PBL National President
Future Business Leaders of America – Phi Beta Lambda, Inc.
730 Stinson Street #7101│Norman, OK 73072
P 405.371.8210
www.fbla-pbl.org
Attention PBL members:
Arizona FBLA (the high school division) is seeking competitive event judges for their State Conference in Tucson on April 19th and 20th. We are looking for mature juniors and seniors, preferably with work experience. Those with expertise in technology will also find that there are a variety of events for them. If you are interested, please follow the link below and fill out the form. Under “How did you hear about this conference?” be sure to indicate “Arizona PBL.”
If you know any industry professionals that might be interested in judging, be sure to refer them as well.
http://web.mac.com/rylin.enterprises/www.azfbla.org/SLC_Judging_Information.html
Dear PBL Members and Advisers:
The 40th Annual State Leadership Conference of Arizona Phi Beta Lambda will be held on Friday and Saturday, April 16-17, at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Conference activities will take place in the University’s Harvill building, near the Student Union. This is the premier event in Arizona PBL, and all members should plan on attending. Conference activities will include competitive events, workshops, and the election of our new State Officer Team. The conference will culminate with our annual Awards Banquet (an Italian themed buffet), the presentation of awards, and the State Officer Installation Ceremony.
Members also planning on attending the PBL National Leadership Conference (NLC) to be held on July 9-12, in Nashville, Tennessee can guarantee their placement in the event(s) of their choice at the NLC by placing in competitive events.
All conference activities will be held on the U of A campus, except for the social event on Friday night at Sakura and Golf-N-Stuff. Please see the enclosed registration materials for a parking map, preliminary schedule, and registration information. A final schedule of events will be sent to each chapter prior to the conference. Registration entry forms will be due from each chapter on March 11. Payments for conference registration fees will be due by April 9. All members competing in Team Events and those taking 4 written tests will need to take at least one test on Friday. Also, all members competing in Job Interview, Future Business Executive, or Future Business Teacher will need to have their materials turned in for judging on Friday afternoon. Please refer to the preliminary schedule and guidelines for more information.
We will be following the FBLA-PBL Dress Code for all events on Saturday, so please inform your members that professional attire will be required. Professional or formal attire will be appropriate for the Awards Banquet. Business Casual will be appropriate dress for all activities on Friday.
The registration information should have been emailed to you by Mike Manion. If you did not receive that email or you have any questions, please email me at mikeazpbl@cox.net
by Kim Stearns
Press releases act as a simple way for those working in the media (e.g. bloggers, reporters, journalists, podcasters) to fill their newspaper pages or blog sites with news-worthy information. Press releases can be distributed in a variety of formats; the most effective of which is sending it directly to any media contacts you may already have, such as editors of school newspapers. Other avenues for distributing press releases include newswires and
free press release distribution sites, both of which allow bloggers and reporters to find your press release through search engines.
Just as important as the channels you distribute your press release on is the format in which your release is presented. There are plenty of resources out there for properly formatting your release. All of them include these few core components:
1. Make sure to mark your release with “NEWS RELEASE” along the top. This will help to distinguish from the hundreds of other emails your media contacts receive daily
2. Provide specific contact information at the very top of your release including email and phone number should they need more information
3. Make your headline stand out!
4. Keep your release to one page, and end your release with the standard “-30-” this will indicate there are no more pages to your release
The most important thing to remember when creating a press release is that these reporters and bloggers receive hundreds, if not thousands, press releases per day. Your challenge as a PR or marketing professional is to ensure that your press release gets noticed and published. The best way to make this happen is to write about something unique and give your press release an intriguing title. Simply stating facts and quotes is easy, but digging and telling a true story about your newsworthy item is what will give these important media contacts something valuable to write about.
Editor’s Note: We encourage local PBL chapters to create press releases when they have exciting news to share with the local community.
_______________________________________________________________
Kim Stearns is a former Phi Beta Lambda member. She is currently the Marketing Director at Forty Agency in Phoenix and is also the President/Founder of Commpose.
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kimstearns
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kimstearns
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stylianosm / CC BY 2.0
ASU Main Campus, Saturday, February 13th, 2010, 9am-3pm
ASU Phi Beta Lambda invites chapters from across the state of Arizona to Tempe for a day of competition. If your chapter plans on attending, please let us know as soon as possible. The registration deadline is Friday, February 5th, 2010. The registration fee will be $10 per student. Please fill-in this spreadsheet to complete registration. Inside of the spreadsheet you can find a list of all the events that will be offered.
