2021 Speed Session Bundle: Marketing and Public Relations

This bundle is worth 0.1 CEU and contains the following three speed sessions from NRPA's 2021 annual conference:

Bringing Play Downtown - Activating Civic Plaza in Albuquerque, New Mexico (Session 006)
Urban public squares and plazas are important civic spaces. They are equitable, democratic and provide a fundamental platform for free speech. Plazas and squares built in the 1970s typically consist of expansive, paved spaces, with no transition between small and large scale, discouraging everyday use. This results in underutilized spaces in the hearts of many cities. Spaces built in the 1970s are eligible for listing on historic registers, potentially making it more difficult to re-envision and transform them to meet the diverse needs of today's users. The presenter will describe the development and construction of a transformative design of urban playground to activate 1970s urban downtown space, using Albuquerque's Civic Plaza as an example. She will explain what design elements and programming strategies were used to bring the community back into this space and how those strategies relate to bringing vibrancy and play into the heart of a city. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand how to re-envision and re-construct downtown spaces through design, programming and play into equitable spaces that meet the current public's needs. 
2. Recognize the importance of edge conditions and access - both physical and visual - to bring people into a place.

Play to the crowd: A Case Study in Using a Weekly Social Media Campaign to Promote Inclusive Physical Activity in Public Parks (Session 032)
Social media is an excellent tool to promote the use of parks and engage with community members. A park promotion through this medium offers the opportunity to reach out to and attract the attention of individuals of all levels of ability, including those with physical disabilities. Visually representing a diversity of abilities through appealing, creative graphics and imagery can encourage all residents to safely achieve healthy living goals. This session will examine a recently successful eight-week social media campaign designed with New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to leverage a weekly Monday cue to promote easy and accessible physical activities that people of all levels of ability can do in public parks. This case study will highlight considerations for inclusive campaign design, provide practical implementation learnings, and offer resources for park agencies to conduct similar campaigns. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Know how to design and implement an inclusive social media campaign to engage a range of audiences. 
2. Be able to creatively communicate opportunities for people with a range of ability levels, including those with physical disabilities, to engage in physical activity.

Personal Branding 101 (Session 026)
For all intents and purposes, the phrase 'Personal Brand' is another way of saying 'Reputation.' It is one thing professionals at every stage of their career should be keenly aware of. A strong personal brand can open doors for you, lead others to you, and allow for new opportunities. In this session, presenters will dive into the importance of personal branding and outline how you can build and maintain yours if you have not already begun. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the importance of building a personal brand. 
2. Learn the avenues in which you can partake in to promote and share your personal brand. 
3. Understand how to maintain and manage a personal brand once established.