In This Edition:
TWNA
Election Details
Dues Renewal Deadline Approaching
MATS 2002 Meeting Details
TMCA Announces 2002 Annual Conference
Media Tech - Digital File Tips
On The Lighter Side
Next Issue Due Out 4/12/02 - Deadline
For Materials 4/5/02!
TWNA
Officers For 2002-2004 Term - Tentative Results
Although our recent nomination process was run on a somewhat abbreviated
schedule, we had only a limited response to the call for nominations.
As such, we've managed to fill the open positions, but with one
exception, the entire slate of candidates for the 2002-2004 term
is running unopposed.
The only position for
which there was more than one candidate was the "Media-Watch"
Director position, which the current board determined could be
effectively shared between both prospective candidates. As such,
here are the tentative officers and directors for the 2002-2004
term:
President - Rolf Lockwood
Vice President - Bill Hudgins
Treasurer - Avery Vise
Secretary - Kathy Harders (L.O.A.D.S.)
Award & Scholarship Director - Tom Berg
E-Communications Director - Tom Kelley
MediaWatch Director - Rene Tankersley (Land Line)
MediaWatch Director - Sherri Middleton (Transportation Equipment
News)
Associate Director - Mike Pennington
To accomodate the possibility
that somebody had wished to vote for a write-in candidate had
we run a full-fledged ballot procedure, there will be a ratification
vote at the MATS meeting. Any write-in candidates should be submitted
prior to the meeting or be present at the meeting. Also, if there
are any objections this procedure, they should be made in writing,
or in person at the MATS meeting, PRIOR TO the ratification vote.
Florida-style complaints made after the vote will not be considered.
Is
Your Check "In The Mail?" - It's Dues Renewal Time
The treasury is now open...for 2002 dues. Annual dues are $35
for both full and associate members, rising to $40 after MATS.
Checks should be payable to TWNA and sent, along with vital statistics
(name, company, publication, title, address, phone, fax, e-mail,
etc.), to:
TWNA,
c/o Avery Vise, Treasurer,
134 Kentwood Way
Alabaster, AL 35007
Also, please note whether
or not you have a TWNA pin. Copies of the Application
Form or Renewal
Invoice are available on the website.
MATS
Meeting Details
We're Booked - We have the room for the annual TWNA meeting to
be held during the Mid-America Trucking Show. The meeting data
is as follows:
Date: March 21, 2002
Day: Thursday
Time: 3:00 to 4:00
Location: South Wing Rooms 109 and 110
It's kind of a no-brainer
-- same day, same time and same place as last year. Please plan
to attend.
The tentative agenda
for the meeting is as follows:
1. President's
report.
2. Treasurer's report.
3. Website report.
4. Final call for 'write-in' candidates.
5. Vote to ratify uncontested current executive for another
term.
6. Presentation of the Technical Achievement Award trophy.
7. Recognize Domenic Grote for his company's Tech Award trophy
sponsorship.
8. Recruit associate members to help improve communications
in the industry.
9. Other membership development initiatives.
10. Renewal of Ol' Blue (RJ) sponsorship.
11. Carry over the scholarship with TCA or handle independently?
12. Should we fund a tech school scholarship as well?
13. Member participation in committee activities.
14. Addition of business users of light-duty trucks to TWNA's
realm.
15. Amendments to bylaws to reflect current structure of organization.
16. Form committee to formally update bylaws for ratification
vote at MATS 2003.
Toby
Young of Exhibit Management Associates has posted the preliminary
Press
Event Schedule on the show website. Mike Pennington has passed
along the details regarding ArvinMeritor's offsite press event.
The event will be held Wednesday, March 20, from 6 to 9 pm at
the Brown
Theater in downtown
Louisville.
TMCA
Announces 2002 Annual Conference
The Transportation Marketing & Communications Association (TMCA)
announces its sixth annual conference and educational forum June
2-4, 2002, at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa in Tucson,
Arizona. This event provides professional development, learning,
and networking opportunities for marketing and communications
professionals of all market segments of North American transportation
and logistics. The TMCA conference will feature a broad agenda
of interactive sessions, workshops, and presentations supported
by a unique line-up of keynote speakers, session presenters and
facilitators. Topics range from how to manage change and budget
management to e-Marketing, media relations, brand management and
CRM.
Keynote speakers are
Dr. Barry Asmus, a senior economist with the National Center for
Policy Analysis, who will discuss how to manage change by understanding
the many business, economic, logistics, marketing, cultural, and
political factors; and Angela Sinickas, a reputable speaker on
measuring the results of marketing and communications. Also planned
are break-out sessions highlighting marketing and communications
best practices in the industry, and an “Evening With The Press”
that will feature panel discussions with editors and publishers
from the leading trade and business media.
The conference registration
fee is only US$495 for TMCA members or $595 for non-members who
take advantage of the “early bird discount” and register before
April 19. After this date, the conference registration fee is
$545 for members or $645 for non-members. The registration fee
for spouses and guests is $145. For more details and to register
for the conference, contact the TMCA Office at 952/442-5638 or
visit www.TMCAtoday.org.
Media
Tech
Although TWNA has compiled an extensive set of Digital
File Recommendations, some folks still haven't got the message
about the best way to send press materials through e-mail. Here
are just a few highlights of what you'll find in the Press &
PR Resources section of the TWNA website:
*Don't
send an image unless it has been requested.
*Better yet, provide a URL where the image can be downloaded.
*Web images at 72dpi are not useable for print.
*Print images need to be 300dpi at the finished size.
*If you must use the .jpg format, use the high quality/low compression
setting.
*Preferred image formats are .tif for photos and .eps for line
art.
*Don't send press releases in .doc format.
*Send documents as "Text Only" or "Generic Word
Processor Text."
*When sending releases to a large group, use Bcc: instead of
To: for addressing.
*If you must use MS Outlook, download and install security patches
frequently.
*And finally, DON'T OPEN UNKNOWN ATTACHMENTS!!!
On
The Lighter Side
The tribal wisdom of
the Dakota Indians, passed on from generation to generation, says
that when you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best
strategy is to dismount. Modern organizations (education, government,
military, etc.) often employ a whole range of far more advanced
strategies, such as
* Buying
a stronger whip.
* Changing riders.
* Threatening the horse with termination.
* Appointing a committee to study the horse.
* Arranging to visit other countries to see how others ride
dead horses.
* Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.
* Re-classifying the dead horse as "living, impaired".
* Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.
* Harnessing several dead horses together to increase the speed.
* Providing additional funding and/or training to increase the
dead horse's performance.
* Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would
improve the dead horse's performance.
* Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed,
it is less costly, carries lower overhead, and therefore contributes
substantially more to the bottom line of the economy than do
some other horses.
* Re-writing the expected performance requirements for all horses.
* Promoting the dead horse to a management position.
From the Langa
List - Via Paul Abelson