Tentative Schedule
8:30-9:00: Registration
9:00-9:30: Opening Session/State Officer Reports
9:30-11:30: Written Tests/Performance Events
11:30-12:30: Lunch (the Memorial Union has numerous places to eat and is just a minute walk away)
12:30-2:00: Written Tests/Performance Events
2:00-2:30: Voting Session
2:30-3:00: Awards
Visit asupbl.org for more information.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Brian Ackerman – centralvp@azpbl.org
Social networking is a ubiquitous phrase that has pervaded every limb of pop culture. From expanding our lexicons (have you tweeted today? maybe you facebooked someone?) to changing the way we interact, we use social networks for many reasons including convenience, entertainment, and sometimes to humor our own secret obsessions with achieving fame, even if on a micro level. But despite the vast popularity of the social networking movement, businesses and organizations often struggle in understanding a way to leverage these networks to their advantage.
To be frank, there are many misconceptions about the benefits of social networking. For example, the concept of viral marketing (now the holy grail of contemporary marketing) is believed to follow the “if you build it, they will come” axiom. In fact, you may have thought the very definition of viral marketing necessitates this. Sure, in some instances a video of a cat eating a cheeseburger may have spread like wildfire from 1 to 10 million viewers in a week. But often, an effective viral marketing campaign requires considerable planning and investment. But if you succeed, there are two major advantages: (a) the costs associated with distributing the message is traditionally cheaper through social networks and (b) the buzz generated from the campaign is generally percieved as authentic and legitimate – and that is the key. To be able to impact the market in a manner that appears organically generated rather than forced by your organization yields great results.
Let’s apply this concept to a local chapter. If I post an advertisement on Facebook asking students to attend a PBL meeting, my message is likely to be ignored by most. In fact, it will probably take multiple impressions before a user even stops to consider the message your advertising. The same is true for any other posting you might make through sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. The fact is, people generally don’t care about your message. You have to find ways to make them care. You have to find ways to cut through the noise and the clutter and achieve differentiation. Because PBL is not just an online organize, you are going to need to coordinate your online and offline promotions.
Consider the following case: You are having your first meeting of the year. You want to convince students through Facebook to attend the meeting. How are you effectively going to spread your message?
In your approach, you would keep in mind the following:
The science of viral marketing is inexact and has yet to be mastered, but understanding some of these basic ideas may help you strike gold. But while viral marketing is one key advantage of social networks in helping you promote your chapter, social networks can also serve another very important function. They can help you organize and communicate within your chapter. I urge you to explore the following web 2.0 tools in helping you become more efficient and effective:
The Web 2.0 movement is more than just a way for you to waste time in class. The latest and greatest technology can help you have a more organized chapter and can possibly help your increase membership.
Joshua Belhumeur
State President and Web Developer
AZ PBL Members and Advisers,
In celebration and recognition of our March of Dimes week activities, please join us for food and fun at our social event this Saturday, November 21 at 1:00pm.
The social event will take place at Vista del Sol, an ASU residential community at
701 E. Apache Blvd.
Tempe, AZ 85281
You can park for free at the ASU Apache Blvd Parking Structure at Apache Blvd and Normal Ave (see links below). You can use the entrance for decal holders (the gates will be up on Saturday) and park on the 2nd floor. From the parking structure, cross to the south side of Apache Blvd, and then walk east until you reach the Vista del Sol commercial storefronts. Walk south from there to the entrance of the community.
http://www.asu.edu/map/interactive/
*PLEASE RSVP* to Brian Ackerman at centralvp@azpbl.org
We are pleased to announce that Alexandria Duran from Eastern Arizona College has been appointed to fill the vacant State Secretary position. As a former FBLA state officer, she has demonstrated tremendous experience both as a leader and as a dedicated contributor to FBLA-PBL. We are looking forward to working with her for the remainder of the academic year.
Greetings members and advisers,
The national officer team would like to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication in the beginning of the year. We still have a long way to go to reach our membership goal of 13,000. The first cut-off date for membership registration and dues is October 20. Please encourage your officers and chapters to register all the members and submit the dues as early as possible. A new “National Top 10 Chapters” award will be updated weekly on the FBLA-PBL national website to recognize the 10 largest PBL chapters every week. Also, keep in mind that the largest chapters will be recognized at the NFLCs. Therefore, please get your dues in early and you may see your school on the honor list!
Meanwhile, the National Fall Leadership Conferences are just around the corner. Register now for one of the NFLCs and save by taking advantage of the NFLC early bird registration and hotel reservation rates. Your national officers are looking forward to seeing you and your members in Baltimore, Denver and Orlando. Early bird registration is through October 10 for Baltimore, October 17 for Denver, and October 24 for Orlando. A lot of exciting workshops, keynote speakers, networking opportunities, and fun time await you!
Your national officer team is here to help in any possible way to ensure that your chapter is having a productive year. As Vince Lombardi once said “perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” With continuous hard work and dedication, we can certainly take PBL to another great level. Keep up the work and keep us posted on your chapter news!
Geoffrey Long
PBL National Secretary
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