Public Relations Success Stories
This fund was launched in 2015 with a mission is to provide financial assistance during a time of crisis to individuals who are directly involved in the planning, execution, delivery and support of meetings. Association Vision President Al Rickard serves on the Advisory Board, wrote a communications and marketing plan, and provides public relations consulting services.
ASAE Convene Green Alliance Public Relations
Association Vision served for six years as the public relations agency for the ASAE Convene Green Alliance, a community of association professionals and industry suppliers dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of associations and the meetings/events. We created a public relations program for this group when it was founded in 2008 and established strong visibility for it in a wide range of association and meeting industry media.
Global Cold Chain Alliance Public Relations
Association Vision played a key role in helping this longtime client develop and launch an umbrella organization, the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), which encompasses four organizations active in the cold storage and transportation industry. Association Vision provides outsourced public relations services to generate visibility in the trade media. We also consult on a range of communication and marketing issues and conducted a full-day messaging workshop with the staff of the four organizations that helped launch the Alliance.
IMN Solutions Public Relations
Association Vision served for six years as the public relations agency for IMN Solutions, a full-service association and meeting management company that provides association management, site research and contract negotiation, tradeshow and conference management, housing and registration, and marketing services. We began working for this organization in 2008 and achieved many media placements in a wide range of association and meeting industry media.
ConventionPlanit.com Publicity and Partnership Building
Association Vision has provided public relations services to ConventionPlanit.com, a meetings industry Web portal, since its inception in 2003. Dozens of media placements include a major article in Meeting News and front-page coverage in USAE newspaper. We also helped ConventionPlanit.com partner with trade media such as MeetingsRadio.com and several meetings industry organizations. We also arranged for ConventionPlanit.com Co-Founder Katherine Markham to host a regular segment entitled "Your Meeting Matters" on the Association Nation radio program.
Association Internet Radio Network Publicity
The Association Internet Radio Network recruited Association Vision President Al Rickard to be one of the hosts on the network's premier radio program, Association Nation, which aired weekly for one year on WMET-AM 1160 in the Washington, DC market and was streamed on the web. In addition to this role, Association Vision generated publicity for the program and the network in the association trade media, including coverage in USAE and Association Trends newspapers. Association Vision also launched radio programs for ACP International and DRI International (both clients of our company) under the network umbrella that aired for one year on WMET-AM 1160 and were also streamed through the client websites.
ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership Merger
Association Vision was hired to handle public relations for the merger involving the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), the Center for Association Leadership, the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives (GWSAE) and the ASAE Foundation. Association Vision President Al Rickard developed the communication plan for the merger, organized the press conference announcing the intent to merge, handled media relations throughout the due diligence and member communication process, gathered and organized member and stakeholder input, planned the final press conference announcing the approval of the merger, and prepared member and stakeholder announcements of the merger approval. Many positive articles about the merger appeared in the media. He also wrote a comprehensive White Paper summarizing the entire merger process to be used as a resource by other associations.
ASAE & The Center Global Summit on Social Responsibility
In 2008, ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership hired Association Vision to provide comprehensive coverage of The Global Summit on Social Responsibility, a groundbreaking event served as a catalyst for ASAE & The Center to launch a social responsibility movement that continues today. Association Vision President Al Rickard participated in the event and produced a 36-page four-color report that captured the highlights of the summit.
Center for Association Leadership Launch
As the public relations agency for the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives (GWSAE), Association Vision played a key role in branding the Center for Association Leadership when it was launched as an affiliated organization of GWSAE in 2001. We consulted with GWSAE leaders on how to position the organization as a boundaryless organization that would serve constituents beyond the Washington, DC region where GWSAE operated. We generated a steady drumbeat of press coverage for an entire year leading up to the launch of the Center in November 2001. Front-page coverage of the Center was achieved in many trade publications, including feature stories such as a major feature article in Training and Development magazine and a special weekly column in USAE newspaper authored by Association Vision President Al Rickard. Association Vision also managed a themeline contest for the Center that attracted more than 300 entries, and facilitated a blue-ribbon panel of VIPs that met to choose the winning Center themeline: "Learn, Lead, Succeed!"
