1. GOALS and OBJECTIVES

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1 IABC Chapter Management Awards 2017 Submission Division 3 Small Chapters Category: Event Management Work Plan Project Name: IABC Nashville 2016 Music City Gold Pen Awards Relaunch Timeline: July 1, 2015 through November 15, GOALS and OBJECTIVES About IABC Nashville IABC Nashville currently has 61 members and an average of 32 attendees at monthly professional development luncheons. The luncheon attendees represent a 60/40 split of non-members to members, with some potential members being longstanding guest attendees. The chapter hosts eight to 10 professional development/networking luncheons and one to two after-hours mixers per year. Membership has increased 34 percent since same period 2015, primarily due to collaboration of the Executive Board of Directors, consistent and effective communications with current and potential members, and committed delivery of strong and relevant programming and networking opportunities. IABC Nashville has an established and growing digital presence, communicating with its audience via (450+ database of area professional communicators), website and social media (Facebook 247 likes, Twitter 343 followers and LinkedIn group 671 members). The Board currently has no vacancies and consists of 11 active and engaged members. The Board recently approved a slate that will be voted on by membership soon, consisting of 11 members (6 members staying, 5 new members and 5 members stepping down). The Board meets on a monthly basis. The chapter competes for members and participation with two primary organizations that have both a local chapter and national presence: 1. Nashville Chapter of American Marketing Association (NAMA) and 2. Nashville Chapter of Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). NAMA has over 300 members and PRSA has approximately 50 members. Need/Opportunity In late 2014, following their annual awards events, IABC Nashville was faced with making a decision regarding the timing of their next awards event. IABC had recently revised their awards schedule for Region and International level awards events. IABC Nashville had consulted with other chapters who had made the decision to either align or remain independent in their awards events. Ultimately, the IABC Nashville Board decided to take a one-year hiatus in 2015 in order to align with the overall awards calendar. The next awards event would be held in May From the onset of this decision, the Board was very intentional and strategic about how the awards program would evolve. While this would be a temporary sacrifice for the chapter financially, it created two opportunities for chapter growth: 1. To relaunch the awards program to increase awareness, encourage stronger attendance and participation, create connection and professional development opportunities, and grow membership. 2. To support a goal from the chapter s two-year Strategic Plan: Increase awareness of IABC structure and connection/professional development opportunities through Southern Region and International offerings. Due to the one-year hiatus in 2015, the chapter knew it would be important to keep the awards program top of mind during the lapse, educate members and non-members throughout the process and position and promote the event with targeted messaging for optimum success.

2 2 Challenges Resources As with all volunteer organizations, talent, time, and resources can be difficult to predict and direct. Although our Board is very engaged, career and other obligations can detract from chapter business and project execution. Also, the Awards Program is unique in that it is a two-phase event that calls on different skill sets. The initial phase, which ultimately determines the scope, is a successful call for entries process that includes securing and judging award submissions. The second phase is the event planning portion that includes venue selection, catering, and logistics, along with delivering a communications plan to ensure a strong attendance. Therefore it was important to bring in new talent from our membership in addition to our existing Board. The VP of Awards created an Awards Committee by first recruiting a member at large to help with event planning, communications, and coordination and appointed three others on the Board to help in various capacities throughout the process. All major decisions were approved by the Board of Directors during the planning stages. Financial Additional challenges included the financial aspects. Since the awards program had been the primary annual fundraising source, income for the chapter in 2015 was limited to professional development luncheons and membership rebates. The Board was realistic about the scope of this event and its purpose. The chapter was financially healthy; therefore, a decision was made to invest in the relaunch of the awards program, but not measure the success of the event, based on profitability. The Board agreed they would project a loss of $2,500 for the event in hopes that the residual effect from the event would create a robust membership pipeline and create other opportunities for future income (sponsorships, future programming options, etc.). Location In the past couple of years, Nashville had climbed the list of it cities, being named by Forbes Travel Guide as One of the Top Destinations in While this status creates a growth boom for the city, it also creates growing pains for its residents and businesses who have to adapt to the rapid increase in traffic and construction, inadequate parking, and rising demand and cost for local venues and attractions. The chapter knew that selecting the right venue would be key to delivering a successful event and that the cost would not be comparable to past years. The chapter knew that a large part of the financial investment would be centered on the venue. Goal: Relaunch and host the IABC Nashville awards program in May 2016 after a one-year realignment hiatus (2015) to increase event and chapter awareness and participation, create connection and professional development opportunities, and grow membership. Objectives I. Rebrand awards program to increase participation and attendance as compared to the 2014 event (50 attendees). 2. Recruit two to four sponsors, equating to $1,000, to support event costs. 3. Contribute to membership increase of 10% by November 2016 (April 2016 pre-event members = 49) 2. BUDGET The Awards Committee reviewed past awards event budgets, but also were realistic about the unique scope of this project and that an increased budget would be required to support the objectives of this relaunch event. The Committee established a budget of $10,000. As mentioned earlier, this allocation would be an investment in the future of the chapter and the reputation of the awards program. This amount was used for expenses including: Award Sentry fees, trophies, venue space rental, catering, and entertainment.

3 3 The Board agreed they would project a loss of $2,500 for the event in hopes that the residual effect from the event would create a robust membership pipeline and create other opportunities for future income (sponsorships, future programming options, etc.). See Section 4 (Measurement, Results and Evaluation) for final profit/loss detail. 3. IMPLEMENTATION Rebranding and Positioning Once a decision was made to relaunch the awards program, work began on how to position the event. The team wanted to create a must attend event to recognize winning work and also create a fun and hip setting conducive for celebrating, learning, and networking with peers and friends. The makeup of former awards events included members and non-members who had submitted entries (winners and non-winners), along with attendees who had not submitted an entry. Naming In past years, the event had been referred to as The Gold Pens Awards. IABC Nashville had opted to private-brand their awards program, rather than use the Bronze Quills naming convention. To strategically capitalize upon the it status of Nashville while also increasing awareness of the chapter, the program was renamed The Music City Gold Pen Awards, presented by IABC Nashville. A separate logo was developed to accompany all communications for the event, utilizing the existing branding color palette (see below). Venue Selection The chapter knew that selecting the right venue would be key to hosting a successful event. The search led to choosing The Oak Room at Greenbrier Distillery, a local bourbon manufacturer. The distillery resided within a repurposed historic structure alongside other hip and well-known shops and attractions. The location offered easy access and ample adjacent parking. When set for an event, the Oak Room, a cellar space with views of the aging oak barrels, sparkled with strung market street lights and was well appointed with oak barrels that served as bistro tables, along with other skirted tables and seating. Also, included in the ticket price for Music City Gold Pen Awards included a 30-minute distillery tour, that aligned with the objective of creating an atmosphere of networking. In addition, Greenbrier Bourbon would be served at the bar. A local well-known caterer was selected, as was entertainment (string duet) for the cocktail portion of the evening. Messaging With a name and corporate identity established and a venue selected, the messaging began to organically tie in the objective of the awards (recognition and celebration) with the local venue. The messaging was segmented for audiences related to both phases of the process: 1. Call for Entries Communications are sent to a targeted list of recipients in the Nashville area to garner award submissions. Submissions are sent to other IABC chapters for judging. The number of award winners from the submissions helps to define the scope of the event. 2. Event Planning Communications are sent to winners, members, and non-members to secure registrations. A budget is established followed by securing venue/space, catering, entertainment, sponsors, and determining the program. The over-arching messages to be communicated included: Receiving recognition for best in business communications Recognizing and celebrating excellence in communications Experiencing a unique venue Learning and networking with peers Encouraging people to attend regardless of whether they submitted work or won an award

4 4 Headline and Subject Line Examples: Raise a toast and celebrate excellence! Come. Connect. Celebrate! Raise a glass, toast excellence! Get a taste of the best! Everyone wins Best in business communication work to be honored Additionally, the #MCGPAwards was established to be used in conjunction on social media channels. CHANNELS Workshop As part of the education process, the Awards Committee coordinated a Music City Gold Pens Workshop to be held in conjunction with the timing of the initial Call for Entries communications in late January To help with this initiative, the team recruited a long-time member and vice president of a local PR firm to host and present the event at his downtown Nashville office. As the director of the PR firm s award submissions process, he had been instrumental in the firm winning dozens of awards at the local, Region (Silver Quill), and International (Gold Quill) levels, for their work for a variety of clients. The objectives of the workshop were two fold to provide an overview of the significance of how IABC Nashville s awards program aligns with the Regional (Silver Quills) and International (Gold Quills) from a connectional perspective and to educate attendees on the award entry process, providing practical tips, valuable insight, and tool kits to successfully prepare their submissions. Digital Website The main Awards Program page was posted in January with Call for Entries specific information. Following that, were posts related to the specific event and also a Blog written by the VP of Awards. Post event, a photo gallery was made available. Weekly s and inclusions in monthly e-newsletters were sent regarding the Call for Entries from January through late February, followed by event-specific s that began in April and were sent up until the May 19, 2016 event. Social Media posts were made linking to the Call for Entries page on the website from January through late February and then followed by event-specific posts linking to the registration page and/or the website page. Verbal Meetings beginning in January 2016, each meeting included a short announcement/reminder from the VP of Awards related to the timing of the Call for Entries and then the event registration itself. Collateral Flier a small informational sheet was distributed at meetings beginning in January Timeline Overview (Communications/Activity) January 2016 Initial website post that rotated on the Home page slider Awards Workshop registration s sent Awards Workshop held Awards Workshop follow up with links to resources sent to attendees Initial Call for Entries communications executed

5 5 February 2016 Call for Entries-specific s sent through deadline of February 29 s included multiple links to educational materials presented at the Awards Workshop (held in January) March 2016 Targeted communications occurred between judging chapters and winners April May 2016 Comprehensive event-specific communication plan executed (see below) Post Event Press release sent to local media outlets and post on website announcing winners Communications to attendees regarding access to photos taken at the event Post-event survey distributed

6 6 Sponsorships Three sponsors were secured for the event. Each sponsor was either paid or provided in-kind services or a combination. Each sponsor s logo/name was included on the website posts and communications. Additionally, each sponsor received a two-minute time slot to address the attendees. Overall, the sponsorships helped to offset costs and reduce additional costs that would have been occurred by hiring services. Total paid sponsorships = $500 Total value of paid and in-kind sponsorships = $1,250 Type: Printer/Digital Firm - $500 Type: Production/Media Company - $250 + installation and rental of professional lighting (Value $250 +) Type: Photographer professional photography for all winners, groups, candid shots a link was made available for all attendees for viewing and complimentary downloading (Value $250 +) Additionally, a well-established local broadcaster/personality was recruited to serve as the master of ceremonies, free of charge. (Value $250 +) Awards Program Rather than just presenting awards in a roll call style, the team wanted to both recognize winners and also visually share valuable information about the winning projects with the attendees. Once the winners were identified by the judges, the team collaborated with those individuals to collect descriptions and images of their award-winning work in order to develop a presentation that would accompany a script, delivered by the emcee. Weaved into the evening s presentations, were sponsor messages. Event Pre-event distillery tour Check in, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres (music by string duet) Emcee led presentation of awards with scripted information about each winning entry (included three breaks for sponsor messages, and drawings for door prizes) Professional photography (backdrop) Thanks and farewell 4. MEASUREMENT, RESULTS AND EVALUATION The Music City Gold Pen Awards (including Workshop and Call for Entries process) were considered a success by the team, chapter, Board, and attendees. The evening was filled with great ambience and food, fruitful conversation, much laughter, and well-deserved recognition. Everyone enjoyed their time and appreciated the fact that the ceremony included detailed information about the winning work. Others liked the photography backdrop that was added this year and the branded images. Post event, the team met to discuss what worked well and what needed improvement. The efforts put into the planning of this relaunched event created a great blueprint for future Awards Program Teams as the chapter continues to increase awareness and nurture the reputation of the Music City Gold Pen Awards, presented by IABC Nashville. Looking ahead, a new VP of Awards is pending final member vote/approval and will begin assembling an Awards Committee in early The next event is tentatively scheduled for May Measurement: A variety of tools and sources were utilized to measure the success of the event. These included registration/ system and website analytics, social media reporting, MMA/membership reports, post-event survey, and verbal feedback.

