We identified September as the month for Office Bombardment but it's fine to continue in to October! I've heard of some offices and students taking advantage of this opportunity in September. And have also heard that several are planning to tie in to the American Royal in Kansas City at the end of October.

In case you don't know about OBM (that's for Office Bombardment Month) it is a program that started several years ago and is where LPC members have opened their doors for students to come and "bombard" their offices during the LPC Office Bombardment Month. During this time our professional journalists, designers, production specialists and agricultural communication gurus open their doors for student visitors. You can swing by with a question or stay for the day. A list of participants and locations has been provided to your ACT chapter. Can't bombard an office in September and now, October? No problem! LPC mentors are available 24 hours a day in the LPC Student Mentor Directory at www.livestockpublications.com

Click here for the pdf file with more details. For more information, contact Miranda Reiman at
308.784.2294, office; 605.695.1678 or mreiman@certifiedangusbeef.com

The weather gave us some fits today. Yesterday a very thick blanket of fog rolled in and has just sat here! We are seeing a bit of sun now, but the fog is trying to come back. All of the folks here are just flabbergasted with it and tell us it is never like this. Since I was here for the pre-tour I was lucky to get to see what Anchorage has to offer with its views of the water, the mountains, etc. But some of our group just got in yesterday and they are yet to see the beauty. (The above photo was taken on Monday at Talkeetna north of Anchorage.)

I'm hoping that tonight's event sheds some light on a possible hotel for the Ag Media Summit. So far I haven't found one but we have more options tomorrow. Beautiful (and brand new) Convention Center is a for sure thing though. We'll see what happens. They are treating us like kings and queens and of course, I'm enjoying that!

Wow, what a day. This morning we travelled north of Anchorage about two hours to the area around Talkeetna. This sleeply little town is right out of the old TV show "Northern Exposure". After getting to our hotel it was lunch and then the quick jaunt over to go flightseeing. Since I didn't realize what that meant I didn't know what to expect.

But this adventure was incredible! Ten of us took off in a small plane and had it been camo, it would have resembled something from M*A*S*H. Tony the pilot was very experienced and we traveled 60 land miles to Denali National Park in the Alaska Mountain Range. The Park covers six million square miles which is about same size as the state of Massachusetts. I think we saw every mile which made the two hour trip worth it!

We traversed in and amongst all of the mountain, glaciers and the majestic Mt. McKinley which rises 20,320 feet high. This is highest peak in the U.S. and we seemed so close to the mountains, the peaks, the blue reflection coming from the glaciers. We were in amongst snow and ice that in some areas has been measured to 3500 feet deep.

The highlight was landing the plane on the Eldridge glacier (Mr. Eldridge is a famous geologist). Just imagine landing between mountains on a plane and praying that the plane stops. Tomorrow I'll post some pictures. I did not bring my laptop up here for our one night stay but I'll be posting some pictures on my Facebook page that are breathtaking!

All for now. More to come!

I just arrived in Alaska last night for a week in the Anchorage area. I was invited by the Anchorage Convention and Visitor's Bureau to see what the area has to offer and their goal will be to entice me to bring a group up here. In the meeting planning business this kind of trip is called a "FAM' which merely means "familiarization". If you say that word several times, you'll see why FAM is much easier. I believe there are about 20 of us in our group who I will meet in a few hours.

In the nearly seven hour flight from DFW I decided that I should blog this experience. In the case that the Ag Media Summit will consider Anchorage, your opinions will be very important. No need to choose this city and have no one show up! So this week I'm going to try to keep you updated with pictures and my initial thoughts of the area. It's 6:30 a.m. which is 9:30 a.m. in Fort Worth so it certainly was easy to get up. And I just heard on the weather that we are going to have record breaking temperatures this week! Ahhhh... music to my ears as I just left hot and very humid Texas. The good news is these record highs will be 70.

So with that thought, I'll leave you now. Am looking forward to seeing the bright sunshine and we'll see what Denali offers today. 

SIDE NOTE: I was trying to include a picture with this and can't get it off of my phone! Hence the two hour delay!

Attention ACT members! You’re invited to join agricultural communications professionals for a fun Speed Networking event at the 2010 American Royal in Kansas City. Join us on Thursday, Oct. 28 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the American Royal headquarters (second floor above the administrative offices) for an awesome night of networking and career-building experiences.

Not only is this a great way to learn more about the diverse career opportunities available in the field of agricultural communications, but it’s also a unique opportunity for students to gain leads on internship and job openings for the coming year.

In addition, we encourage you to come early for the 6 p.m. Exhibitor Social at the American Royal. As well, ACT chapters are encouraged to make the most of their Kansas City trip by setting up tours of public relations agencies, breed associations, and magazines in the area! Or enjoy a day at the American Royal watching some of the highest quality livestock shows in the country.

PS: This event is free - so you have nothing to lose! And, you can return home in time for football games on Saturday!

For the first time ever, LPC will be organizing a student intern program at the American Royal from Thursday, Oct. 28 – Sunday, Oct. 31.

We are looking for talented ag communicators who have an interest in developing their writing, photography and blogging skills. We think one of the best ways to learn how to provide media coverage at an event is to experience it firsthand!

We will select up to four interns for this inaugural program. Three interns will attend shows and events, write press releases, shoot candid photographs, and assist breed association personnel with recording show results in the ring. One intern will be our resident “show blogger.” Their mission will be to develop a blog for the American Royal’s show results and post show results from the previous week of shows and provide timely coverage of the Thursday-Sunday shows at the American Royal.

Students will need to bring their own laptop computers and a digital camera is optional, but would be helpful. More information will be coming!

If you are interested in applying for this internship program, send a cover letter and resume to Jennifer Shike at jshike@illinois.edu by Wednesday, Sept. 22. If you have any questions, contact Jennifer at 217/369-2868. A committee will evaluate the resumes and announce the interns the week of September 27.

For more information on the American Royal schedule: www.americanroyal.com

It's already time to complete your forms for the 2011 Hall of Fame and Headliner awards that will be announced at this year's LPC Royal Gala on October 29. The award forms are very simple and do not require very much time so think about those who you feel are deserving and nominate them. Any member may nominate them for this prestigious honor. The formal presentation will be presented next year in New Orleans at AMS 2011 and then their personal plaque will be hung in the Hall of Honor in Kansas City at the 2011 Royal Gala.

Click below for the forms.
http://www.livestockpublications.com/forms.php

Hall of Fame Guidelines:
LPC annually inducts one of its distinguished leaders into the Hall of Fame. This honor is reserved for those who have adhered to high standards of professionalism in all aspects of their endeavors. The award is open to anyone who has been listed on the masthead of an LPC member publication or a service member. Contributing editors who come from the ownership organization of a member publication are also eligible. Nominees may be persons who are currently active or those who have moved on to other endeavors. The award is open to persons in sales, circulation, production and editorial.

Headliner Guidelines:
The LPC Headliner Award honors a person from outside the livestock publishing field for actions that produce a positive change in livestock production and marketing. These actions could range from genetic research to marketing advances or scientific discoveries. The important factor is that these actions produce a positive change.
 Submit completed forms to awards chairman, Kathy LaScala, klascala@vancepublishing.com