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2024 CN Winter Symposium

The Counselors’ Network Winter Symposium is an annual event that provides high-level professional development designed to encourage productive idea sharing and dialogue among FPRA’s most experienced professionals. The 2024 CN Winter Symposium will be held in Amelia Island and will include a welcome reception on Thursday; top-level PR speakers; fun and informative activities; breakfast, lunch and dinner on Friday; and breakfast on Saturday. As you’ve come to expect from this event, the speakers will share their expertise and lead interactive discussions.

The Courtyard Amelia Island

Double queen room at the Courtyard Amelia IslandCourtyard Amelia Island is located on the picturesque island of Amelia Island, FL, with natural Appalachian quartz beaches and sand dunes as tall as 40 ft. The Fernandina Beach, FL, hotel is at the northern tip of the Island, which spans 26 sq. miles. Thoughtfully appointed guestrooms, some including balconies, feature plush bedding and limited views of the Atlantic Ocean. Check-in time is 4 p.m., and checkout time is 11 a.m.

CN Winter Symposium room rate: $149/night excluding taxes and fees

Parking: Self-parking is $10/day (reduced for FPRA from $15/day)

Address: 2700-1 Atlantic Avenue Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034

Phone: 904-261-1919

Deadline to Book at the Symposium Rate: January 9, 2024

2024 CN Winter Symposium Schedule

Courtyard Amelia IslandThursday, January 18, 2024

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Welcome Reception at Courtyard Amelia Island

Included with registration. Guest tickets available.

Join your CN colleagues and LeadershipFPRA Class VIII attendees for a Welcome Reception featuring light appetizers and beverages. One drink is included, with a cash bar to follow.

Dinner on your own after.

Friday, January 19, 2024

Breakast, Lunch & Speaker Sessions will be held at Courtyard Amelia Island and are for CN and LeadershipFPRA attendees. Dress is business casual or dressy casual. Wear comfortable shoes for the tour.

8 – 9 a.m.
Breakfast

9 – 10 a.m.
Pass the Fig Jam: How Mentors can Infuse Creativity into their Teams

Ted Spiker

Creativity, as we all know, is a fundamental skill for our professions, as we use it to develop new ideas, solve problems and reimagine the world. But how do we nurture that kind of thinking within our teams? Many early-career staffers have grown up in a rubrics-driven world, where rules, metrics and hard skills sit in a very crowded driver’s seat (and creative development gets stuffed in the trunk next to a water bottle from 2019). Ted Spiker, the University of Florida Teacher of the Year in 2017, will discuss fostering creativity in early-career team members — to help you elevate your communications plans and facilitate growth.

Ted Spiker is a professor and chair of the Department of Journalism at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. He primarily teaches Sports Media & Society and has authored books and articles focused on health and fitness. His work has been published in The Washington Post; TIME.com; Esquire.com; Outside; O, The Oprah Magazine; Fortune; and Runner’s World. Before coming to UF, he was an articles editor, senior editor, and associate editor of Men’s Health.

10:15 – 11:15 a.m.
The Intersection of AI, Disinformation and Ethical Communications

Mark Stultz

Mark Stultz, VP of communications at JEA, Northeast Florida’s not-for-profit community-owned utility, will lead an in-depth discussion on the current issues and pitfalls to avoid in relation to artificial intelligence and its use in PR.

Mark Stultz is responsible for leading and directing JEA’s communication strategy, brand management and brand reputation. He oversees departments focused on internal and external communications, including employee communication, branding, consumer education, digital media and media relations. Stultz has led strategic policy and communications management for energy companies throughout his career. Prior to joining JEA, he was managing partner for EVC Insights LLC, a policy, communications and public affairs consulting firm specializing in natural gas and electricity. Before that, he held vice president roles for BP, Natural Gas Supply Association and Electric Power Supply Association in Washington, D.C. He started his career as a reporter and anchor for TV stations in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland.

11:15 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Lunch

12 – 2 p.m.
AI Oh My: AI Guidelines Workshop

Dan Farkas headshotWhether you work for a large corporation or own your own agency, a comprehensive policy for using artificial intelligence technologies is as essential as a crisis communications plan. In this workshop, Dan Farkas will address the three questions any communicator must consider before incorporating AI into their work:

  • What can AI do really well?
  • Where does AI struggle?
  • How do I create an ethically responsible process that keeps me out of trouble?

This workshop will help you create an AI policy for your organization. You will leave with a template to create an ethically responsible AI policy for your business, as well as an understanding of how AI can help you with strategic communication planning and delivery and, perhaps more importantly, how to make sure using AI doesn’t get you sued, fired or both.

Dan Farkas is an Instructor of Strategic Communication at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Dan teaches writing, social media, content marketing, video, strategy and campaign classes. He also owns Dan Farkas Interactive, which does all those things along with podcasting and blogging. Dan spent more than a decade working as a reporter in Iowa, Michigan and Tennessee. His work on air and online earned nearly two dozen appearances on CNN, SI.com, TVTalk and other forums. He has also been quoted by the BBC, Mashable, Tech Republic, The Street and Monster.com.

Fort Clinch3 – 5 p.m.
Guided Tour of Fort Clinch

Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Guest tickets available.

History, nature and beauty will combine in this guided tour through Fort Clinch, a brick 19th-century fort. We’ll learn the strategic importance of Fort Clinch during the Civil War and the life of a Union soldier as we explore the fort’s many rooms, galleries and grounds. The tour will last one hour and leave time for exploring on our own before heading to dinner.

The Crab Trap Amelia Island5:30 p.m.
Group Dinner at the Crab Trap Amelia Island in Fernandina Beach

Dinner and non-alcoholic beverages included with CN Winter Symposium registration. Guest tickets available.

Relax and unwind with your CN and LeadershipFPRA colleagues. Select your choices for a three-course meal from an abbreviated menu at this bustling, wharflike restaurant housed in an 1876 building on the banks of the Amelia River.

Saturday, January 20, 2024

These sessions will held at Courtyard Amelia Island and are for CN only. Dress is business casual or casual.

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Breakfast and CN Business Meeting

9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Communicating through an Active Assailant Threat: Beyond Run, Hide, Fight

Aaron Marks

This immersive experience focuses on proactive strategies for preventing and managing active assailant incidents and being ready to respond to and communicate appropriately through these events when prevention fails. In a world where 45% of such threats occur in commercial businesses, those charged with communications and reputation management must be ready. Drawing on insights from the Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Active Assailant Security Branch (AASB), this training goes beyond conventional approaches, offering crucial systems and measures to prevent and prepare for targeted violence and determine what internal and external communication is necessary during the crisis.

Aaron Marks, MPA, NRP, MEP, principal consultant at One Thirty Nine Consulting, is a globally recognized risk, crisis and consequence management expert. With more than 30 years of experience, he collaborates with government and private sector clients, employing data-driven approaches to enhance readiness and resilience. His consulting career includes impactful work with the U.S. Department of Defense, the Department of State and multiple Agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, where he has acted as a senior subject matter expert and instructor for topics around the threat of targeted violence. This includes developing and supporting the implementation of tools, techniques and procedures focused on insider threat, active assailant and active shooter incidents. He also supports international clients, including the European Union, the European Defence Agency, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations. He is a frequent speaker at the NATO Joint Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Defence Center of Excellence, where he lectures on consequence management and civil-military coordination. A seasoned paramedic, Aaron has served in both career and volunteer departments, specializing in hazardous environment medicine, contributing to critical areas like Tactical Medicine, Hazardous Materials response and Weapons of Mass Destruction medical surveillance and countermeasures.

11:30 a.m.
Adjourn

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