Attention marketing and communications professionals! Please join us on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at the third annual Public Affairs seminar, Brand U: Get the Message at the ARC (Activities & Recreation Center). Connect and network with your colleagues from across campus while taking in sessions especially tailored to the unique challenges of higher education communications.

Register for Brand U now

This year's event will run from 1 - 5 p.m. and will consist of three sessions, all plenary. Seating will begin at 12:30 p.m with the first session beginning promptly at 1. The afternoon agenda is as follows:

Session One: 1 - 2:15 p.m.
"Maintaining Brand Integrity in a Time of Crisis"

Navigating the turbulent waters of a crisis or negative event can be both rough and delicate. This session will focus on maintaining your balance while taking steps to protect brand image.

Break: 2:15 - 2:30 p.m.

Session 2: 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
"Making the Most of Social Media"
Scott Henderson, MediaSauce

With 1.5 billion people online, almost 4 billion with mobile devices, and the spread of social media tools, how we build our brand today is dramatically different than just ten years ago. No longer is it about control and consistency of message. Instead, it's about authenticity and collaboration. A former university major gifts officer, Scott Henderson will help demystify social media and outline how departments within a large university can embrace the opportunities and avoid the pitfalls of the Interconnected Age.

Read speaker bio

Break: 3:45 - 4 p.m.

Session 3: 4 - 5 p.m.
"What's the Message?"

This session will focus on the campus branding/messaging platform and will address the following issues:

• Why it's important to use common messaging
• How to weave the messages into your marketing communications materials and media mix
• How to tell the Illinois story through images
• Messaging in action: real-life examples from campus