Advanced SEO Strategies: How PR Can Play a Greater Role in the Marketing Mix and Deliver Measurable Results
SEO gives PR the opportunity to dramatically increase its value in the corporate enterprise—including playing a more active role in feeding the sales pipeline. But PR has to integrate these search strategies both within its online and offline campaigns, as well as within the organization’s larger SEO strategy. Learn how to produce value-added measurable results—like lead generation, engagement, and affinity—and get full credit for them. Learn, too, what a model integrated SEO strategy looks like and see examples of how progressive PR professionals are taking advantage of this new opportunity to excel and add value.
Sarah Skerik, VP, Distribution Services, PR Newswire

"How PR Can Become a Disruptive Force in Marketing Communications”
Jim Sinkinson, Publisher, Bulldog Reporter

"The Future of the News: Can It Still Tell Truth to Power?”
by Dan Rather

Global consolidation of media, dramatic news staff layoffs, diminishing ad revenues and editorial holes,
24/7 online news delivery—these trends are having profound effects on news reporting. Can reporters
still freely report the truth? Is there still a market for investigative journalism? Has news reporting become simply entertainment? Dan Rather believes American journalism has reached a crisis point and has outspoken,
sometimes discomforting recommendations for stopping its slide into mediocrity.

"Making the Business Case for PR in Tight Economic Times”
Annie Howell, SVP of Communications & Public Affairs, Planet Green, Discovery Channel,
Cos Mallozzi, Chairman & CEO, Gibbs & Soell,
Kelly Vanasse, Global Communications Director, Gillette
Gary Stockman, CEO, PorterNovelli

How will the corporate communications function fare during the current economic downturn—especially when marketing budgets are being trimmed? What can PR agencies tell their clients, and what can communications departments tell the C-suite? How can we prove the value of PR compared with other marketing disciplines? What role should we play in new social and other digital media? Above all, what can we do to protect our influence in corporate strategy and the communications mix? Four top communications executives—two from the agency side, two from corporate communications—reveal how their companies are rising to the challenge.

Tying PR to the Bottom Line: Exciting New Tools for Monitoring, Measuring and Analyzing Our Impact and Value
In tight times, the pressure increases to connect public relations efforts directly to the C-suite’s objectives—especially increased sales and profit. You also want to know how productive each element of your communications is, so you can continue to increase efficiency and value. Discover how new media relations technology can make monitoring, measurement and analysis of your PR activities faster, easier and less expensive. You’ll also learn current best measurement practices and see proven, real-life measurement models that you can use as inspiration for your own programs.
Bill Wagner, CMO, Vocus

The Power of Corporate Blogs: New Examples of Excellence
Blogging by corporate execs and rank-and-file employees has become an increasingly powerful way to deliver messages to and converse with your public. Discover how the latest generation of blogs has raised the bar and increased the benefits it receives from self-publishing—plus learn tips for pumping up readership and pitfalls to avoid.
Jennifer Cisney, Chief Blogger, Kodak
Debbie Weil, Blogger, Author, “The Corporate Blogging Book”
Lacy Kemp, Blogger, RealNetworks

How PR Can and Should Take the Lead in Branding
This session will cut through the “branding BS” and provide clear answers and examples of how branding works and what branding actually means. It will teach you why PR practitioners should take the lead in branding, and how doing so will move PR pros out of the fulfillment role and into the role of big-picture strategist and trusted C-Suite counselor.

David Warschawski, CEO, Warschawski

What to Measure: How to Uncover Your Organization’s PR Value System—and Delight the C-Suite
No single PR measurement approach fits every organization. Before designing your program, you must know what your top executives value most. Find out how to reliably and diplomatically assess your company’s culture and C-suite value system . . . then apply your findings to a targeted communications measurement campaign.
Mark Weiner, CEO, PRIME Research, U.S.

