On Tuesday, March 6, the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association welcomes Rose Rundle, General Manager of the Harborside Event Center, as she speaks on Events, Publicity and Creating A Plan. Rundle will share insights in executing flawless and successful events from event production, committee management and working with or against challenging community calendars and projects.  Rundle will be joined by Don Paight, Executive Director of the Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency to touch on the upcoming canal project in downtown Fort Myers and how it relates to events in the area.

An optional walking tour of downtown Fort Myers will follow the luncheon and will showcase historical views and future plans for the River District.

Rundle joined Harborside Events Center in January 2002 with over 16 years of public assembly, sports, concert and special event experience. She is responsible for the overall management of the event center, including booking, marketing, budgets and operations of the facility. Rose came to Harborside Event Center with previous experience at the James L Knight Center, Miami Arena, Reliant Park, Arena Football, NBA, NHL and the Don Shula Foundation. She has a Bachelors of Science in Sports Administration and a Masters of Science in Leisure/Facility Management. She is also a graduate of Oglebay Public Assembly School and Leadership Lee County.  Rose is an active member of the Emergency Management Mega-Shelter Assistance Team (MAT) through FEMA, IAAM & the Red Cross and received the Governor's Point of Light Award in 2006 for her volunteer work during Hurricane Katrina. She is the 2011 APEX Woman of the Year.

The cost to attend the luncheon meeting is $20 for members, $25 for non-members, and $10 for students with advance reservations. Walk-ins are welcome for an additional fee of $5. Networking begins at 11:15 a.m. and the luncheon concludes at 1 p.m. Optional walking tour to follow (1 p.m. -2 p.m. weather permitting.)

Click here to register.

The 74th Annual State Conference Theme Announced!

Join fellow FPRA members in discovering a "Treasure Trove of PR Strategies and Tactics" in St. Augustine from Aug. 5-8, 2012, at the Renaissance Resort at World Village Golf.

A sampling of this year's treasured speakers:

General Session: David Griffin and Rhonda Barnat, Managing Directors at Abernathy McGregor in New York.

Breakout Speakers: Steve Momorella and April Schroeder of Marketing Mud

Please be sure to check the state web site (fpra.org) regularly for updated conference information.

Warming up for Image

Start a Winning Tradition in 2012!  Local Image Call for Entries Now Available

Calling all public relations and marketing professionals in the area – now is the time to submit your finest work. The Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) has issued a Call for Entries for its 2012 Local Image Awards.

Local Image Awards are held annually and recognize the best public relations, communications and marketing efforts in Southwest Florida during the past year.

A special thank you to the 2011-2012 Annual Sponsors who have pledged to help FPRA continue to provide its members, future leaders and the southwest Florida community with stellar professional development programs: 

MyRiverDistrict.com - Title Sponsor



MyRiverDistrict.com has been created to provide visitors a comprehensive site to explore the many offerings of the Fort Myers River District.  There are so many wonderful businesses, organizations and events that call the River District home.  This site is a collaborative effort between the Fort Myers Conference & Convention Council and the Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency.



LCEC - Platinum Sponsor

Established in 1940, Lee County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LCEC) is a not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative. Beginning with 15 miles of distribution line and 158 members, LCEC now has over 8,000 miles of distribution and transmission line, more than 197,000 customers, and is one of the largest electric cooperatives in the nation. 

J.J. Taylor Companies, Inc. – Premium Sponsor 

J.J. Taylor is a local beverage distributor for many import and domestic malt beverage products, including MillerCoors, Diageo/Guinness, Heineken USA, and a variety of craft brews such as Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Cigar City and Blue Moon.  J.J. Taylor serves more than 10,000 retail customers in seventeen Florida counties and has over 670 full time employees across the state.

Membership Scholarships Available

A limited number of membership scholarships will be available again this year for renewing or new members. If you're interested in a membership scholarship, please submit two or three paragraphs outlining your financial need, involvement in chapter activities, commitment to professional development and how your participation in FPRA will benefit the chapter and your professional career. Submit your request to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .