As someone who grew up in the Old Pueblo, I couldn’t help from echoing Bill. “That’s my Tucson,” I repeated to the television as I watched him calmly discuss the events that took place Saturday morning in front of a north side Safeway.

Bill’s wife, Suzie Hileman, was shot in the chest, stomach and hip. She was holding hands with nine-year-old Christina Green, a family friend and victim who died as a result of the shooting.
The Green and Hileman families are an example of the melting pot that gives Tucson some of its strength. Having met after the Greens asked for help with yard work, the families spent a good amount of time together, including this last Thanksgiving, according to Bill.

Suzie brought her young neighbor to U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ Congress on the Corner after Christina’s recent election to her own student council. Although a tragedy has marred the civic engagement Suzie and Christina shared and with everyone in attendance that morning, we should remember the unity that brought them together and will take us forward.

Arizona is a place where people from different backgrounds, states and beliefs come together. If that is ever a question just go down to the annual Tucson Meet Yourself!

There is an opportunity here not to dissect our differences and disagreements but rather continue the spirit of engagement that the Greens and Hilemans started in their neighborhood. Challenge yourself to meet everyone in your community, not just those who live on your street. It is through personal interaction, civic engagement and true community that we will continue to create a richer and more secure Arizona.

The first few years of Gordon C. James Public Relations hold some interesting memories.  We worked on several projects around the world including transporting Imelda Marcos back to the Philippines and later accompanying a Boy Scouts of America Delegation to Beijing.  Right from the start there were exciting things going on and before long we had opened a second office in Phoenix.

In 1992, after working on the Bush-Quayle Campaign and numerous White House events, we began to branch out from government affairs and started to work with SNICKERS® on its youth soccer tournament sponsorship. From that first year, we would go on to work with the brand for 11 years and solidify a strong history in the profession of public relations.

Over the years things have changed a lot- and I’m not talking about the color of my mustache.  There was a time when we mailed out press releases, then after a little technological advancement we had the luxury of blast faxing them.  Today, we send out communications and press releases via email in seconds.  But In the end, it is all about relationships.  So many people have worked alongside me over the years, and my thanks go out to everyone who has been a part of the first 20 years of Gordon C. James Public Relations.

My colleagues will be blogging each Wednesday in December about the latter 15 years of GCJPR, so be sure to check back each week for a new post.  A link will be posted on our Facebook page, or you can visit our blog directly at www.gcjpr.com/blog.

Start with your event date and work backwards. A timeline will keep you from missing important deadlines for weekly and monthly publications and ensure that you get information out about your event to the right places.

A calendar alert is important to send out approximately three months before your event. Most publications have calendars and will include your event information. Writing a press release in AP style that can be copied and pasted into a publication is important as well. Putting all media materials on your event website is essential as media can be directed to the site to download the information.

TV pitches must include great visual components. Think outside the box, can the chef or your event go on a morning show and cook something? If you are doing a fashion show, can you get on a morning show highlighting some of the clothes and models? Getting articles or TV segments about your event will go far with branding and awareness for your organization, but don’t count on it to sell tables or tickets or golf foursomes.

At GCJPR, we are always ready and willing to help you out with your event, your PR or both!

At GCJPR, we focus on the guest and work from there. We want the guests at our events to have fun, learn something and donate at fundraisers. Creating an environment where those are possible starts with keeping the guest in mind during the planning and execution stages.

Creating a timeline is paramount to success. A timeline during the planning stage ensures deadlines are met, invitations are dropped and video production is secured.

We believe that a carefully scripted event will enhance the experience for your guests, allowing the event to flow smoothly and eliminating long winded presenters.

Preparing an event timeline that details what is happening on the stage, including any audio visual needs, as well as event load in and VIP/Cocktail reception helps everyone stay on the same page.

If your event is large and incorporates volunteers you may want to consider holding a volunteer meeting the day before or a few hours before your event. This will allow you to assign jobs to your volunteers and explain the event’s activities.

Short programs are always better than long ones, especially for the audience. Your guests’ eyes will start glazing over from continuous talking, so think of ways to liven up your program like inserting a video or entertainment act. A stage manager will help your event move quickly by having participants backstage, which cuts down on time and ensures smooth transitions between speakers.

Always execute your event with your guests in mind and you will never lose.

GCJPR works on several events year round, however fall encompasses the bulk of functions as event season jumps off. Last weekend we managed Maricopa Health Foundation’s annual CopaBall at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa. For the attendees it was only one evening but getting to that point took months of planning and preparation.

To ensure that an event will go smoothly and be enjoyable for attendees, GCJPR recommends starting the process six months out. During planning and preparation stages your human resources are crucial. These people may include but are not limited to; a logistics/site chair, an underwriting chair, a program/staging chair, an auction chair and media/public relations chair.

With a re-occurring event a great place to start is reforming the previous year’s committee. The most important thing at this time is to create a great base of people who will take your event to the next level. Be prepared for the committee to change and even grow.

If you are producing a brand new event this team is equally if not more vital to the process. Reach out to friends and business partners who may be interested in participating or who may know someone who would be a solid committee member.

As event managers, GCJPR fills multiple roles on several committees every year. We are versed in the huge commitment needed to knock an event out of the park and recommend using a firm such as ours to help you get from planning to the day of the event.

CIGNA HealthCare of Arizona is the title sponsor of the seventh annual Maricopa Health Foundation CopaBall Gala benefitting the Maricopa Integrated Health System.  The Foundation exists solely to support the services of MIHS which touches the lives of nearly all residents of Maricopa County one way or another.  The Phoenix Cancer Center is a leading provider for cancer care, where patients have access to receive high quality cancer treatment through the latest technology with top physicians and specialists.  Programs include the Level I Trauma Center, The Arizona Burn Center and the Arizona Children’s Center.  MIHS trains more than 400 physicians a year and provides care to the uninsured and underinsured.

This year’s honorees are John A., Dover, M.D., recipient of the J.Kipp Charlton Physician of Excellence Award, and Margi J. Schultz (PhD, RN, CNE, PLNC), recipient of the Joey Ridenour Nursing Excellence Award.

Tickets are still open and can be purchased for $350.00 per person. Individual and table sponsorships seating can be reserved at www.blacktie-arizona.com/rsvp (Event code: copa10).  For further information, please contact Linda Cook at (602) 344-2623.

For the juniors, it was a magical week made possible through the sponsorship of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice and the amazing work of the First Tee program. The week kicked off with a number of informal mix and mingle diners. First was a pairing diner in which the juniors found out which professional they would be matched with, accompanied by raucous applause from all attending and gasps when some juniors were matched with golf greats such as Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller and Fred Couples.

The following evening the pros, juniors and their families were treated to diner and speeches at the exclusive Pebble Beach Golf Club. There were nine speakers, each representing and telling a story about the nine-core values of the First Tee. The speeches were littered with great moral lessons and humor from First Tee kids, golfers Tom Watson and Tim Simpson, and retired NFL player Harris Barton.

The 78 pros, 78 juniors and 156 amateurs played two qualifying rounds of golf, one at Pebble Beach Golf Links and one at Del Monte on September 3^rd and 4^th. Those who qualified with a low enough score advanced on to the final round at Pebble Beach on September 5, where Ted Schulz took the win.

The connection between the National Association for Home Care and Hospice and the First Tee makes much more sense than might appear at first sight. As provisions of the administration’s new health care legislation begin to take effect, insurance and service providers are looking for new ways to reach out to the large amount of Americans entering the market. For the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), an advocacy group that represents some 25,000 home care and hospice organizations, the tournament provided a great awareness opportunity. In addition, home care is often involved with children, thus allowing the organization to help give back while creating awareness.

GCJPR coordinated with the First Tee to capture stories on video and distribute photos to the media of First Tee kids who had a connection to home care or hospice somewhere in their family. A surprising number did, further enhancing the connection between the kids and the title sponsor. To see a number of photos from the week, check out the gallery boxes below.

In a short ceremony on April 23, 2010 Governor Janet Brewer signed SB 1070, the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, also commonly referred to as the Arizona Immigration law. There was little explanation and no apologies to those who might be affected adversely.  Just a ham-fisted “take it or leave it” approach. Those of us who make a living from conventions and tourism were left on our own to explain to our customers what all this meant.