How to Create an Irresistible Elevator Pitch That Rivets Editors’ Attention
Your elevator pitch must be honed to no more than 10 seconds, because if you don’t grabjournalists’ attention with your opening salvo on the phone, you’re DOA. One of today’s top pitching masters—and four years rated the Summit’s top speaker—shares secrets on how he consistently achieves success when pitching hard-nosed editors at top media.
Michael Smart, Principal, MichaelSMARTPR

How to Earn Featured Coverage in Top Men’s Magazines
Placements in these books will deliver millions of affluent impressions for a wide range of consumer products . . . if you understand what their editors seek. Find out how to craft your pitch, which trends to hook into, how these pubs differ and how to build long-term editorial relationships.
Charles Coxe, Articles Editor, Men’s Journal
Mark Rozzo, Editor, Men’s Vogue
Greg Williams, Deputy Editor, Details
Scott Alexander, Senior Editor, Playboy

NETWORKING LUNCHEON
Meet, greet and compare notes with your colleagues during this buffet lunch.
Sponsored by PR Newswire

PR’s New Role in Digital Marketing
Which opportunities are still unclaimed in the new digital marketing mix? Which are best suited to the public relations skill set, and which should we lay claim to? Discover where other communications pros are finding challenges and fertile ground in their marketing environments and what it can mean for you.
Ed Garsten, Manager of Electronic Media, Chrysler
Michael Brito, Social Media Program Director, Intel
Gary Wells, Senior Managing Director, Dix & Eaton

Secrets of Working with Freelance Journalists
Freelance journalists can provide PR professionals a backdoor entry to top media . . . and an inside advocate for your story. But how do you make contact with top freelancers, how should you approach them and how can you collaborate to create a win-win feature story? Get answers from a veteran PR pro and top independent journalists.
Abby Ellin, Freelancer, (New York Times Sunday Styles, Marie Claire, Village Voice, Time Magazine)
Perry Garfinkel, Freelancer, (HuffingtonPost.com, New York Times, AARP the Magazine and National Geographic Magazine)
Judy Mandell, Freelancer, (USA Weekend, Ladies’ Home Journal, USA Today, Newsweek)
Coeli Carr, Freelancer, (Fortune Small Business, BusinessWeek, New York Times, msn.com)

Microblogging: To Tweet or Not to Tweet, That Is the Question
Twitter has become the hottest social network site, but how does it work—who should you follow, how can you get people to follow you or your company? How much time does it take? How can you use Twitter to deliver corporate messages? Get step-by-step instructions here.
Sally Falkow, CEO, Expansion Plus
Brian Solis, CEO, FuturePR
Peter Himler, Principal/Founder, Flatiron Communications LLC
Rachel Sklar, Blogger, The Daily Beast

Real-World Techniques for Measuring Social Media PR
Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, blogging, word of mouth—today you must join the conversation. But do these tactics move the needle? Learn the latest methods for measuring the effectiveness of your new media campaigns and how to deploy them cost-effectively.
Katie Paine, CEO, KD Paine & Associates
Rob Key, CEO, Converseon

Placing Stories in Major News Weeklies
Your management team will be impressed and grateful when you deliver ink in one of the major weeklies—but you’ll need a powerful hook that matches their editorial need. Find out how to pitch, how they compete and what they want from PR.
Romesh Ratnesar, Deputy Managing Editor, Time
Mark Miller, Managing Editor, Newsweek
Cristina Lindblad, Deputy News Editor, BusinessWeek

Top Bloggers Reveal What PR Needs to Know about Their World
Bloggers can help you . . . or kill you. What’s the best way to make friends with bloggers in your industry? How should you respond when they attack? When should you jump into a thread about your company or product? Get inside advice from these top online writers.
Dan Patterson, Blogger/Digital Audio Manager, ABC News
John Biggs, Blogger, BigWideLogic.com
Peter Kafka, Blogger, AllThingsDigital.com
David Kiley, Blogger, BusinessWeek.com