Nation's Capital Distinguished Speakers Series
Association Vision provided public relations for the prestigious Nation's Capital Distinguished Speakers Series at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, for four years. The series was created by the former Greater Washington Society of Association Executives (GWSAE). The series featured top world leaders in the fields in politics, science, media, sports, and entertainment. Speakers have included George H. Bush, Bill Clinton, a panel of First Ladies, Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, Christopher Reeve, Tiger and Earl Woods, Bill Cosby, Oprah Winfrey, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Hawking, and dozens of others. Association Vision generated nationwide media coverage for these speakers on ABC, NBC, CNN, C-SPAN, National Public Radio, AP TV/Radio/Print newswire services, Reuters newswire service, The Washington Post, and many other media.
GWSAE "Party Animals" Publicity Campaign
Association Vision leveraged the "Party Animals" community art project in Washington, DC in 2002 to gain excellent media coverage for the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives (GWSAE). We partnered with the city's Arts Commission to obtain two sculptures (one donkey and one elephant) to be painted by children from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. The art theme for each of them related to associations, raising community awareness of the role of associations in the region. Association Vision generated live coverage of the children painting the sculptures on Fox 5 Morning News, plus other broadcast coverage on WRC-TV Channel 4, News Channel 8, and WTOP Radio. Photos of the children at work were also featured in prominent photographs in The Washington Post and Roll Call newspapers. The finished sculptures were displayed outside the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC and featured in trade press coverage. Association Vision also created and managed a fundraising campaign and bid on the sculptures in a community-wide auction to obtain them to be displayed at the Center for Association Leadership and the Boys and Girls Clubs Eastern Branch.
American Industrial Hygiene Association
Association Vision created a nationwide public relations program for the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) in 2003 and worked for seven years to generate media coverage about the role of industrial hygienists in protecting the health and safety of workers and the public. Our work included helping to promote a new AIHA study that demonstrated the ROI of health and safety. Other successes include creating a "mock meth lab" on the exhibit floor of the American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Exposition staffed by AIHA members who are experts in assessing the dangers and recommending cleanup procedures for these labs, which can be a real danger to the public. The lab generated significant interest from the media and two broadcast pieces. We also placed a broadcast news story on MSNBC about contaminated floodwaters in New Orleans and a story on FOX News about the dangers of illegal methamphetamine labs. The multifaceted AIHA program featured a public relations audit, a messaging workshop with the AIHA Board of Directors, member focus groups, several media training seminars, a campaign to place dozens of articles in leading trade publications in a range of industries, creation of national and local media kits, and production of multimedia presentations for students and convention exhibitors.
CCR Congressional Briefing
Association Vision planned a Congressional Briefing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill for the Council for Chemical Research (CCR) that drew more than 80 members of Congress, regulatory executives, academicians, media representatives, and CCR members. The event was used to unveil a landmark study that quantified the value of research and development in the chemical industry. The briefing educated multiple audiences and the study was featured in a Business Week article.
Al-Anon Capitol Hill Luncheon
To highlight National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, Association Vision created a "Families in Recovery" Luncheon for Al-Anon Family Groups held in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill hosted by Senator Paul Wellstone and Representative Jim Ramstad. Officials from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Office of National Drug Control Policy were among the featured speakers, and the 100 people who attended represented Congressional committees, a wide range of associations active in the alcohol, drug, and addiction field, and the media.
Westfields Marriott "Hospitality Olympics"
Association Vision created the Hospitality Olympics as a special event for the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia. It was designed to demonstrate the hotel's commitment to community service and provide a fun and educational experience for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. More than 100 children made up five teams that competed in Olympic events including the luggage pull, tray toting, ad drawing, cake decorating, and towel folding. The event generated a television report on News Channel 8 in Washington, DC and extensive newspaper coverage. An article about the Hospitality Olympics also appeared in the HSMAI Marketing Review.
