Upcoming Business Wire Events: Holiday Events in Houston & Phoenix

Holiday Happy Hour

Hosted by Business Wire Houston

As a sign of appreciation to current and prospective clients, Business Wire Houston will host a Holiday Happy Hour on Thursday, Dec. 15. Mingle while enjoying delicious food and drinks in the beautiful backdrop of the elegant dinner club located in the historic Rice Hotel. Live music and dancing are also on-site. Sambuca is well-known for its eclectic music menu, including sultry singers, crooners, classic rock, Top 40, jazz and Latin rhythms. This event is FREE for all attendees.

Thursday, December 15 at 5:00 PM CT
Sambuca Jazz Café
909 Texas Avenue,Houston, TX, 77002

To register: RSVP by December 9th, as space is limited. Please contact Jessica Anderson at 713-871-1900 or via email at jessica.anderson@businesswire.com.

December Open House

Hosted by Business Wire Phoenix

Come visit your local Business Wire newsroom, share a light breakfast with us, network with your colleagues and mingle with your editorial team. A raffle will be held and new product demos will be available for attendees. This event is FREE for all attendees.

Friday, December 16 at 7:00 AM PT
Business Wire Phoenix
6991 E. Camelback Road, Suite C-309, Scottsdale, AZ, 85251

To register: Please RSVP to Billy Russell at billy.russell@businesswire.com or call (480) 990-9942 by Monday, December 12.

Business Wire holds dozens of local events every year. We bring local media members and industry thought leaders to your market to discuss today’s most relevant topics, from trends in today’s newsrooms to writing for SEO. Events are usually free of charge to members. For more upcoming local Business Wire events or to see what’s coming up in our award-winning webinar series, visit BusinessWire.com. Follow live updates from Business Wire events on Twitter: hash tag #bwchat

Pete Codella Shares Twitter and Social Media Tips in Salt Lake City for Business Wire Phoenix Event

Business Wire Phoenix hosted a luncheon in Salt Lake City recently with Pete Codella, CEO of Codella Marketing, titled “Facebook and Twitter:  How-to tips and tools for PR.” 

Codella’s presentation provided useful insights on utilizing social media tools from his personal and professional experience.   His fearless video,  “That Crazy Little the Web”  has provoked strong reactions on YouTube, and pretty much sums up his approach to social media:  take risks, engage personally, and be proactive.

 

Codella believes social media is no place to be shy or humble.  He advised asking your team, customers, vendors and business partners to support your efforts by “liking” you on Facebook and following you on Twitter.  By encouraging questions, you’ll gain valuable feedback and likely to appear in others’ newsfeeds, he said.   

 

Pete Codella, of Codella Marketing, Franklin Covey's Debra Lund, and Business Wire Phoenix Regional Manager Grant Armendariz

 

 

 

Upcoming Business Wire Events: Meet the Media of Richmond, Learn About Powerful Pitches in Cleveland

Meet the Richmond Media

Hosted by Business Wire Washington, DC

Join Business Wire DC for breakfast and a panel discussion with Richmond editors and reporters. Jon Newman of The Hodges Partnership will moderate the panel, including: Scott Bass, News Editor, Style Weekly; Rachel DePompa, Richmond Reporter, NBC12; Gregory Gilligan, Business Editor, Richmond Times-Dispatch; and Susan Winiecki, Editor in Chief and Associate Publisher, Richmond Magazine, RHome and RBride. This event is $10 for all attendees.

Tuesday, March 15 at 8:00 a.m. ET
Ramada Plaza Richmond West
6624 West Broad St., Richmond, VA 23230

To register: Please RSVP to Neeli Yelamanchili at 703.243.0400 or email neelima.yelamanchili@businesswire.com by March 10.

Powerful Pitches

Hosted by Business Wire Cleveland

Just about everything in a communications professional’s life involves some form of pitching. A successful pitch involves a great deal of persuasion and creativity. Join Business Wire Cleveland for a breakfast seminar featuring Jim Kukral, web entrepreneur, blogger, professional speaker, educator and author of two books – Attention! This Book Will Make You Money and The Ultimate Pitch. Jim will draw from his years of experience counseling major corporations, entrepreneurs and small businesses to provide you with the tools and inspiration to prepare powerful pitches that will grab attention and help you accomplish your goals. This event is free for all attendees.

Thursday, March 24 at 8:00 a.m. ET
The City Club of Cleveland
850 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44114

To register: Please RSVP to Melissa Chambers at melissa.chambers@businesswire.com by March 18.

Business Wire holds dozens of local events every year. We bring local media members and industry thought leaders to your market to discuss today’s most relevant topics, from trends in today’s newsrooms to writing for SEO. Events are usually free of charge to members. For more upcoming local Business Wire events or to see what’s coming up in our award-winning webinar series, visit BusinessWire.com. Follow live updates from Business Wire events on Twitter: hash tag #bwevents

Upcoming Business Wire Events – Sept. 14 Edition

Join Business Wire experts in your area for media breakfasts, panel discussions and other insightful events. We bring local media members and industry thought leaders to your market to discuss today’s most relevant topics, from writing for SEO to marketing with social media. Best of all, Business Wire events are usually free of charge. Check out some of our upcoming events in your area:

PR with a Punch – Maximizing Your Press Release

Hosted by Business Wire Houston

Join Business Wire Houston team for this practical session on maximizing your press releases’ chances of being found, seen and shared online and get on the fast track to becoming a PRO (Press Release Optimizer). We will take a look at the relationship between your company’s overall SEO and Press Release Optimization strategies. As we walk you through the steps of building an optimized press release you will have the opportunity to pick up a few tips and tools as well as learn the long term benefits of being a PRO. This event is free for all attendees.

Wednesday, September 15 at 8:30am CT
Houston City Club
One City Club Drive, Houston, TX 77046

To register: RSVP to Jessica Anderson at 713-871-1900 or email Jessica.Anderson@businesswire.com

Social Media ROI: Being Seen is Not Enough

Hosted by Business Wire Cleveland [Columbus Event]

Your organization has started blogging, tweeting and updating your Facebook status, but is it working? If you’re like many communications professionals today, you may not be sure how to quantify the success of your social media efforts. Join our expert panel in Columbus for a discussion on setting goals for your social media campaign and arming you with the tools you will need to generate both quantitative and qualitative results. Bill Balderaz, Founder, Webbed Marketing will moderate the panel, which also includes: Dave Culbertson, Owner, LightBulb Interactive; Lora Deeds, Senior Public & Analyst Relations Specialist, Quest Software; Amanda Murphy, Assignment Editor, WCMH-TV; and Nate Riggs, Principal & Lead Social Web Strategist, Social Business Strategies. This event is free for all attendees.

Wednesday, September 15 at 8am ET
Fawcett Conference and Event Center – Alumni Room
The Ohio State University, 2400 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, OH 43210

To register: RSVP to Melissa Chambers at 800-769-0220 or email Melissa.Chambers@businesswire.com

“Does your Tweet Count?” Journalists and a PR Professional Talk

Hosted by Business Wire Phoenix

Join Business Wire Phoenix for a free luncheon and meet the media event about how reporting has evolved amid the popularity of social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook. Chad Graham with the Arizona Republic and Tim Vetcher from ABC 15 News will be discussing how social media has affected traditional news reporting while Cindy Kim of JDA Software will be providing her own unique insight on pitching stories from a public relations perspective. This event is free for all attendees.

Friday, September 24 at 11:30pm PT
1475 N. Scottsdale Road, Alliance Room #365, Scottsdale, AZ 85257

To register: RSVP to Billy Russell at (480) 990-9942 or email billy.russell@businesswire.com

Meet the Media Breakfast and Panel Discussion with DC-Area Technology Journalists

Hosted by Business Wire DC

Join Business Wire’s DC office for breakfast and a panel discussion featuring technology journalists from some of the area’s top publications. Listen as they share their thoughts on what makes a good story and learn how your organization can increase its chances of being covered by the media. Panelists include: Paul Sherman , Editor-in-Chief, Potomac Tech Wire; Cecilia Kang , Technology Reporter, The Washington Post; Nick Wakeman , Editor-in-Chief, Washington Technology; Gautham Nagesh , Technology Reporter, The Hill; Bill Flook , Staff Reporter/Technology, Biotech, Venture Capital, Washington Business Journal. This event is $10 for all attendees.

Wednesday, September 29 at 8am ET
Marriott Tysons Corner
8028 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22182

To register: RSVP to Neelima Yelamanchili at neelima.yelamanchili@businesswire.com

For more upcoming local Business Wire events or to see what’s coming up in our award-winning webinar series, visit http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/business-wire-events.

Follow Business Wire events on Twitter! Hash tag #bwevents

Business Wire Opens Office in Austin, Texas

by Monika Maeckle

Business Wire opened its doors in Austin, Texas this week, planting its flag just south of Ladybird Lake at 510 South Congress and Riverside. 

A team of four veteran Business Wire staffers are delighted to have a foot in the Live Music Capitol of the World, a city we have been working from our San Antonio location for more than 10 years. 

Christye Weld, Austin-San Antonio Sales Manager for Business Wire

“It’s about time we planted the flag in Austin, too,” said Christye Weld, Austin-San Antonio sales manager.

Business Wire Austin staff is looking forward to lunchtime bike rides around Ladybird Lake, foraging the food court at Whole Foods Market headquarters, bonding with our Austin clients, and generally doing what we can to “keep Austin weird.”

For full details on our move, see the press release that ran on our favorite wire service.

Upcoming Business Wire Events – Aug. 2 Edition

Join Business Wire experts in your area for media breakfasts, panel discussions and other insightful events. We bring local media members and industry thought leaders to your market to discuss today’s most relevant topics, from writing for SEO to marketing with social media. Best of all, Business Wire events are usually free of charge. Check out some of our upcoming events in your area:

Business Wire Networking & Happy Hour

Hosted by Business Wire Seattle

Join your friends at Business Wire for a complimentary Happy Hour to thank you for your membership. Network with other BW members, meet local account executives and editors, and enjoy a drink and light appetizers at the Tap House Grill in Downtown Seattle. This event is free and open to Business Wire members only.

Tuesday, August 10 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. PT
Tap House Grill
1506 6th Ave., Seattle, WA 98101
To register: Please RSVP here. For questions, please contact Lauren Linscheid at 206-405-4000 or email lauren.linscheid@businesswire.com

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Adding Video to Maximize Your Reach, Exposure & Pick-Up

Hosted by Business Wire Atlanta

Join Business Wire in Atlanta for lunch and a panel discussion on using video to maximize your marketing communication efforts. Learn how integrating video into your marketing and public relations plans can add value to your news and generate interest in your PR campaigns. Panelists include: Jay Durgan, MEDIAMobz; Cliff Pollen, VisibleGains; Kate Keib, WXIA-TV; and Leigh Jones, The Daily Report Online. This event is free for Business Wire members, and $20 for nonmembers.

Wednesday, August 11 at 11:30 a.m. ET
AMC Fork & Screen Buckhead
3340 Peachtree Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30326
To register: Please RSVP to Yasmine Santos at 770-667-7500 or email yasmine.santos@businesswire.com

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Video & SEO: Best Practices for Effective Marketing and PR

Hosted by Business Wire Los Angeles

Business Wire Los Angeles hosts this breakfast event where our panel will discuss how to use video in your press releases to drive web traffic, generate leads and help your search engine optimization. Tips will be offered on creating simple but engaging videos, and optimizing your video and press releaes for search. Hanna Pantle, AVP, Corporate Communications & Media Relations at BMI will moderate the panel, which also includes: Dave Toole, MediaMobz; Meredith Kendall, Break Media; Matt Meeks, Bender Helper; and Joel Russell, the Los Angeles Business Journal. This event is free for all attendees

Thursday, August 19 at 8:00 a.m. PT
The Olympic Collection
11301 West Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064
To register: Please RSVP to Garrett Henricksen at 310-820-9473 or email garrett.henricksen@businesswire.com

For more upcoming local Business Wire events or to see what’s coming up in our award-winning webinar series, visit http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/business-wire-events.

