JUNE PROGRAM AND LUNCHEON

Topic: “Richmond 2015: It’s Not (Really) About the Races”

Speaker: Lee Kallman, Marketing and Communications Director for Richmond 2015

Date: Thursday, June 6

Time: 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Cost: $25 for members and full-time students; $30 for non-members

Location: Owens & Minor, 9120 Lockwood Blvd. Mechanicsville, VA 23116

Deadline: Register by Tuesday, June 4

 

About Our Program

UCI Road World Cycling Championships will race through the Richmond Region in September of 2015.

The race is estimated to have 450,000 on-site spectators, 1,000 world class athletes from over 75 countries competing in 12 World Championship races. This is sure to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for our region.

All that said, racing may be at the core of the 2015 initiative, but it's not what defines the effort.

Join us to learn more about the 2015 Road World Championships and how the organizers are challenged to communicate the broader message of why this means more to Richmond than just world-class racing.

About Our Speaker

Lee Kallman is the Marketing and Communications Director for Richmond 2015, the non-profit corporation responsible for the organization, management and promotion of the 2015 UCI Road World Cycling Championships.

Lee Kallman is a dynamic marketer with more than 16 years of agency and corporate experience across technology, sports and service industries.

Kallman began his career in 1995 working with EDS on the launch of the US Cycling Team’s “SuperBike” as well as the company’s sponsorship of the team through the 1996 Olympic Games. In 1997, Kallman shifted his focus to technology marketing with Alexander Communications, one of the premier, technology-marketing firms in the country.

In 1999, Alexander Communications was acquired by Ogilvy, where as a Vice President, Kallman lead a team focused on marketing and communications strategy and program implementation for companies such as Telstra, Cisco, Lucent Technologies as well as several hot start-ups.

In 2002, Kallman assumed the lead of the marketing department for the Atlanta Beat, Women’s Professional Soccer team. Over the next two years Kallman drove the strategy and successful implementation of grassroots, new media and traditional programs that lead to significant year-over-year growth in sponsorship and ticket sales.

Kallman transitioned to the corporate side of sports marketing in 2004 with Velocity Sports Performance, where he lead the company’s national marketing efforts while establishing successful partnerships with companies including Nike and Gatorade.

In 2006, he moved back to his hometown of Richmond, VA, to become the Managing Partner in Happy Face Photography, a local children’s photography company. Over the next four years Kallman expanded the operations throughout three states, doubled revenue and then sold the business to Lifetouch National School Studios.

Lee lives in Richmond’s West End with his wife, Faith, and two children, Ali and Sander. Lee can often be found bicycling throughout the rural roads of the Richmond region.

MAY PROGRAM AND LUNCHEON

Topic: "Better Communications Across All Generations"
Date: Thursday, May 2
Speaker: Matt Thornhill, Founder and President of The Boomer Project
Time: 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Cost: $25 for members and full-time students; $30 for non-members
Location: Owens & Minor, 9120 Lockwood Blvd. Mechanicsville, VA 23116
Register: Register by Tuesday, April 30

Description

Based on proprietary research, this provocative, engaging and entertaining presentation will open your eyes and mind on how to better design effective communications to reach all generations in both the workplace and marketplace.

During our May program, Matt Thornhill, Founder and President of the Boomer Project, will share specific strategies, tactics and approaches to more effectively connect with Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials.


About our speaker

In the last ten years, Matt Thornhill has successfully built the Boomer Project into the nation's leading authority on marketing to today's Boomer Consumer.

The Boomer Project clients include Walmart, Google, AARP and Lowe's Home Improvement. More recently, the Boomer Project as developed a new training program designed to raise awareness about generational diversity in the workplace called GenerationsMatter.

Matt is routinely featured in stories about generations and Boomers in The Wall Street Journal, TIME Magazine, USA Today, CBS Evening News and NPR's Morning Edition. He co-wrote, Boomer Consumer, an award-winning business book, and he writes the Viva the Vital op/ed column for The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

April Program and Luncheon

Topic: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Content Writers
Date: Thursday, April 4
Speaker: Kris Spisak
Time: 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Cost: $25 for members and full-time students; $30 for non-members
Location: Owens & Minor, 9120 Lockwood Blvd. Mechanicsville, VA 23116
Register: Register at iabcrichmond.com by Tuesday, April 2

Description
Creating strong content on the web is a must, but ensuring that content is seen should also be of the highest priority. What was once a service of programmers has shifted to the hands of content writers. Proper keyword placement, embedded links, and other SEO techniques can enhance any site's traffic. Applying these methods while keeping a focus on strong writing is often where marketing departments fall short. Search Engine Optimization combined with fluid, well-written communications is key.

About our speaker

Kris Spisak is the President of Petrofy, a web development company specializing in eCommerce and content management systems, and the C.E.O. of K. S. Writing, a communications company with a mission to bolster the literary arts community by connecting professional creative writers with businesses in need of their communication skills.

With a B.A. from the College of William & Mary and a M.L.A. from the University of Richmond, Kris began her career as a college writing instructor. She taught at Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Richmond, and two central Virginia community colleges before shifting her focus away from the classroom.Her business publications range from local press releases to eCommerce copy for international retailers, and her personal publications include short fiction in Dark Sky Magazine, a former column in R Home, and academic research within the archives of the Richmond History Center. She is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators and on the James River Writers Board of Directors.

February Program and Luncheon

Topic: “What We Learn from Mistakes in the Media”
Speaker: Elaine Mandaleris-Preddy

Date: Thursday, February 7
Time: 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Cost: $25 for members and full-time students; $30 for non-members

Location: Owens & Minor, 9120 Lockwood Blvd. Mechanicsville, VA 23116

Register: Register here by Tuesday, February 5.

Standards for language change over time, but which changes are acceptable for your workplace? 

Do you notice errors on signage, business Web posts, magazines, etc., or are they becoming so commonplace that you ignore them or are not even sure when you’re seeing or hearing them?

In our hurry-up world, carefully crafted communication seems to have gone by the wayside at times. We’re bombarded by 24-7 information from anyone who has the technology. How does that influence our standards for business communication?

Come to our February meeting to find out:

• how to ensure that your staff members use appropriate wording for a business setting
• how to simplify conventional rules for standard business English
• when to make style changes in your workplace—how quickly or often
• how to avoid mistakes in your own communication

 

About our speaker:

For much of her 28 years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Elaine Mandaleris-Preddy edited publications that ranged from academic journals to magazines to the annual report to brochures and newsletters (in print and online).

She enjoyed working with authors to ensure their writing was clear and appropriate for their audience. Eventually, others around the Fed asked her to review documents and coach them on writing. So in 2007, she began conducting writing workshops that were tailored to the needs of each group.

With her logical, grammar-made-easy approach—using YouTube and other media sources for examples—she helped employees learn what they may have missed if they slept through high school English class.

Since retiring from the Fed in 2010, Elaine has been offering services as a freelancer in writing, editing, and communications coaching. She also has been pursuing another interest—voiceover work. Six months of voiceover training, lifelong experience in choral singing that includes 18 years with the Richmond Symphony Chorus and a stint as a college radio personality helped prepare her for this endeavor.

Elaine began her communications career in advertising. After graduating with a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia, Elaine worked at the Martin Agency, among other agencies.

Elaine has served in various board positions with IABC/Richmond.