7 7 Goal: Relaunch and host the IABC Nashville awards program in May 2016 after a one-year realignment hiatus (2015) to increase event and chapter awareness and participation, create connection and professional development opportunities, and grow membership. Objectives I. Rebrand awards program to increase participation and attendance as compared to the 2014 event. Measured Results: A new logo and corporate identity (based on established branding standards) was created and used consistently throughout all communications channels. Messaging aligned the purpose of the awards program and the local venue, piquing interest and encouraging participation and attendance. Workshop attendance = 10 Award Entries 45 (decreased by 18 percent as compared to 55 in 2014) Awards presented 27 (8 Awards of Merit / 19 Awards of Excellence) Event Attendance = 78 (increased by 56 percent over 2014 (50) Attendee makeup: 18 members/60 non-members (as compared to 27 members/23 non-members in 2014) Website Six posts/pages dedicated to MCGP Awards information: Call for Entries, Main Awards page, Blog, Press Release, Registration, and Photo Gallery = 480 visits (January June 2016) Call for Entries = Seven s sent January through late February 2016; Average click through rate = 22 percent Event = Four s sent from April through May 19, 2016 event; Average click through rate = 24 percent Social Media Facebook = 16 posts = 6,552 impressions Twitter Top Tweets, January June 2016: Impressions = 700+ / Engagements = 90+ Survey 16 percent response rate Of those polled Venue = 92 percent Good or Excellent When asked Did you make a new connection or learn about a new opportunity? = 77 percent answered Yes Overall Satisfaction Very Satisfied = 77 percent (in addition to 15 percent who rated it as Neither Satisfied or Dissatisfied) Board of Directors - based on their exposure to the Music City Gold Pen Awards and ongoing chapter involvement, three members were approved for the 2017 Board of Directors Slate for first-time appointments in the following roles: VP Communications, VP Membership, and VP Finance. 2. Recruit two to four sponsors, equating to $1,000, to support event costs. Measured Results: Total paid sponsorships = $500 Total value of paid and in-kind sponsorships = $1,250 (exceeded by $250) Three sponsors were secured for the event. Each sponsor was either paid or provided in-kind services or a combination. Each sponsor s logo/name was included on the website posts and communications. Additionally, each sponsor received a two-minute time slot to address the attendees. Overall, the sponsorships helped to offset costs and additional costs that would have been occurred by hiring services. 1. Type: Printer/Digital Firm - $ Type: Production/Media Company - $250 + installation and rental of professional lighting (Value $250 +)

8 8 3. Type: Photographer professional photography for all winners, groups, candid shots a link was made available for all attendees for viewing and complimentary downloading (Value $250 +) Additionally, a well-established local broadcaster/personality was recruited to serve as the master of ceremonies, free of charge. (Value $250 +). NOTE: While the team was unable to secure one of the targeted companies to sponsor this event, the chapter continued to pursue them after the event and were able to secure them for two fall Professional Development Luncheons = $600. And, one of the 2016 Sponsors has already agreed to sponsor the 2017 Music City Gold Pen Awards program. 3. Contribute to membership increase of 10% by November Measured Results: Pre-event membership, April 2016 = 49 members Six months post event, November 9, 2016 = 61 members (increase of 24 percent = 11 new members) Budget While a measurable aspect of this event, it was not an objective to host a profitable event the first year of the relaunch. The Board agreed upon a budget of $10,000 and an overall loss of $2,500. While spending was slightly higher than the projected budget, the event did stay below the $2,500 loss agreed upon by the Board during planning stages.