Each year when IABC International hosts its annual Membership Month, I take a moment to reflect on my personal journey as a member of this esteemed organization. Our IABC Chicago chapter has fostered my professional development on multiple levels as I grew from participating as a student, to a young professional and an eventual board member. In addition to affording me the opportunity to become part of a local community of passionate communicators, the connections I have made with fellow members have largely impacted the way I approach communications strategy, organizational effectiveness and my overall career path. Last July, I was extremely honored to build upon my IABC journey by stepping up to serve as president for IABC Chicago as one of the youngest members in the organization’s history to take on this role.
In our continued efforts to provide you with the best experience possible, last summer we polled our IABC Chicago member base to assess the most important aspects of chapter participation. The largest piece of feedback we received was the request to increase the variety of programming topics and times for the events we offer. I am proud to say that our Professional Development committee has put a lot of hard work and dedication into bringing that request to life this year. We continue that stride this spring with the following upcoming professional development and networking opportunities:
- April 10th – Annual open forum meeting hosted at ROC Group. We open this meeting to all members to provide an opportunity to share plans for coming months, and to solicit ideas regarding ways to better serve our members. RSVP via email to our chapter secretary.
- April 12th – PD Luncheon: How to be Your Organization’s Go-To Speechwriter with Mary Jo Bohr at Osteria via Stato.
- April 26th – Our annual Rápido! high-octane event that challenges presenters to share an innovative campaign in under five minutes, using no more than 20 slides. Presenters include from Alight, Gagen MacDonald, Gravel Agency, G&S Business Communicators and Scenic Road, Investis, ROC Group, TransUnion, and more. Hosted by Gagen MacDonald.
- May 2018 – Submit your Bronze Quill entries!
- May 16th – Coffee with Communicators hosted by Morningstar. Join us over a light breakfast as Sasha Bidga, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Corporate Communications, walks us through Morningstar’s campaign to protect the company’s brand.
- June 2018 – Annual volunteer appreciation event.
- June 3rd-6th – 2018 IABC World Conference in Montréal, Canada!
- September 2018 – Bronze Quill Awards Ceremony.
Additionally, as IABC members we are all invited to attend free monthly webinars. If you are not available to join these broadcasts live, simply access the Webinars On-Demand portal which allows you to listen to the session recordings at your convenience. Presentations available include Exploring the Convergence of Internal and External Communication, How to Reestablish Trust in the Media and Performance Reviews that Actually Enhance Performance.
In addition to attending events, I implore you to consider getting involved with our chapter through volunteering with IABC Chicago. We offer multiple opportunities to participate in this capacity, from one-time activities to ongoing committee or board roles. Send your name, email and phone number to our volunteer coordinator, and we will help find just the right volunteer opportunity to fit your needs.
Lastly, make sure to bookmark our website and connect with our social media channels to stay up to date with our chapter:
- IABC Chicago’s website
- IABC Chicago’s LinkedIn group
- IABC Chicago’s Facebook page
- IABC Chicago’s Twitter account
- IABC Chicago’s Instagram Feed
Associate Outreach Manager