Three Reasons to Attend #PRAM2015

In his famous “1968 Comeback Special” that aired on NBC, Elvis Presley said “You can’t go on doing the same thing year after year.” While his words focused on the music that he was making at that point in his career, they are also true for those of us in public relations! You can’t go on doing the same thing year after year and expect to grow in your career. New technology and social media platforms are popping up every single day; and it is our job to make sure that our message is communicated in a way that our intended audiences and shareholders understand it. Professional development and networking opportunities are vital to becoming the best public relations practitioner you can be, no matter the stage of your career.

This year, the PRAM State Conference will be held in Tupelo, April 8-10. This is the BEST opportunity for you to network with other PR professionals throughout the state, and listen to great speakers who can help you learn new ways to approach your role in public relations. 

Topics will range from PR tactics from one of the country’s most visited homes and crisis communications following a natural disaster to a PRSA Silver Anvil winning case study from the US Navy and PR for the 21^st century from a nationally-known speaker. I am confident that you will not find another conference this year that provides such rich professional development specifically for PR professionals - at such a great price.

Need a few reasons to convince your boss, or yourself to make #PRAM2015 a priority? Below are three:

1. The price. The price. The price. Conferences for our industry do not come cheap, but between the registration, hotel cost and travel - you can come out right around $500. Considering most conference registrations start there, this is a steal!
   
2. Quality networking without all the awkward conversations. We are so lucky to have an organization that is filled with compassionate people - and the conversations that happen at this conference are between friends!
   
3. Speakers. Shonali Burke is leading the discussion on PR Measurement (and I hear she's a pretty big Elvis fan). Memphis Jones will absolutely lend a hand to helping you communicate better with a specific voice. Kevin Kern works for the legacy of Elvis. And that's just THREE of the speakers. The rest of the lineup will leave you with pages of notes and several tweets worthy of taking home for real-life application. 

The conference theme is “It’s Now or Never,” paying homage to Tupelo’s favorite native son and reminding us all that we can’t go on doing the same thing year after year. When it comes to your career in public relations, it’s now or never... so register today! 

Thank you. Thank you very much.   

- Jennie Bradford Curlee, VP of Programs/Conference Chair