YOU may be wondering what “X3” is all about. No, it’s not a space exploration program nor a laboratory experiment for a new medicine. Actually, it is a conference for associations.
Associations need to be creative to attract members and other audiences. For instance, the Washington, D.C.-based American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) recently launched its Xperience Design Project (XDP), a two-day, business-focused event for association professionals and partners. For the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE), X3 refers to the mini conference held on July 4 at the Philippine International Convention Center.
The concept of X3 is to cover three related topics that are top of mind of professionals working in associations and in other organizations and to be delivered by experts in each field. For PCAAE’s very first X3 mini conference, dubbed, “Show, Shout, Stand Out: Learn Branding, PR and Communications in a Day,” the topics covered three key areas: branding, public relations and communications.
Here are some insights from the X3 that I’d like to share with you:
Branding: Chris Dingcong, managing director of the Hong-Kong-based Springtime Design Ltd., tackled the topic, “Building your Brand through your Visual Conversation,” and highlighted the importance of and the strategies in creating a holistic communication system. As a brand consultant, Chris also discussed the merit of establishing a brand identity to help organizations make real connections with their members and target audiences, including the significance of a logo in promoting a brand. “The real magic of your brand is in the story you tell and how to make your audience to be part of it,” Chris said. He ended his presentation with what makes a good logo: simple, memorable, timeless, versatile and meaningful.
Public Relations (PR): Ramon Osorio, communications consultant at Dentsu-Aegis Network, in his presentation, “Your Brand is How Your Public Makes It,” covered the role of PR, from the traditional approach to the current digital world. He offered a simple definition of PR, i.e., “the management of information flow between an organization and the public, conducted in a way that benefits both parties.” He also presented PR quotes from Bill Gates (“If I was down to the last dollar of my marketing budget, I’d spend it on PR!”), Sir Richard Branson (“Publicity is absolutely critical. A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad.”), and Warren Buffet (“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”). A piece of advice he gives is to adapt to changes quickly, keep stakeholders engaged, expand list of skills, tools, and resources, and engage in strategic reputation management.
Communications: Sheila Samonte-Pesayco, president and CEO of Writers Edge, in her presentation, “Communication that Clicks and Sticks,” shared her career experience on developing good communication and writing skills, capped with 10 “secrets” to how this is done: (1) be honest; (2) be authentic; (3) “Be better than the gap”; (4) always be on the hunt (for the “new” and the news); (5) turn a story on its head (write from both macro and micro views); (6) empathize (humans have a natural curiosity in the lives of others); (7) show, don’t tell; (8) create visual opportunity; (9) write click-worthy headlines (not click baits); and (10) context is the new king.
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The column contributor, Octavio Peralta, is concurrently the secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) and CEO and founder of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE). PCAAE is holding its Sixth Associations Summit on November 23 and 24 at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC). The event is hosted by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and supported by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB). PCAAE enjoys the support of ADFIAP, TPB and the Philippine International Convention Center. E-mail obp@adfiap.org.