IABC Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter Management Awards 2018 Event Management INTRODUCTION

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1 INTRODUCTION Our small chapter of International Association of Business Communicators is located in Newfoundland and Labrador a Canadian island in the North Atlantic and inspiration for the award winning Broadway musical Come from Away. We are Canada s youngest province having joined the confederation in People originally migrated to our island hundreds of years ago to fish in waters that were teeming with codfish. Today, we are still known for, and depend upon, our natural resources, most particularly mining and oil and gas. Newfoundland and Labrador ranks as the most attractive Canadian jurisdiction for oil and gas investment, and fourth globally out of 97 jurisdictions in the annual global survey of petroleum-sector executives released by the Fraser Institute. After centuries of making a living and raising families in a harsh ocean environment - a place referred to by many as The Rock - we have a work ethic known throughout the world and a culture that embodies the human spirit with warmth and creativity and humility. It is in this environment - on the craggy rocks of the North Atlantic - that our small chapter thrives bobbing and weaving with the economy that fluctuates with commodity prices and out-migration of our people who have gained a footing in business, industry and the arts throughout Canada and the world. Here at home, our dedicated board of directors at IABC NL are helping to advance the profession, create connections, and develop strategic communicators in our province. We are proud of our approximately 60 members who are the professional communicators at the heart of every organization and shine brightly throughout IABC nationally and internationally. We continue to learn so much from our IABC colleagues and we are delighted to have the opportunity to present our work through the Chapter Management Awards Program. This submission describes our approach to managing Pinnacle - our awards program. As highlighted in our annual report (Work Sample 1), Pinnacle is the most prestigious communications awards show in the province which acknowledges the work of some of the most innovative and creative communications projects and professionals in our community. 1

2 The brand image we created for the awards of a ship navigating the waters ties in directly with the environment in which we live and work. The brand was developed by graphic design students of the College of the North Atlantic, of which we have a partnership for Pinnacle Awards. The brand image is shown in Work Sample 2. MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR MEMBERS Our members are at the heart of everything we do. To ensure we are meeting their needs, our strategic planning and decision making processes are aligned with the feedback we receive from members both informally and through members surveys. For the last five years, the IABC NL chapter has undertaken annual strategic planning to help guide the year ahead, including revisiting our value proposition for our members, providing a relevant professional development program, certification options, and networking opportunities. Our strategic planning has been informed by research undertaken to find out what our members need. A membership survey was conducted in spring 2016 which helped us plan membership marketing for Close to 50 per cent of membership responded. This year, Newfoundland and Labrador has aligned with International s 17/20 Strategy, adopting the vision, mission, and three core components as our own to guide our chapter. We are interested in gathering feedback on the new strategy through our membership survey which will be undertaken in spring GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The annual Pinnacle Awards recognize excellence in the field of communications. The goal of Pinnacle Awards is to create connection among chapter members and engage non-members. More specifically, the objectives of Pinnacle Awards for were to: Achieve attendance of at least half of our membership (approximately 30); and Achieve attendance of approximately 60 additional people (award winners, family and friends). BUDGET Revenue for award submissions, ticket sales and sponsorship for Pinnacle totalled $9640. Expenses were $

3 IMPLEMENTATION The 2017 Pinnacle Awards took place on June 8, 2017 at The Bella Vista banquet hall in the capital city of St. John s, with approximately 120 people in attendance (IABC members, award with winners, supporters and sponsors). Hosts for the event were Debbie Ryan, past-president, IABC Newfoundland and Labrador and Bill Hart of Coast Radio. Event sponsors included College of the North Atlantic, Coast 101.1, Atlantic Lottery Corporation, Functional, Genoa Design International and Newfoundland Power. Work Sample 3 gives an example of how we recognized our sponsors through social media. Entries were received from industry professionals, as well as students from College of the North Atlantic, Academy Canada and Memorial University. The awards were judged by the IABC Chapter in London, Ontario, Canada. During the Pinnacle Awards gala, seven Awards of Merit and five Awards of Excellence, as well as the awards for Communications Professional (Lynn Barter, ABC, MC Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association) and Organizational Leader (Robert Greenwood, PhD, Memorial University) were presented. The Chapter Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Martha Muzychka, ABC, MC, as shown in Work Sample 4. In the student category, 11 awards were presented. The Pinnacle Award of Excellence for a Communications Professional is a prestigious award recognizing a communicator who practices exemplary communications and encourages communication excellence in the activities and initiatives in which he/she is involved. Open to all communicators in the province who are IABC members, this award acknowledges the recipient for their leadership, professional accomplishments and outstanding efforts to improve business communication in Newfoundland and Labrador. Pinnacle Award of Excellence for Organization Leaders is a prestigious award that recognizes an individual who is not an IABC member or communications professional, but who has demonstrated leadership, vision and commitment to excellent communications. Whether involved in private, public, not-for-profit sectors, the recipient of this award will have made contributions to business communications by initiating, supporting, and/or participating in effective, successful communications programs. MEASUREMENT The Pinnacle Awards committee received informal feedback from participants that enabled them to make a number of recommendations for Pinnacle Awards 2018, as outlined in the Results section of this submission. 3

4 RESULTS We achieved our objective of creating connection among chapter members and engaging non-members by having approximately 120 people attend Pinnacle Awards, with many of those being non-members. Work Sample 5 is an example of a tweet sent out congratulating winners on the night of the gala event. We recently reached out to Robert Greenwood, Ph.D., Executive Director, the Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, Memorial University. He received the Organizational Leader award at Pinnacle. He said the following: It is my pleasure to provide my views on the IABC NL Pinnacle Awards. As a recipient in 2017, I was able to participate in the awards event for the first time. I was impressed by the broad cross section of the NL business, government, education and NGO community. Throughout my career in governments in NL and Saskatchewan, in a Crown Corporation, with my own consulting firm, and in the university, I have found that communications is one of those areas that is fundamental to organizational success but which often fails to receive the attention it deserves. Your awards provide the cross-section of categories, the gala event and the community recognition that help build the communications profession. For myself, receiving the award validated my emphasis on communications within my organization and in partnering with external organizations and communications firms to advance the strategic priorities of our university, community and province. Keep up the great work! Pinnacle revenue from award submissions and ticket sales in 2017 of $7,390 were fairly consistent with 2016 revenue of $7,859. However, sponsorship decreased from $6,500 in 2016 to $2,250 in Recommendations Find more chapter members willing to volunteer for the Pinnacle Awards committee. Involve the entire board in helping to source sponsors. More cash sponsors are required to offset costs, if Pinnacle is going to be a profitable event for the chapter. Consider future options for judging Pinnacle Awards submissions to ensure the experience for members is the best it can be. Source another venue with better staging so the presenters and award winners can be seen. Provide a designated area where award winners have their photos taken after they exit the stage. 4

5 WORK SAMPLES Work Sample 1: Annual Report (refer to pages 9-10 for Pinnacle Awards) Work Sample 2: Pinnacle brand image Work Sample 3: Sponsor recognition Work Sample 4: Membership recognition Work Sample 5: Congratulating all winners 5