County Parking Garage located between Carolina First Bank and Bank of America for $1 per hour.

For more information or to RSVP, visit prawnc.org, or email finance@prawnc.org.