Halifax Star Sightings...

The folks in Halifax certainly put together a star-studded event from a professional perspective - speakers such as Max Valiquette and Len Brody alone are enough to excite the practitioner in me.

But the welcome put on by Ron James had us laughing and charmed, ready to embrace our Maritime experience. In typical Canadian style, he wrapped his show and stepped out to man his own merchandise stand, selling and autographing DVDs for dozens of us gawkers. I only wondered how he got the handy little Swiss Army knife he used to open the cellophane wrapping through airport security.

The rest of the week was buoyed with maritime energy, and I bobbed and drifted from one interesting conversation to the next, soaking it up like a sponge. So many brains to pick, so little time...

As I sat in the hotel lobby waiting for the airport shuttle to head home, I spotted a man at the ATM: Terry David Mulligan. Now I’ve been a fan of his for 30 years - he was, in fact, one of my first celebrity crushes - so before I could stop myself, I blurted “oh my God, you’re Terry David Mulligan!” He smiled, reached out his hand, and said “yes, I am”. (what a dork I am! call myself a communicator and that’s all I can muster?)

Pulling myself together, I quip “you’re my first celebrity sighting in Halifax!” I’m treated with that lovely, patient smile and he says “well, stick around for a minute and you just might have another.”

He finds his group and shepherds them through the checkout, as a van - which I had already mistaken for the airport shuttle, much to the amusement of the driver - waited outside. They turn for the doors and TDM comes over to me asking “what’s your name?” Next thing I know, he touches the shoulder of his ball-capped companion and says to him, “Jay, I’d like you to meet Lea. Lea, meet Jay Priestley”....

My 47-year-old brain slowly processes this - and perhaps he saw this on my face, I’ll never know - but I finally realized this is the much-ballyhooed 90210 alum, travelling with his family (who were that moment being ushered into their van). I am sure I expressed the appropriate amount of star-struckedness, having regained my composure a little, we said our goodbyes and they were quickly on their way - TDM flashing me a final little wave.

To tell you the honest truth, it’s meeting Terry David Mulligan which had me most psyched out of that whole encounter. And the tremendous grace he showed throughout was just one final master class in great PR which I was lucky enough to have all to myself to cap off my wonderful visit to Halifax.

CPRS National Conference

I am writing from beautiful downtown Halifax - where I have been attending the annual Canadian Public Relations Society national conference. What a tremendous city - and what a tremendous effort, organizing three days of professional development and social activities for 400+ public relations practitioners from across the country.

I had the chance to spend time getting to know people from Vancouver, the Yukon, Manitoba, Alberta, Quebec, and of course from the Atlantic provinces, as well as meeting (and re-meeting) a strong contingent of Ontario and Ottawa colleagues. Every one of them has inspired me, and demonstrates the best qualities of PR professionalism. I am coming home with new ideas to explore, and a renewed sense of passion for my work.

A very, very special moment this evening was the celebration of this year's Mentor of the Year: my own personal PR mentor, Claudine Wilson. I have known her for 24 years, and she has become one of my dearest friends. She has shepherded close to 25 years' worth of graduates as they have gone through the program, and gone on to become stars in our profession. I am very proud to count myself among that number and must say (cliché or no) that I would not be where I am today without her. 

Finally, it was very nice to be presented with my APR in front of 400 of my peers, and to hear their genuine and elaborate praise for my own accomplishment over this last year. 

I recommend membership in CPRS to anyone in this profession. And I most fervently recommend to anyone who has not been to Halifax to get themselves out here ASAP! What a delightful city.