I asked several colleagues and clients to read the law before they made any drastic decisions about continuing business in Arizona.  They said they didn’t need to because the national media and the White House had already explained it to them and that there was no way they would risk coming to Arizona.  The choice had been made for them.

I don’t think anyone knows for sure just how bad this law is going to be for the local economy.  One way or the other all of our livelihoods are affected by conventions and tourists – and they won’t be coming here as they had before.

Phoenix was one of the final three cities for the 2012 Republican National Convention.  Winning would have meant some $200 million in economic stimulus flowing into the state from visitors and convention organizers.  I think we lost in a fair fight, but I am sure ultimately SB 1070 was the tipping point driving the RNC Site Selection Committee to choose Tampa, Florida over Phoenix.

This has been a textbook case of bad public relations.  It could have been handled so much better.  We will all be living with this bad communications plan for some time to come. I can only hope that businesses and tourists will continue to spend their money in Arizona, knowing that a boycott of the state is not the right way to fix this legislative debacle. I’m confident if we all work together, we can arrive at a solution that will fix this problem and restore the state’s reputation to what it once was – a great place to visit and live.

Sincerely,

Gordon James

www.gcjpr.com

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill has garnered media attention across the world as it continues to pour hundreds of thousands if not millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico every day. It’s not only been an ecological disaster for the company and gulf states, it’s been a PR disaster from day one as well. Everyone is lining up to make sure BP knows it.

I remember picking up a case study book in my PR 400 level class in college, and in it was a study on how Exxon Valdez handled their spill. It spoke about the major blunders Exxon made while trying to minimize the effects of the spill. I have little doubt BP’s utter failure on the PR front will replace the Exxon case in this book.

In the early days of the spill, BP continually tried to downplay the amount of oil leaking out of its pipe. BP CEO Tony Hayward even went so far as to call the amount of oil “relatively tiny” when compared to the “very big ocean.” That may be a bit hard to swallow given the vast amounts of oil covered waters and beaches.

While in an interview with NBC where Hayward attempted to apologize for the disruption the spill called he even went so far as to caustically remark, “There’s no one who wants this thing over more than I do. I’d like my life back.” Whoa. Come again? Did he really say that?

As reports began to surface about large underwater plumes of oil caused by the dispersant BP used to break it up, BP’s chief engineering officer even went so far as to try and debate what constitutes a plume. Instead of owning up to the problem, they tried to play word games around the definition.

The company has been less than cooperative with the media as the spill progresses, often denying members of the media access to flyovers to photograph the spill or to speak with workers on the clean up crew. All while claiming an open door policy. The problem with denying the media, and then saying you aren’t, is it’s the media that gets to report whether you indeed are or not. It’s hard to cover the truth behind photos though such as those in this incredible, evolving New York Times photo story.

Word games, quick outbursts of insensitive comments, the inability to control the spill despite saying they could and denying media access have all built on BP’s PR disaster, rapidly destroying the companies credibility. Even spoof Twitter accounts have popped up to satirize and criticize the company, gaining a large audience of followers.

So when BP rolled out it $50million dollar ad campaign across TV and print publications like the Wall Street Journal, with Hayward apologizing and saying, “We will make this right,” it was a case of too little, too late in the public court of opinion. They had virtually nothing left to bank on and little credibility in the eyes of the American public.

BP’s mistake was to try and do anything but accept immediate responsibility for their actions and the conviction to see this problem solved. Instead they tried to pass blame, seemed perturbed to be bugged by this and have continually played games of misinformation or half information with the media and public.

When working with crisis clients, we always advise them to step forward and take responsibility. While its difficult to face the immediate criticism, and the truth that you’ve caused a fault, the perils of trying to downplay and hide your crisis will always come back to haunt you. In today’s open digital world, the truth will find a way to surface.

As for BP, it’s brand reputation will take decades to recover from this incident, if it ever does, costing it billions of dollars in the meantime. The only hope for the company now is to quickly find a solution to the spill and work toward repairing the damage its done with humility and honesty.