Welcome to WelCOMM, Y'all!

Join PRCA and AAF March 20th for a full day of professional development! Featuring incredible speakers from a range of fields, you'll come away from this engaging workshop with practical knowledge you can apply in both work and everyday life.

We'll begin the day with coffee and pastries and enjoy box lunches during the keynote presentation.

WORKSHOP AGENDA:

10 a.m. / Influencers & Affiliates & Ambassadors, Oh My! All About Creating a Brand Ambassador Program That Works.

Through this talk with BK Covington, learn how to build a successful ambassador program and leverage it to elevate your brand. Learn how to recruit the right partners, set clear expectations and track performance while connecting with your authentic audience. Whatever stage your social media marketing strategy is currently in, this session will provide actionable insights to drive engagement, boost brand awareness, and achieve measurable results – all while utilizing the digital presence of those who are already fans of your product. BK is a dedicated, experienced marketing professional and the University of Alabama’s Division of Strategic Communications 2024 Innovator of the Year.

11 a.m. / Illustrator & InDesign – Tips, Tricks & What’s New

Kaly Glass and Kaylee McCool will cover efficiency hacks and best practices for Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. These tips will help spark creativity and productivity no matter what design program (Adobe or otherwise) you use. Kaly and Kaylee are both multiple award-winning graphic designers in the University of Alabama’s Division of Strategic Communications.

12:30 p.m. / Mastering Public Speaking

Keynote presented by Charli K. Matthews, who has been an entrepreneur for over a decade and is known for her energy and innovative ideas. She is the founder of Empowering Brands, a versatile, digital media and marketing services company with a strong industrial focus. She bridges the gap between traditional practices and modern digital strategies. Charli uses her leadership coaching to inspire confidence and foster growth. With certifications in the Leadership Launchpad Coaching Program and Legacy Leaders program through Elite High Performance, Charli equips others to lead authentically and create fulfilling lives.

2 p.m. / Media Relations 101

J. Suzanne Horsley, Ph.D., will cover the basics of working with a reporter and doing an interview. Attendees will also team up to do some practice interviews in this interactive exercise for both newbies and experienced pros. J. Suzanne Horsley, Ph.D., is associate professor of public relations at The University of Alabama. She is co-author of “The Media Relations Training Handbook” and the sixth edition of “On Deadline: Managing Media Relations.” She began her communication career in Virginia working for a decade in state government public affairs and university media relations before joining academia.

For information on group ticket pricing, please contact Jennifer Brady: jennifer.brady@ua.edu.

WelCOMM 2025

By United Way of West Alabama

WelCOMM 2025

a one-day immersive workshop for communications professionals