Follow Business Wire events on Twitter! Hash tag #bwevents

Business Wire Boston First Summer Mingle a Success!

This week Business Wire Boston hosted a summer mingle for members and friends at the Lobby Bar & Kitchen in downtown Boston.  The July 20th event drew a lively crowd of public relations, investor relations and marketing professionals from the New England area.

Take a look at some photos from the event:

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Local Business Wire offices host dozens of events each year on PR, IR, SEO & media topics.  Check out the Business Wire Events page to find upcoming events in your area.

Follow Business Wire events on Twitter! Hash tag #bwevents

Adding Video to Maximize Your Reach and Exposure

– by Claudia Perez-Bonilla, Client Services Representative, Business Wire/Florida

On June 22^nd, Business Wire Florida media luncheon attendees were able to partake in a lively discussion with video experts and marketing, PR and corporate communications professionals on the benefits of adding video to press releases to gain visibility and exposure.

L-R: Rick Christie, Doug Perry, Pilar Portela, Rachel Toole

Hosted by JM Family Enterprises Inc., and moderated by Business Wire Media Relations Supervisor Pilar Portela, the panelists were:

• Rick Christie, Breaking News Editor, The Palm Beach Post
• Doug Perry, Executive Producer for Digital Content, WPBF-TV
• Rachel Toole, Sales & Marketing Manager, MEDIAmobz

With the topic more timely than ever — video press releases having a 300% message retention rate and 500% more views than text-only releases — our panelists discussed video trends, tips on how to get started using video and how to make the best use of your FLIP camera.

Trends show an upswing in the use of video not only for traditional press releases, but also to promote:

• Upcoming events
• Testimonials
• New Product Launches
• Company Profiles

Rick Christie of The Palm Beach Post noted the “3 must-haves” for a successful video campaign.  The clip must be:

1. Interesting
2. Relevant
3. Important

He also advises to go to a media point’s Facebook/YouTube page or follow them on Twitter to get an idea of the type of video they prefer and are most likely to use.

When asked for tips on creating video, all the panelists agreed:

• Target an audience/know your demographics.
• The video must have a message/tell a story.
• Keep it brief (2 minutes is optimal).
• Keep it real.
• Don’t make it purely product based advertising.

MEDIAmobz Sales & Marketing Manager Rachel Toole added further to the discussion by noting that using video is:

• Cost Effective:  the footage/material can be repurposed.
• Improves SEO:  video is more prevalent in search engine results (i.e.  Google).
• Good for increasing your ROI.
• Visually engaging.

Doug Perry of WPBF-TV shared how their newsroom is a “Next Generation” newsroom. As part of a Hearst Television Inc. initiative, news reporters were outfitted with Blackberrys that can shoot video, and laptops that can live stream.  Doug advised that when including video for media usage:

1. Content is critical.
2. Give users a reason to click on the URL.  Don’t simply state “click here.”
3. When shooting video, zoom with your feet.  Get close to the action.

Florida Regional Manager Janice Essick with FLIP camera raffle winner Mark Sell

During the media luncheon, an Ultra FLIP Video camera was raffled off. One lucky audience member, Mark Sell of the Miami agency Wragg & Casas, won the camera. Mark is already using his FLIP for client interviews.  In regard to tips for using the popular FLIP, our experts recommend:

• When filming, be as close to the subject as possible.
• Do not use high contrast.
• Remember to also post on your company’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter accounts.