PR Masters Speak Out: How to Develop Long-Term Relationships with the Media
Some PR people have the magic touch with journalists—they know hundreds personally and place stories effortlessly. What’s their secret? How can you become a trusted resource to key reporters? Hear four veterans divulge their
best tips.
Bruce Zanka, CMO, Bankrate
Erica Sokoloff, SVP/ Director, National Media Relations, Porter Novelli
Jane Mazur, EVP/Director of Media Relations, Ogilvy PR
William Kula, APR, Director Media Relations, Verizon

Lightning Response: Surviving the First 24 Hours of Crisis
Your initial response to crisis is clearly critical— yet it’s where so many organizations stumble, sometimes fatally. Learn from war-tested veterans the smartest techniques to use when disaster strikes—from traditional to blogger relations to social media.
Glen Nowak, Director, Division of Media Relations, Centers for Disease Control
Michael Fineman, President, FinemanPR
Mike Lawrence, Chief Reputation Officer/EVP, Cone LLC
Wesley P. Miller IV, Lt Col, Director, National Media Outreach, United States Air Force

What Journalists Now Demand from Your Corporate Website
New studies and empirical research reveal a new set of high expectations on the part of journalists—and the general public—when they visit your website. Find out what journalists are looking for and how to increase the usability of your site so every visitor can find what he or she wants.
Deborah Meany, VP, Global Communications, Prudential Financial
Ibrey Woodall, Director, Sales & Marketing, TEKgroup International

Leveraging Wires, Syndicates & News Services to Achieve Nationwide Coverage
A sure route to blockbuster visibility is coverage via major news services. But competition is fierce. Learn what’s most likely to ride the wires and why. When should you pitch beat reporters, when your local bureau? How can you get listed in the daybook? How and when should you approach?
Mark Egan, Bureau Chief, Thomson Reuters
Michael Reid, Deputy Managing Editor, Dow Jones News Service
Ray Hennessey, Director of Business News Editorial, Managing Editor, Fox Business Network
Kevin Shinkle, Business Editor, Associated Press

Using Social Networking Sites to Spread Your Message
You know the social networks—Flickr, MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook and the rest—and you take part in some. But how do you actively engage in these communities to deliver your messages? How to defend yourself if you get badmouthed? Learn best tactics here.
Chuck Hester, Communications Director, iContact
John Bracken, Program Manager, John D. and Catherine T. Mac Arthur Foundation
Marc Monseau, Director of Media Relations, Johnson & Johnson

Underdog PR: How to Take on Goliath . . . and Win
When you’re not the perceived market leader—and don’t command a super-sized budget—how can you
compete in the press? Good news: You can win through agility, guerrilla tactics and smart positioning. Learn how these tough competitors are nipping the heels of the big dogs.
Alex Fedorak, Director of Media Relations, KIA Motors
Harry Medved, Head of Public Relations, Fandango
Nancy Brenner, SVP, Director of Media Relations, MS&L

Promoting and Branding Your Experts in the Media
Position and brand your experts and top execs to gain them dramatically more press attention. Whether you’re promoting your CEO, professors, doctors or researchers, these techniques and tricks will boost your visibility. Three seasoned publicists
share their best tactics.
Fern Reiss, CEO, Expertizing.com
Pam Gilcrist, CEO, PR Link
Heidi Krupp-Lisiten, CEO, Krupp Kommunications

Teaching Your Execs to Love and Master the Press Release
When it comes to training C-suite execs to meet the press, PR should be the go-to resource. Here you’ll acquire a fool-proof curriculum for making your spokespeople more comfortable, more confident and more powerful voices for your message.
Jon Greer, President, MediaBridge

Inside the Newsroom: Pitching the Nation’s Top Newspapers
The pace is fast, the stakes are high—journalists at daily newspapers think differently than those at
magazines and broadcast media. Learn how to increase coverage in these influential papers—how they compete, best hooks, how and when to pitch, plus editorial hot buttons.
Scott Hensley, News Editor, Wall Street Journal
Eli Reyes, Business Editor, Newsday
Phyllis Furman, Business Writer, New York Daily News
Michael Musto, Entertainment Columnist, Village Voice