We’ve also recieved the following letter of thanks from Simon Says that we wanted to share with you…

Thank you very much indeed for nominating Simon Says as the charity to benefit from the raffle at the recent CIPR PRide Awards, held at The DeVere Hotel in Southampton.  The evening raised £400 which is a significant amount of money, and we are very grateful indeed. 

We were also very proud that our Patron, Sally Taylor, was presented with a special award at the evening.

During the last year Simon Says has seen a huge increase in the public awareness of the support we can offer families.  The number of telephone calls received requesting support and advice increased by 58% and we saw an incredible 76% increase in the number of children and young people attending our support groups.  This demonstrates that the need for bereavement support for the children and young people in our community is very much a reality.

The money raised, will contribute to our efforts in helping children to help themselves, and we are very grateful for your support and interest in Simon Says.

With Best wishes,

Paula Wiseman

Head of Fundraising and Communications

We look forward to raising even more money next year and in the meantime, keep up the good work Wessex PR’s!

The PRide Awards are a spectacular celebration of PR achievements regionally, showcasing the fantastic campaigns that have been rolled out by dedicated and skilled teams across Hampshire,Dorset, the Isle of Wightand the Channel Islands.

The buzz is already starting to build ahead of the event, which is known for being THE best opportunity to network with your fellow communications professionals in the region. 

Many are also planning to attend with clients or suppliers – taking advantage of the discount when you book a full table (the first time this has been available).

Book online now – http://www.cipr.co.uk/content/events-awards/pride-awards/2011-pride-awards-dinners/wessex/wessex

Look forward to seeing you there!

The challenge of moving away from AVEs as the industry standard measurement tool is a core focus for the CIPR.  The judges in this year’s PRide Awards will be looking for campaigns with a clear demonstration of how they met the business objectives they set out to achieve.  And the winners of most categories will be automatically considered for the Judges’ Special Award – Best use of Measurement and Evaluation.

As an industry we recognise that the ability to demonstrate the results of our work is more critical than ever.  The recession has lead to tighter budgets with increased demand to show return on investment, at the same time fundamental changes are happening to the media and emphasis is shifting towards direct communication with the public through social media.

When writing your CIPR PRide entries, consider the Barcelona Principles, the first global standard for PR measurement, which were launched by AMEC in July 2010.  These principles clearly underline the importance of measuring outcomes linked to organisational objectives:

1. Measurement and goal setting are fundamental to any PR programme
2. Media measurement requires quantity and quality measures; quantity measures on their own are useless
3. AVEs are not the value of PR
4. Social media can and should be measured
5. Measuring outcomes is preferable to measuring to outputs
6. Business results can and should be measured wherever possible
7. Transparency and replicability are paramount to sound measurement

For more information and guidance about measuring your successes – please visit http://www.cipr.co.uk/content/policy-resources/for-practitioners/planning-and-measurement

For entry details for the CIPR PRide Awards click here - the key dates in 2011 are…

Entry deadline: 18:00 on Monday 18 July 2011

Late entry deadline: 18:00 on 25 July 2011 (at an extra cost)

Wessex gala awards ceremony: 2 November 2011

The students will get the chance to chat to some of the region’s finest PR professionals at the annual speed dating style ‘Meet the Professionals’event.

Alex, who reached week six of the most recent series of The Apprentice will be joined by local PR professionals from a number of different sectors, including not-for-profit, digital, and fashion.

To begin the evening, David Clare from 33 Digital will give a brief talk about his role as section editor of Behind the Spin, an online magazine produced by PR students.

The event has been organised by second year PR students Francesca Larkin and Jessica North with the Wessex Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) group.

Lyndsey Whiteside, newly-elected chair of Wessex CIPR said: “This is a real and rare opportunity for professionals and future professionals to learn from each other. As well as our two speakers – students can ask anything of the professionals and glean tips to help them in their job search. The professionals also gain an insight in to the outlooks of those about to enter our profession”.

For more information on CIPR events in the Wessex region click here

Lyndsey has been involved with the CIPR for 14 years and held the position of Vice Chair last year.

The Wessex group supports PR practitioners across Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. The aim of the group is to provide opportunities for skill development and networking as well as championing communications students studying at Bournemouth and Southampton Solent universities.

“I am immensely proud to be leading a group as successful as Wessex” said Lyndsey. “PR has become both multi-faceted and crucial to corporate success. As PR professionals, we should all keep learning; examining new ways of approaching and influencing publics. The major objectives of our group this year will be to help our members achieve this.”

The first major event of 2011 for the Wessex CIPR group will be “Meet the Professionals” where PR practitioners from the region visit the universities to meet and mentor the students.

A full executive committee was elected to support Lyndsey, drawn from across the region. Taking on the role of treasurer is Paul Noble from Cranborne in Dorset, the vice chair is Kevin Briscoe from Fareham and the group Secretary is Sarah Miles from Fareham. Six other committee members were also elected.

A couple of the questions that went unanswered at the time were;

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The workshop, which took place at the Business Centre of Bournemouth University, featured three speakers with an in-depth knowledge of the subject. The presentations included case studies on major aircraft and aviation crises from the Lockerbie bombing to the opening of Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and crises experienced by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The attendees also learned about working with broadcasters and the Police, using case studies from the travel sector, the motor industry and government. It also examined what TV newsrooms expect and how they shape the story.

“We stage many events such as this each year.” Explained Alex Skinner, the chair of the Wessex region of the Chartered Institute of Public relations. “They are designed to aid the professional development of our members. We are always pleased to welcome speakers who can bring a practical viewpoint to our workshops.”

Speakers included Natasha Tobin, a PR & Broadcast Consultant in Poole, Russell Ison, the Managing Director of Batphone PR London and Roselyne Crowther, the RNLI’s PR Manager.

The PCC has held similar events in the UK for a number of years. They are designed to raise awareness of our work, and to encourage members of the public to find out more about what we do. The main session is a public Q & A session, chaired by the Chairman of the PCC, Baroness Buscombe. The panel will include other representatives of the PCC and the editor of the Southampton Daily Echo, Ian Murray. We normally have a broad range of questions from the audience, including how the Commission protects people’s privacy and how editorial decisions are made.

We are doing an increasing amount of work with PR agencies and their clients, and would be very happy to explain to you how the range of services we offer might be useful to you in your work. Our latest annual review will give you a flavour of what we do: www.pcc.org.uk/review09

The event will take place on Tuesday 9 November 2010 in the Main Gallery at the City Art Gallery. The above flyer gives more details, including the timings. You will also see that PCC staff are running a more private surgery session beforehand, for anyone who has a specific query they wish to raise publicly. Literature about the PCC will be available at both sessions.

On 3 November you’ll get the chance to go behind the scenes at the station’s Southampton base.

There’ll be a tour together with a presentation covering details of The Coast’s target audience, how PR professionals can get involved editorially through news, features and setting up interviews plus why clients should advertise.  A brief overview of how the station uses social media will also be included.

Our hosts for the evening are Bob Hoad, Regional Managing Director for The Coast’s Solent area, John Clayton, Group Programme Director and Alan Jennings, Group News Editor.

Numbers for this visit are limited so please book your place as soon as possible. We are now using Eventbrite for bookings, necessitating a small increase in price but providing more options for payment.

If you have any queries on this event please contact our events team.

Date:  Wednesday 3 November 2010

Time:  6.30pm

Venue:  Celador Radio, Roman Landing, Kingsway, Southampton SO14 1AU

Cost:  Members  £12.50 (inc VAT)    Non-members  £18 (inc VAT)    Student members  £5 (inc VAT)