April showers bring May flowers...and also more professional development events! It’s been a busy year and we can’t thank our speakers and attendees enough for participating. We’ve learned about social media changes, what it takes to produce a stand-out PRISM and the SEO/content bubble. We’ve had record- breaking attendance this year, which makes our hearts happy knowing that we are knowledge-sharing with other PR, marketing and communications professionals in Kansas City.

Our next professional development event is scheduled for May 23 and is focused on why giving back to the community in which we live and work is good for the soul AND career. We have three great panelists lined up that include Jake Jacobson, Director of PR for Children’s Mercy, Gene Willis, Director of Marketing for Drug Free Sport, and Rachel Hodgson, Marketing Strategist for UMKC's Bloch School of Management. You can view full details on the event here. We hope to see you all there!

I did want to point out that we have a change of venue this month - we have partnered with HNTB for our May event (parking and address information can be found here). A big thanks goes out to the HNTB team for their ongoing partnership with our PRSA chapter.

On that note, we are looking to rotate lunch meetings throughout office spaces in the Kansas City area. If your company is interested in partnering with us for an upcoming lunch, please send me a note. I am also always looking for speaker recommendations, topics and ideas and would love to hear your suggestions.  

Keep reading on for more news about PRISMs, upcoming events and more need-to-know information from our chapter.

For the Love of PR, 

Katie Garcia - VP of Professional Development
Register for our upcoming event here! 

Our chapter's largest fundraiser of the year, the annual PRISMs gala, is October 12, and we need corporate sponsors to be able to bring you a first-class event. Please consider a sponsorship at any level.  

Contact Amy Nouri, VP of Business Opportunities, at amy.nouri@hallmark.com or visit our website for more information.

Join us May 16 for an evening of networking as all of Kansas City's professional and nonprofit clubs and boards are invited to Martin City Brewing Co. to connect for a good cause. For a $20 donation, you'll enjoy free pizza and your first pint on the house, and the night's proceeds will benefit two local charities: BMA Foundation and Noah's Bandage Project as Matt Moore and Jake Jacobson prepare to "Dine & Dance With The Stars" this summer. 

Celebrate spring in Kansas City while spreading the word about your own upcoming events and learning what other groups are doing around town. Whether your club gathers for professional purposes (Social Media Club, Public Relations Society of America, etc.) or to raise money and awareness (Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, Mercy Ambassadors, Red Shoe Society, Young Friends of Art, etc.), this is the perfect chance to share your group's message and mission and potentially find new members.

Join these KC Clubs United members and many others!

AAF-KC
AIGA KC
AMA KC
BMA KC
KCDMA 
FX of KC
IABC KC
IMA KC
Media Mix
GKCPRSA
KCSEM
SMCKC

To register for the event or get more information, visit:

https://may16mcbc.eventbrite.com

Facebook event page - https://www.facebook.com/events/1899451236969773/.

Deadlines

• May 12: Saver Rate Deadline for The Shape of Successful Storytelling workshop, New York, NY
• May 12: Call For Presentations closes for PRSA 2017 Association/Nonprofit Section Conference, Boston, MA
• May 15: Saver Rate Deadline for Registration to the Employee Communications Conference, Denver, CO
• May 31: Saver Rate Deadline for Registration to the Public Affairs and Government Summit, Dallas, TX
  

Workshops

• May 18-19: NOT Your Father’s News Release Writing Workshop, Chicago, IL
• May 19: Powerful PR Writing Virtual Summit
• May 22: Introduction to Effective Crisis Response, Chicago, IL
• May 25: Public Relations Strategic Planning, Boston, MA

To register or learn more, click here.

Webinars (Free for PRSA Members)

• May 11: Why Your Communications Team Should be Using Slack
  
• May 16: Beyond the Click-Thrus
  
• May 25: Craft Content Marketing Pieces That Almost Write Themselves
  
• June 6: Using Analytics to Power Your PR Campaigns from Start to Finish

On-Demand Webinars are available 24/7