Join coastal area mayors and the South Carolina chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for a forum on June 20
June 14, 2018
More and more businesses are turning to public relations to tell their stories. Today, municipalities across the US are practicing many of PR’s same promotional and image-building strategies to position their cities and towns and garner top-of-mind awareness.
This is especially true in the state of South Carolina where tourism is a $20+ billion industry, and public relations is king. Tourism is the livelihood of one of 10 individuals employed in the State and is the lifeblood of the economy. Nowhere does this ring truer than in South Carolina’s coastal area.
Hosting over 16 million visitors annually, with numbers reported even higher by some authorities, the Grand Strand—a 60-mile stretch extending from Little River to Georgetown–is dependent upon tourism to generate valuable tax revenue for local schools, hospitals and housing; provide infrastructure for roads and bridges; and fund sports and performing arts facilities. Additionally, tourism helps preserve the area’s rich Southern culture and history, and protect the area’s natural resources.
Competition is keen as cities throughout the country are leveraging their funds and PR efforts to attract lucrative visitors who are sure to improve local economies.
“PR does more than attract tourists to a locale,” said Reba Campbell, Deputy Executive Director of the Municipal Association of South Carolina and President of the South Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. “It plays an important role in helping cities shape a favorable image of their community as a great place to live or a place to establish a business. It is an integral strategy that helps communities identify the appropriate target audience, messaging, medium, tactics, and more importantly, how the overall campaign should be measured and evaluated,” Campbell said.
Recently, Myrtle Beach, SC was ranked by US News and World Report as 2018’s number one destination to which people are choosing to relocate. They cited the area’s favorable climate, available activities and the overall value as primary reasons for their selection.
“PR has always been considered as a major part of the promotional mix to shape an organization’s reputation. As for South Carolina’s municipalities, the need for public relations is inevitable,” Campbell concluded.
On June 20, join the South Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and the Grand Strand’s coastal area mayors as they discuss the role that PR has played in their cities’ development and continued growth.
The event will be held at the Grand Dunes Ocean Club with networking beginning at 11:45 a.m. followed by a luncheon and panel discussion beginning at noon.
Registration is online, (www.scprsa.org/events), and is open through June 18. The cost is $25 for SCPRSA members, $20 for students and $35 for non-members and guests. For additional information, contact Denise Blackburn-Gay, APR at [email protected] or by calling 843-692-9662.
The South Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America is one of 111 local chapters of PRSA. SCPRSA was established 51 years ago as a statewide association serving South Carolina public relations professionals. With more than 30,000 members, PRSA is the world’s largest organization of public relations professionals and students.
