The legal dimension of public relations grows in importance and influence each year. The process of maintaining favorable relations between an organization and its publics often involves balancing the marketing effects of communication with the legal ramifications of both the topic in question and the method of communication itself. Closely tied to the legal dimension of public relations are the ethical ramifications of decision making and the process of relating those decisions to an organization’s publics. Not all legally sound decisions are ethical, and not all ethical decisions are legal.

At our May 24th breakfast, Miami attorney Jason Gordon will provide important legal information you need to successfully practice public relations while staying away from legal troubles.

Mr. Gordon, a South Florida native and alumnus of the University of Miami and the University of Florida Levin College of Law, is an attorney with Heller Waldman P.L. in Miami. Mr. Gordon brings years of legal experience dealing with business and commercial litigation and on issues involving public relations practitioners. Topics Mr. Gordon will address during his presentation will include:

1. Common terms in contracts for PR work which can lead to trouble, including unclear terms;
2. Terms that should be included in contracts;
3. Protecting the PR professional’s work, including rights to use and avoiding responsibility for incorrect information or statements to the public; and
4. Media law and issues to consider when dealing with the media.

So come join us on May 24 for a robust discussion on topics of great importance to PR practitioners!

May 24, 2012
8:00 a.m. – Registration/Networking
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. – Breakfast/Presentation

The University Club
150 East Central Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32801

Register here

Join the Team!

Interested in Blogging?

Once again this year we will be live blogging at the FPRA Annual Conference held in August. This year’s conference blog will feature session recaps, photos and speakers’ presentations, as well posts that provide a feel for the atmosphere inside the conference.

We have a couple of bloggers who have already expressed an interest, but we could use more. Are you interested?  All you need is a laptop computer and the ability to write. Don’t worry about the blogging part… we’ll show you how the blogging software works and get you set up with a Wi-Fi account at the hotel.

If you are interested or have additional questions, please contact Vivian Myrtetus, Vice President of Technology at VMyrtetus@gmail.com or 850-508-2654.

Soon PR professionals from throughout the state will convene in our nation’s oldest city, St. Augustine. Their mission: to discover a fountain of gold! That fountain of gold is better known as the Golden Image Awards. Founded by the nation’s oldest public relations organization, FPRA, the Golden Image Awards have become a standard of public relations excellence in the state of Florida.

This year’s Golden Image Awards will mark the 55th year for recognizing outstanding public relations programs in Florida and will be held in conjunction with FPRA’s 74th Annual Conference at The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort. FPRA’s Annual Conference regularly attracts more than 220 public relations practitioners from across the state for professional development, networking and peer recognition in the form of gold … GI gold … that is!

Click here to download the 2012 Call for Entries!

Register today to attend FPRA’s 74th Annual Conference, “A Treasure Trove of PR Strategies and Tactics,” Aug. 5-8 at the Renaissance World Golf Village Resort in St. Augustine. This is a professional development opportunity you will not want to miss. Your conference committee has been hard at work securing an excellent slate of speakers.

Expect to hear from industry leaders with companies including Wells Fargo, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, Lockheed Martin, Abernathy and MacGregor, NPR Nightly Business Report and more on a variety of topics and case studies. Presentations include everything from “How to Make an Apology,” “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” and “The Experience Effect,” to “Socializing Your Newsroom,” “Grassroots PR” and “Using Social Media for Employee Communications.” Other topics include research, peak performance, leadership and personal branding.

This year’s meeting also includes special networking opportunities to learn more about the history of our nation’s oldest city, as well as enjoy the spectacular World Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, located onsite.

FPRA’s 74th ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Registration form

$595 Registration Fee (Member Rate)

August 5-8, 2012
Lodging at The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort
Guestrooms: $139

Check out FPRA’s Flickr Photostream from the 2012 CN Winter Symposium.

The event, held January 25-27 in Tampa, provided attendees an opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions led by nationally recognized PR veterans who have “been there, done  that.”  Presentations and discussions focused on “big picture” trends and how today’s environment is affecting the role of public relations.

Featured speakers on Thursday, Jan. 26, included Managing Director of MSL Washington Neil Dhillon, Times Publishing Company Sales & Marketing VP Bruce Faulmann, and Vice President, Marketing & Communications with the Tampa Bay Partnership Betty S. Carlin, APR.  On Friday, members heard from Oscar Suris, head of Corporate Communication and Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo & Company.

Learn what it takes to leverage news media, television, web, social media, events and internal communications for one of the country’s most recognizable brands – NASA. Join FPRA’s Orlando Area Chapter on Thursday, Jan. 26 as we welcome Lisa Malone, APR, CPRC, director of public affairs for NASA, Kennedy Space Center. Known as the ‘Voice Of NASA’ by many for her years as the female launch commentator and her various roles within NASA’s public affairs department, Lisa will discuss the news and events leading up to the end of the space shuttle program and how public relations played a role in showcasing the programs accomplishments and making the best of the news for NASA, even when the news angle was not always favorable.

Register at http://www.fpra-orlando.org/.

FPRA’s 73rd Annual Conference has drawn to a close. We’ll be posting a few recap items over the next day or so. We hope you enjoyed the blog coverage.

Special thanks again to our awesome blog team who worked throughout the conference — day and night — to ensure a continuous flow of conference coverage.