Toronto Hydro

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Inside the ACE Awards Gala – Thoughts from a veteran attendee
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By: Miranda Germani

Are you considering attending the hottest PR event in town but aren’t quite sure what to expect? Blair Peberdy, vice-president, marketing, communications and public affairs, Toronto Hydro-Electric System, has attended every ACE Awards Gala for the past decade. Blair gives us the inside scoop on what it’s like to join more than 300 of Toronto’s PR practitioners and students to celebrate the best in PR, network with colleagues, and enjoy a delicious meal.

For those who haven’t attended an ACE Awards gala before, this repeat guest and award-winner describes the event as “one of the few opportunities for Toronto’s PR and communications professionals to get together to celebrate excellence in our business. There’s always a fantastic buzz in the room and the quality of the awards submissions is very impressive.”

Blair thinks it’s important for communications professionals to attend the ACE Awards gala, regardless of whether they’re winning an award.

“Attendees have the opportunity to network with some of the best communicators in the country from the agency, corporate, government and not-for-profit sectors at an event that is fun and well attended by senior, intermediate and entry-level practitioners,” said Blair. “The atmosphere is friendly and it’s the best event in Canada featuring top creative and strategic communications programs, executed exceptionally well.”

The ACE Awards gala is a great way to celebrate with colleagues and friends, and everyone can learn something to use in their professional career. As Blair explains, “Great campaigns are always featured and well-presented in a fast-paced format. I usually come away with one or two great ideas. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to quietly gauge how your own communications programs stack-up against some of the top PR professionals in Canada — and it’s usually a pleasant surprise!”

Blair concluded explaining why he has been a loyal attendee. “I like to attend because I enjoy the networking, but most importantly I find the quality of the awards submissions and the excitement at the event to be inspiring.”

The ACE Awards gala is fast-approaching. This year’s ACE Awards is being held on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at the Arcadian Court, hosted by Global Toronto’s Sean O’Shea.

Eager to get your hands on the hottest PR ticket in town? More information is available on the ACE Awards page. But don’t delay – this event always sells out!

Tweeting about the ACE Awards? Follow @CPRSToronto and use the hashtag #CPRSACE

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Toronto Hydro presentation makes sense of community involvement
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Community members are active participants in Toronto Hydro's Light the Night events.

If you missed the CPRS Toronto professional development (PD) program on May 24, you’ll want to see and hear the presentation by Toronto Hydro Communications & Public Affairs staff Gillian Earle, Advisor, and Karen Evans, Manager, now available to members online. 

You’ll learn how the communications staff at Toronto Hydro engaged community members with their brand and produced meaningful and measured results.

For example, in addition to actively engaging community members with the Toronto Hydro brand at three staged events and earning an impressive 83% MR2P™ score for earned media coverage, Earle shares some astonishing data about the lasting effects of the Light the Night™ program in at-risk neighborhoods. The reduction in assaults and robberies is truly inspiring.

You’ll also hear about the evolution of Toronto Hydro’s community involvement strategy. Evans shares information about the strategic focus of past events and defines the corporation’s current emphasis on community activities that are relevant to the business and key stakeholders.

It’s easy to see why the Toronto Hydro communications team won a CPRS Toronto ACE Award for this program – the case reads like a virtual roadmap for brand- and community-building.

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