CCAE Conference June 5-8, 2010 Victoria, B.C.

Attendance
Good attendance for the location but down by 150 delegates compared to 2009 conference at McMaster 309 delegates in attendance 195 from universities 35 from colleges 3 from independent schools 12 partners/sponsors 2 national, 4 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze

Opening Plenary
The Power of Networking Darcy Rezac, author and internationally renowned networking expert
the importance of Positive Networking, which Darcy defines as uncovering what you can do for someone else key point: weak links to distant networks are really important; its not who you know well, its who you know vaguely

Networking Session
Building the CCAE Brand Janet Sailian, Communications and Marketing consultant CCAE is planning a rebranding exercise; the small group discussed branding/rebranding challenges at their own institutions

group reviewed possible logo designs and colour options hard to do without understanding the context around how they got to that point

Concurrent Session
Bringing the Canadian Brandscape to Botswana Chuck Cunningham, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, University of Guelph Chuck worked with WUSC (World University Service of Canada) and AUCC (Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada) to help create a corporate brand, visual identity and marketing strategies for the second public university in Botswana, the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BUIST) marketing and communications staff from the U of G did initial artwork around logos and tag lines, the Chuck worked with a creative team in Botswana to execute and complete the visual platform a great experience for Chuck both personally and professionally

Concurrent Session
Many Players; One Message Vince Dowie, Executive Head of Public Affairs, McGill University Discussed the challenges of getting the message out about controversial issues in a large university and how sharing message delivery is sometimes a good idea Reviewed two sets of communications pieces: SARS and increasing tuition for their MBA program most important take away: get the campus communicators together to share information and make sure they understand the official university message

Plenary Session
Nothing Happens By Accident Lesra Martin, lawyer and senior executive with a software company Lesras motivational speech was about never giving up, even in the face of extreme adversity

he was the inspiration behind the character played by Denzel Washington in The Hurricane

Concurrent Session
The Downtown University: How to Build a Brand in an Urban Environment Nathalie Benoit, Marketing Communications Director, UQAM Maxim Bonin, Project Manager, UQAM as a downtown university, UQAM is similar to Ryerson: no defined boundaries UQAM has tried to work with the city of Montreal to piggy-back on city-run events by hosting complimentary events at the UQAM campus (Nuit de travail, Nuit Blanche, events in Place Pasteur) has been very well received; many more visitors to campus than ever before and very little money spent on their part

Keynote Address
The Keynote Leaders Conversation Martha Piper, former President of UBC Mike Harcourt, former Premier of BC and former mayor of Vancouver informal interview of Martha and Mike conducted by the editor-in-chief of the Victoria Times-Colonist (Lucinda Chodan) Martha talked about lobbying the government for money and how and when to make the big ask Mike discussed his experiences as a public servant and the importance of backing important causes

Concurrent Session
Twitter (and Other Social Media): A Love/Hate Relationship Doug Sweet, Director of Media Relations, McGill University Leisha Lecouvie, Associate Director of Alumni Services, McGill University

a review of the ups and downs of using social media effectively consensus: social media is still new and were all trying to figure out the best ways to use it twitter/facebook/etc. should not be your primary communications vehicle but they can be effective support tools to get the message out and get immediate feedback

Conclusion
Good conference topics Great networking opportunities Lovely venue

PowerPoint presentations will be available by June 30 at: www.ccaecanada.org