PR in PA

With the promise of torrential rain in New York this afternoon, I’m gearing up to head on the Acela to Philly this weekend for the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) annual confab.

Looks like Jack O’Dwyer’s favorite industry trade group has drawn a big crowd of pros to the City of Brotherly Love. They’re expected from all across the PR spectrum – agency, corporate, non-profit, consultants….

I’ve been tapped to preside over a panel on Sunday at 4:15pm with the (near-cliched) title, “Social Media: What Every PR Practitoner Needs to Know.” Fortunately, three of the industry’s smartest and most successful PR 2.0 (groan) practitoners will ward off any potential for impractical, irrelevant or impertinent advice.

CEOs Lee Odden of Top Rank Results, Nicco Mele of echoditto and Rob Key of Converseon each bring a different dimension to the party. I’ve asked Lee to address the importance to PR pros SEM/SEO and Google; Nicco to talk about his work on the Dean campaign and his current client Rosie, as well as blogger relations; and Rob to look at “monitoring the conversation” and what he describes as “cultural anthropology” in gaining share of voice in online and virtual communities

Separately, the indefatigable Kami Huyse tapped me and other PR blogging types to post and podcast from the event. We’re all slated for a blogger meet-up dinner on Sunday evening (which the Greater Philadelphia Tourism folks are sponsoring…but not paying for.) I wonder what their sponsorship gets them. This post?

If you’re planning to be in the land of hoagies, cheese steaks and soft pretzels (with mustard), please be sure to swing by to say hi.