FPRA - Florida Public Relations Association Blog

I'm sure most everyone has heard of the trivia game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. It's based on the concept that any actor can be linked, through their film roles, to actor Kevin Bacon. The game requires a group of players to try to connect any film actor in history to the Kevin Bacon as quickly as possible and in as few links as possible.

In a variation of this game we're going to see how fast we can connect FPRA State President Jessica Rye, APR to Leonardo da Vinci. How, you say?

Well, the sketch used in this year's Annual Conference logo is the Vitruvian Man, a world-renowned drawing with accompanying notes created by Leonardo da Vinci around the year 1490. It depicts a nude male figure in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and simultaneously inscribed in a circle and square.

This image exemplifies the blend of art and science during the Renaissance and provides the perfect example of Leonardo's keen interest in proportion.

So what's the connection to Jessica?

The sketch was the inspiration for the mission insignia for NASA's Skylab 3, the second manned mission to Skylab in 1973. Jessica previously worked as a public affairs officer for NASA.

There you go... Jessica Rye to Leonardo da Vinci in just two steps. Take that, Kevin Bacon!

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It seemed appropriate that I would speak to FPRA State President Jessica Rye, APR, during the President's Reception this evening. Jessica looks back over the past year and talks about what's in store for her after her term as president ends on Sept. 1st. Click here to listen to the interview: JessicaRye.MP3

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Conference participants gathered on the north lawn of the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota this evening for the President's Welcome Reception, hosted by FPRA State President Jessica Rye, APR.

Lots of old... ooops, I meant seasoned... and new faces in the crowd. Click here for a photo slideshow.

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For those of you who are here at the conference, I HIGHLY recommend visiting the Vernona, a AAA Four Diamond restaurant for any meal, especially dinner. We decided to splurge and go before the President’s Welcome Reception. I’m a big Food Network fan and love cooking and food in general. I figured since FPRA was nice enough to send me here, I would use my own money to splurge on something I have always wanted: a four course meal.

First course: Key West Shrimp Ceviche, Heirloom Tomatoes, Avocado, Baby Corn,
Second: Seared Rare Tuna, Pistachio Tabbouleh, Broccoli, Saffron Emulsion,
Third: Olive Oil-Poached Beef Tenderloin, Anson Mills Carolina Gold Risotto, Pioppini Mushrooms, White Truffle Fumet,
Fourth: The Tasting Plate- Crème Brulee, Key Lime Tart, Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse, Strawberry Gelato and a Soufflé.

Trust me, you have to go here before you leave!!

Anyway, back to business! The President’s Welcome Reception was held on the greens of the Ritz out by the harbor. As the sun set, FPRAers mingled and dined upon beautiful desserts similar to the ones listed above. As I’m sure you guessed, I didn’t have a thing because I was so full! But the desserts all looked like they would have tasted delicious. I didn’t get a chance to meet the president, but I will be sitting with her at the banquet, thanks to Dr. Rayburn. So I will get to ask her questions then. (I will have to write the answers on paper though since Dr. Rayburn gave Stacey and me strict orders for the banquet table. “You must have FUN and if you blog, you get flogged!”)

Is there anything you would like to ask FPRA President, Jessica Rye, APR?
What was your favorite dessert from this evening?
Did you meet anyone interesting at the roundtable of sweets?

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As my partner in crime, Stacey Getz and I followed the red brick road up to the towering paradise, also known as the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota, we realized that we are definitely not in Tally anymore. There was not a gray cloud in the sky and the sun was shining bright.

In summary: The hotel is very beautiful. There are chandeliers everywhere you look and my gosh….what they must spend in fresh flowers!! They are everywhere! On your plate, in your drink, at every table…EVERYWHERE! Beds are comfy and view of the Gulf is beautiful. I would definitely recommend coming to the conference for the professional development, as well as the great atmosphere. I am looking forward to next year and I hope you will consider coming next year.

What is your favorite Florida hotel and recommendation for the conference committee in the years to come?

If you are here, what part of the conference are you most excited about? I'm excited about Dr. Dale Brill's session on "Giving Structure to the Chaos of Content". When I interned at VISIT FLORIDA, where he is CMO, he would always tell the PR team, “Don’t be afraid to try new things because you are afraid to make a mistake.” It really is the only way to come up with creative ideas; sometimes you may miss the mark, but eventually you will hit the PR nail on the head.

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When I arrived at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club there was a Lamborghini Gallardo in the drive. I asked Tom Preston and Jay Rayburn if they were driving it...nope. Perhaps it belongs to Jessica Rye :-).

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This year's blog team is currently meeting to finalize coverage of the conference. The team consists of Donna Foster, Chris Gent, Josh Hallett, Valerie Norman and Paul Ramey, APR. Click here for their bios.

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The usual gang of FPRA members took part in the annual golf tournament at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Sarasota this afternoon. Who are the usual suspects? You know, Oppenheim, Rayburn, Preston, et al. The links were beautiful and of course the Ritz-Carlton service was superb.

The winners and awards will be announced at the reception this evening. We'll post an update when we have the details. (It turns out they did not announce the winners at the reception. We'll get the details soon though.) Here are some photo highlights

The complete photoset from the golf tournament can be found here. A slideshow of the photos can be found here.

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While the golf tournament begins later today, the 2007-2008 executive committee will meet in a few hours to plan for the continued success of our great organization and service to our members throughout the coming year. Today's sunrise as viewed from my balcony.

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Let me be the first to welcome you to the 69th annual conference of the Florida Public Relations Association. This year's theme: PR: The Convergence of Art & Science.

This annual conference is FPRA's premier professional development event. Members of FPRA, as well as other PR professionals from around the region, will gather in Sarasota today for three days of professional development, networking and fun. By offering experts on a variety of industry-related topics, it is our goal to present concepts and tactics that participants can immediately apply to their own jobs.

It's going to be a great conference, and we hope you will take full advantage of this conference blog.

On behalf of the conference blog team, welcome to Sarasota!

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