The last week of December is always a time for reflection on the past 12 months and predictions for what the coming year will bring. Professionally speaking, 2014 was a great year for me. Take a little walk with me down memory lane as I recap some highlights of 2014.
Vegas, Baby!
The year started off guns blazing with back-to-back business trips to Las Vegas. The polar vortex and a cancelled flight made my first trip to the Consumer Electronics Show even more memorable than I had anticipated. Getting to take part in the iconic show and being there as part of the wearable tech trend is something I won’t soon forget. While at CES, I helped facilitate interviews with various industry analysts and reporters for outlets including TechCrunch, WNCN, and PC Mag, among others.
After a redeye home and the weekend off, I hopped on another flight so I could attend the SHOT Show. It was my fourth year working at SHOT so I had a good la
y of the land and knew many of the key journalists in attendance. It was a productive event for our client and I was pleased that the majority of our in-booth briefings showed for their appointments.
And I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Jesse James, who was nice enough to stop and pose for a selfie.
Cause close to my heart
Today, it seems we all know someone whose life has been changed because of breast cancer. Both my mother and grandmother are survivors. So when we landed work with the BC5 Project, a consortium whose mission is to encourage women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer to fully explore the available treatment options, I was optimistic that our work could help empower women to be more informed in discussions with their doctor.
This assignment exposed me to a few incredibly bright female physicians (one of whom I accompanied to Cosmopolitan For Latinas for a deskside briefing) and several breast cancer survivors, who were willing to share their powerful and inspiring stories. One of them, Kerry Kenna, penned a heartfelt post tied to Mother’s Day that published on HealthyWomen.org.
Connecting with longtime client
Later in the year, I headed to Charlotte to attend a tradeshow with Playworld Systems, a client we’ve worked with for several years. This was my first time traveling with this particular client and I valued being able to connect with the team in person and outside of the office or conference calls.
Briefings with trade media at the show were all successful and we’re currently awaiting a bylined article to publish that we secured at the show.
In addition to face-time with the client, I was able to arrange to have dinner with family who live in the area. A win-win!
Play unites us all
Last month, I had the opportunity to attend a local community playground build in Ross Township, Penna., about 15 minutes from my home. It was an emotional day for many in attendance, as the playground being built was in memory of shooting victims who lost their lives when a man opened fire during a meeting at the township’s municipal building last year.
When I learned that our client, Playworld Systems, was donating equipment for the playground, I was immediately happy. I believe in the company’s mission of saving unstructured outdoor play and was touched by the fact that the donation was going to one of my local communities rocked by tragedy.
Volunteers sta
rted working to assemble the playground equipment bright and early on Saturday, despite the frigid temperatures. Bernie Kozen, West End Open Space Commission executive director and the main organizer for the effort to build the new playground, was pleased with the many volunteers who showed up to lend a hand, saying, “They are helping a wonderful cause.” Kozen also said he hopes people remember the Ross Township victims when they see the playground.
It was hard not to feel a sense of pride that morning as I witnessed the hard work of the volunteers and saw the emotion on the faces local residents. We know the values of the companies we represent, but seeing how Playworld Systems’ generosity was helping to heal a community was nothing short of inspirational.
Undoubtedly, 2014 will be a tough act to follow but I’m anxious to see what 2015 holds for RoseComm and our clients.