For more upcoming local Business Wire events or to see what’s coming up in our award-winning webinar series, visit http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/business-wire-events.

Follow Business Wire events on Twitter! Hash tag #bwevents

Congratulations to Our Netbook Giveaway Winners!

June is always a big month for our industry & Business Wire is fresh from the floors of some of the most important PR & IR conferences of the year. At the shows this year, we discussed our two new products, NewsHQ online newsrooms & InvestorHQ online investor centers, and gave away netbook computers at the NIRI 2010 Annual Conference in San Diego, the IABC 2010 World Conference in Toronto and the CIRI 2010 Annual IR Conference in Ottawa. Congratulations to our winners:

NIRI 2010:
Angela Steinway, Integra Lifesciences
Plainsboro, NJ

IABC 2010:

Lynne Heasman, Quit Group
Wellington, New Zealand

CIRI 2010:
Dmitry Kushnir, Agnico-Eagle Mines
Toronto, Canada

Congrats, all! Conference Month isn’t quite over for us yet…if you’re attending Bulldog Reporter’s Media Relations Summit on site in New York or online on June 28, we’ll see you there!

Upcoming Business Wire Events – June 11 Edition

Join Business Wire experts in your area for media breakfasts, panel discussions and other insightful events. We bring local media members and industry thought leaders to your market to discuss today’s most relevant topics, from writing for SEO to marketing with social media. Best of all, Business Wire events are usually free of charge. Check out some of our upcoming events in your area:

Adding Video to Maximize Your Reach, Exposure & Pick-Up

Hosted by Business Wire Charlotte [Durham Event]

Join Business Wire in Durham for lunch and a panel discussion on using video to maximize your marketing communication efforts. Learn how integrating video into your marketing and public relations plans can enhance your SEO reach and provide real results. Panelists include: Valerie Aguirre, CBC New Media Group; Rachel Toole, MEDIAmobz; and Scott Sharpe, The News & Observer. This event is free for all attendees.

Wednesday, June 16 at 11:30 a.m. ET
Sheraton Imperial Hotel
4700 Emperor Blvd., Durham, NC 27703
To register: Please RSVP to Angela Haysworth at 704-347-1590 or email angela.hayworth@businesswire.com

Adding Video to Maximize Your Reach, Exposure & Pick-Up

Hosted by Business Wire Charlotte [Charlotte Event]

Join Business Wire Charlotte for breakfast and a panel discussion on using video to maximize your marketing communication efforts. Learn how integrating video into your marketing and public relations plans can enhance your SEO reach and provide real results. Panelists include: Joe Carleo, Advanced Language & Media Services; Corrie Harding, WCNC-TV; Jason Silverstein, ACBJ/Bizjournals.com; and Rachel Toole, MEDIAmobz. This event is free for all attendees.

Thursday, June 17 at 7:30 a.m. ET
Maggiano’s
4400 Sharon Rd., Charlotte, NC 28211
To register: Please RSVP to Angela Haysworth at 704-347-1590 or email angela.hayworth@businesswire.com

Adding Video to Maximize Your Reach, Exposure & Pick-Up

Hosted by Business Wire Florida

Looking for new ways to reach and engage your audience?  Would you like to add value to your news & generate interest for your campaigns? Join us as our experts discuss the power of video & the benefits of including a visual element to your press releases. Speakers include Rachel Toole, Sales & Marketing Consultant for MEDIAMobz, Rick Christie, Breaking News Editor for the Palm Beach Post and Doug Perry, Executive Producer for Digital Content for WPBF-TV. This event is free for all attendees.

Tuesday, June 22 at 11:30 a.m. ET

JM Family Enterprises, Inc.

111 Jim Moran Blvd., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

To register: Please RSVP to Claudia Perez-Bonilla at 954-474-8833 or email claudia.perez@businesswire.com

For more upcoming local Business Wire events or to see what’s coming up in our award-winning webinar series, visit http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/business-wire-events.

Follow Business Wire events on Twitter! Hash tag #bwevents