NTA and Edelman to Host Free Crisis and Media Relations Seminars for Gulf Coast Region
July 7, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Madeline Vied
madeline.vied@ntastaff.com
+1.859.226.4275
800.682.8886
NTA and Edelman to Host Free Crisis and Media Relations Seminars for Gulf Coast Region
LEXINGTON, Ky.– NTA, North America’s premier association of travel professionals, and Edelman , the world’s largest independent public relations firm, are presenting a series of free seminars titled "Practical Skills for the Oil Spill Crisis: Managing Media Relations and Building Business through a Crisis." The seminars, open to all members of the tourism industry and others impacted by the crisis, have been scheduled for:
- July 13; 9 a.m.-1 p.m. CT at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi
- July 14; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. CT at the Municipal Auditorium in Houma, Louisiana
- August 10 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. CT, at the Kaiser Realty Ballroom in Gulf Shores, Alabama
- August 11 from10 a.m.-1 p.m. CT at the Sanders Beach Center in the Corinne Jones Community Center Ballroom in Pensacola, Florida
"So many businesses and destinations throughout the Gulf Coast region are being tragically hurt by incomplete information about tourism in this area," said NTA President Lisa Simon, CTP. "Through these seminars, NTA and Edelman will help people in the impacted destinations proactively manage this crisis and use the media as partners to help communicate the facts."
"We are proud to partner with NTA to offer a much-needed service to the tourism industry throughout the Gulf region," said Cathleen Johnson, executive vice president of Edelman’s Tourism practice. "We believe that in this age of lightning-fast communications, it is essential to be skilled at managing traditional and social media to ensure the right information is getting out to potential tourists to these areas."
The seminars will provide participants with skills needed for not only managing media relations, but also tips for maintaining and building tourism business through the oil spill crisis. Specific topics include:
- The Crisis Perspective – Leaders of the Edelman Crisis Practice will focus on understanding the public’s fears and perceptions of a crisis, addressing misperceptions through accurate messaging and finally, some of the best practices in crisis management.
- Media Relations – Edelman media specialists will review how the media is covering the oil spill, how it differs from other crises and offer pointers for keeping the media accurately informed.
- Digital Relations in a Crisis – Edelman Digital’s media specialist will review methods for monitoring the digital newscape, analyzing how digital coverage can affect a business and engaging an audience using various social media platforms.
Registration is open for all seminars at NTAOnline.com/gulfcoast. Please contact NTA Public Relations Specialist Madeline Vied at madeline.vied@NTAstaff.com with any questions. This event is partly sponsored by GulfCoastTravelUpdate.com, an interactive tool devised by travel social network Tripatini.com to help Gulf Coast business owners get their message out.
Edelman has one of the largest tourism PR practices in the world, and the firm’s crisis and issues management practice has helped counsel Fortune 500 companies, mid-sized organizations, non-profits, government entities and high-profile individuals respond to a range of communications and reputational challenges. The firm has 3,200 employees in 52 offices worldwide and has been named Advertising Age’s top-ranked PR firm of the decade; Adweek’s "2009 Agency of the Year"; and PRWeek’s "2009 Agency of the Year." Visit http://www.edelman.com/ for more information.
NTA is the leading association for professionals serving travelers to, from and within North America. Since its founding in 1951, the association has served a broad and diverse membership and helped them expand market reach with innovative business tools, strategic relationships and collaboration within the industry. NTA membership represents more than 40 countries. To learn more about NTA, please visit NTAonline.com/.
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