Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Workshop Summary - Marko Sakren Opens the Box

Hello, PICA People! We recap the presentations of our speakers to help refresh your memory about what you learned in the workshop. One user tip is to forward a link to this blog to any of your work colleagues who might benefit from the information...this is a great way to share the information you learned, making your workshop tuition dollars go even further!

Today's recap is from Vice Chairperson, Becky Marshall. She's recapping our session with Marko Sakren of Red Rock Media Group, Inc.

Thinking Outside the Box…Without Missing the Target

Each of us around the workshop table takes a turn reciting our name, company name and job duties. We tick off our laundry list of job duties: brochure design, newsletter writing, event planning, presentation development, advertising, community support…the list goes on-and-on for the group of us participating in the 2010 PICA Communications Workshop held in Las Vegas last month.

What the group discovered during this exercise was that in our positions, we are responsible for a slew of duties that can become quite challenging at times. Once it becomes overwhelming, we tend to spread ourselves thin…and, as a result, creativity goes right out the window.

Marko plays "Name That Product" with Carol, Carol and Rick to help them break out of their usual methods of thinking.

Workshop speaker Marko Sakren of Red Rock Productions shared with us some ideas on how to think outside the box…without missing the target. What exactly does this mean? To put it simply, as insurance communicators, we must learn to step outside of our comfort zone when it comes to communicating…in both the written and spoken word. At the same time, we must continue to meet our targets (i.e. deadlines, budgets and approvals from co-workers, supervisors, executive management).

During this session of the workshop, PICA workshop attendees explored ways of communicating to publics in a more creative and entertaining manner. We learned that once we step outside the comfort zone and begin thinking outside the box, it is necessary to identify some of the challenges we face that prevent us from fully fulfilling our responsibilities as communicators. During his presentation, Marko offered the group suggestions on how to overcome some of those challenges and ways to implement solutions back at the home office.

Marko’s presentation material sparked dynamic conversation between PICA attendees. In the conclusion, the group discovered that if small steps are taken to think outside the box, our communications will develop into more creative and effective pieces without missing the target.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Thank You!


Thanks to everyone who made our 2010 workshop a HUGE success...Wow!!

Whether you contributed by attending the conference, sharing your ideas, providing feedback or presenting information, THANK YOU.

Your efforts increased our abilities and our skills...this renewed enthusiasm will help us to communicate our ideas more professionally and effectively.

We also thank members who were unable to attend this year. Your continued support - along with the support of your company - keeps PICA going. We hope you're able to attend in 2011!

Stay tuned for updates over the next week. We'll give you a recap of each presentation so you can share this information with your colleagues!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Registration Update...and TWITTER!

The Flamingo has kindly set up a Web site so that you may conveniently register for your hotel room online.

Visit https://www.harrahs.com/CheckGroupAvailability.do?propCode=FLV&groupCode=SFIN10 to register.

If you prefer to register by phone, please call 888-373-9655. Please specify that you're with Professional Insurance Communicators of America, or PICA, to ensure that you'll receive our group rate of $89 per night.

AND...Patrick has set us up with a Twitter account! You can sign up for updates here:
http://twitter.com/PICA_InsComm Totally exciting...PICA all the time! What more could you ask for?

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Countdown is ON!

Two short months from today, we'll be gathered in Las Vegas! Are you still on the fence about joining us?

You know you won't regret it. We'll listen, learn, think, talk, catch up, laugh, compare notes, get inspired and share new ideas we can all take back to our offices.

Those ideas aren't just souveniers or mementos...they're real tools that you can put to use to make your communications more successful.

When you communicate effectively, everyone benefits! Employees feel more in the know and job satisfaction increases. Agents have the tools they need to grow their businesses and policyholders feel more protected.

And through all that, you show your supervisors and colleagues that you are exceptional at what you do. Here's to continuing your professional development! Get ready to be inspired and share your great ideas! Meet us in Las Vegas!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Exciting Times for PICA, Inc.

We're currently working on advertising our PICA workshop for the first time ever! We've always relied on word of mouth and repeat attendees to make the PICA workshops a success, and it's worked just fine. But as we try to bring new faces (with new ideas and enthusiasm attached to them) we're also prepared to try new things. This year, that means advertising.

What are some of your favorite insurance publications, either online or print? Go ahead and list them in the comments section and we'll consider them as we look at the best ways to promote PICA...

Thanks!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Don't Wait...

Psst! Have you registered for PICA yet? Booked your hotel room?

Oh, how we wish you would! Why?

Because in addition to attending a great conference, you've got a chance to be a hero by saving your company money!

When you register before March 26, 2010, the cost of this information-packed workshop is only $400 for PICA members, $550 for non-members. You save your company $50 bucks, just by registering NOW!

Also, you'll want to make sure you book your stay at the Flamingo soon so that you can take advantage of our fabulous PICA Members Only rate of $89 per night (additional persons in your room increase this rate by $30 per person per night) which is a fantastic deal! The Go Rooms are gorgeous...

So, get crackin' and register already! We hope to see you there!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Workshop Update

Hello!

Thanks for all the great feedback and e-mails supporting our choice of location for the 2010 PICA workshop!

We have some phenomenal speakers, including Steve Crescenzo of Crescenzo Communications, Michael Wilder of UNLV, Sharon Exharos of Realty Executives and Marko Sackren of Red Rock Media Group, Inc. A fantastic group of speakers to re-energize your communication talents.

So, if you've got colleagues who have never attended one of our workshops, why not get them to come on out and give PICA a try? With topics ranging from social media to going green to publication perfection, there is something at PICA's 2010 workshop for every insurance communicator. Any minute now, the official agenda and registration sheets will be posted on our static site. (I'm too impatient to wait...so excited about this workshop that I had to put something up now!)

Plus, let's face it...it's a bargain. I mean really. You want more knowledge and your company wants to be frugal with all expenses - including education. I challenge you to find a better, more informative, fun, well-rounded conference in a great location for less than our tuition! Not possible!

I'm looking forward to seeing you in Las Vegas. If you haven't asked about working this in to your 2010 budget, now is a great time... If you have asked, register early for more savings!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Look of 2010...

Save the Date!
May 23 - 26, 2010

A big thanks to Patrick for another crisp, clean, exciting, dynamic workshop logo!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

PICA 2010 - Las Vegas!


Finally! We can share the GREAT NEWS with everyone!

PICA, Inc. will meet in Las Vegas at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino, May 23-26, 2010, for our annual workshop.

We're working on the details - such as speakers, costs, and more - so that you can share everything with your employers and gain early approval to attend.

Stay tuned and we'll be updating VERY soon!

p.s. Please note: when you make your reservations, you'll need to make it by phone and identify yourself as a PICA attendee both to get the discounted rate of $89 and to make sure your room counts toward our room block requirement. You may not use additional discounts with this reservation.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

The Clock is Ticking...

...and we're almost ready to annouce the big news about PICA 2010!