The old adage “the customer is always right” is one approach to public relations, but there is more to PR and marketing than that. Because there are so many aspects to good PR, Public Relations Individuals in Southern Maryland is holding a conference to be held at the College of Southern Maryland campus in Leonardtown on Thursday, Oct. 15.

This is PRISM’s fifth annual PR and Marketing workshop for local nonprofits, business people, entrepreneurs, professionals, students, and government employees. People who previously attended this conference have praised the helpful nuts and bolts content, the variety of the sessions, and the timeliness of the topics. All attendees will receive Continuing Education Units from CSM.

The intense PR workshop will be conducted under the tutelage of Karen Smith-Hupp, CSM’s director of community relations. Attendees will learn key concepts and techniques for effective public relations in this session.

  • Public Relations in Fundraising may be helpful for nonprofits. Learn five strategies for a solid fundraising and marketing program from Karen Zapp, Fundraising Copywriter & Marketing Advisor of PK Scribe, LLC. Carrie Geldart of the Y of Central Maryland will show how she surpassed her goals during these difficult economic times through her PR efforts.
  • Crisis Communications is a useful course for anyone, and this may be the most important topic an organization needs to review.
  • Building Community Relationships and Creating Customer Loyalty features a panel discussion with representatives from Outback Steakhouse, Blue Wind, and St. Mary’s College. Find out what works for
  • Diversity in PR and Marketing is for people who want to communicate with men and women (or boys and girls) from all sorts of cultures, races, and backgrounds.
  • Social Marketing for Dummies will be a crash course on how to use Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and LinkedIn—for those of us who haven’t forayed into this field on our own. (Count me in!) This session will be presented by Will Burns of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce—with statistical information for those who want to confirm the usefulness of these tools.

Those are just some of the sessions attendees can attend. In addition, some of the leading editors and writers from Southern Maryland print and electronic media will participate in a lunch seminar to reveal what you need to do to get free placement in their publications. People may also network with local PR professionals and get to know others in the marketing community.

The workshop is perfect for those professionals who want to stay connected, increase interactivity, create relationships that work for their business.

To reserve space at this PRISM conference, please go to www.prismonline.info and download the registration form. For more information, contact Karen O’Connor at koconnor@csmd.edu. For those who register by Oct. 1, this event is only $30 for PRISM members and $40 for non-members. The cost includes the conference and lunch.