Association for Career Professionals
Association Vision launched an international public relations campaign to raise the awareness of career professionals, their professional credentials, and the value they provide, especially during a recession. The campaign was designed to brand career professionals and position the profession as a critical resource for career development. We achieved many strong media placements in both the mainstream media and trade press, including the Toronto Globe and Mail, Montreal Gazette, Sydney Morning Herald, Boston Globe, Kansas City Star, HR.com, and even created a radio program about career professionals hosted by an ACP member that aired in the Washington, DC market.
Licensing Executives Society
Association Vision served for several years as the public relations agency for the Licensing Executives Society (LES), which represents professionals engaged in the intellectual property licensing field, including corporate business development officers, patent and licensing attorneys, academicians, and others. We conducted an audience and messaging workshop for LES and provided ongoing public relations support that included campaigns structured around the three major LES meetings each year. We provided on-site PR services, editorial support for the LES newsletter, media training, and backup photography services. Successes include placements in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and a range of major legal publications.
DRI International Public Relations and Speaking Engagements
DRI International, the world's leading authority on business continuity training and certification, contracted with Association Vision as its public relations agency. We generated numerous media placements in business and trade publications, including feature articles in the NACS Magazine, Security Magazine, Washington Business Journal, Washington Technology magazine, The Synergist, Association Trends, and others. Association Vision also wrote a regular DRI International column for Continuity Insights magazine. Association Vision President Al Rickard also launched and hosted a monthly radio program called "Business Continuity Mattters" that aired on WMET-AM 1160 in Washington, DC and was posted online for on-demand viewing on the DRI International Web site. We also landed a keynote speaking engagement for the DRI International Chairman at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Exposition, where he spoke to more than 2,000 industrial hygienists, an important target audience for business continuity professionals. Association Vision also arranged several other speaking engagements for the DRI International Executive Director.
PCMA Public Relations
Association Vision was retained by the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) to generate publicity in the meetings trade press. We placed approximately 350 articles during a one-year contract, including handling media relations during a CEO transition, the PCMA Annual Meeting, and the PCMA Education Foundation Dinner. USAE newspaper was one of many publications that covered the dinner.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington Publicity
Association Vision President Al Rickard served as a volunteer member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington (BGCGW) Marketing Committee and helped BGCGW gain media coverage for its role in the "Party Animals" community art campaign. Association Vision generated live coverage of children painting the donkey and elephant sculptures on Fox 5 Morning News, plus other broadcast coverage on WRC-TV Channel 4, News Channel 8, and WTOP Radio. Photos of the children at work were also featured in prominent photographs in The Washington Post and Roll Call newspapers. We also worked with BGCGW to create a "Hospitality Olympics" special event at the Westfields Marriott, which was featured in a television news report on News Channel 8. Association Vision also worked on public relations for the merger of the Metropolitan Boys & Girls Clubs into BGCGW. The celebration event for the merger generated coverage in The Washington Post and on local broadcast media.
MCT Federal Credit Union Public Relations
Association Vision provided public relations services to MCT Federal Credit Union, one of the largest financial institutions in Montgomery County, Maryland. The organization is deeply committed to serving the community and providing educational opportunities for young people. We publicize activities in these areas, including MCT involvement in and sponsorship of Academy of Finance programs in the public schools, the opening and operation of in-school credit union branches, a job shadow day for students, scholarships, internships, and a partnership with a local food center. Association Vision generated television coverage of two recent in-school branch openings on NBC Channel 4 News and Fox 5 News in the Washington, DC market, plus a feature story in the Credit Union Times about the entire range of community benefit programs offered by MCT and the state award the organization received for its school programs.
The Wiley Group Publicity and Speaking Engagements
Association Vision was retained by The Wiley Group to generate publicity and speaking engagements for speaker Steve Wiley in the association and meetings market. We placed several articles in the media, including a major feature story in the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International Marketing Review magazine. Other articles that Association Vision wrote with his byline on topics that he speaks about appeared in Executive Update, Association Trends, and the NACS Magazine. We also arranged several major speaking engagements for Wiley with organizations representing meeting professionals, the customer base for The Wiley Group.
Ahh Hah! Discovery Tools Public Relations
Association Vision was hired by Ahh Hah! Discovery Tools to gain exposure for a new CD product designed for meeting professionals. We generated several media placements, including a major story in Meeting News.