John Gidding (Feb.11-12)

John Gidding is one of the most recognizable names in home improvement today as the host and designer of HGTV’s “Curb Appeal: the Block” and “Designed to Sell”. Harvard and Yale-educated in architecture, he brings his eclectic background into all of his designs and is an expert at turning homes into architectural gems.

Stacey Agena (Feb. 9-10)

Learn “Color Basics” from the pros at the Lifestyle Stage. Stacey Agena will teach you the basics about choosing paints and colors to give your home a new look.

Hal Davis (Feb. 9-12)

Hal Davis is a fixture in the Des Moines-area interior design community. As the owner of Room Service Distinctive Interiors, Davis has more than 20 years of design experience. He is the designer of the “Pimp my Shed” feature this year. Davis will talk about finding design inspiration in nature and how to translate that inspiration into your space.

Justin Hancock (Feb. 10)

Horticulturist Justin W. Hancock, senior garden editor at Better Homes and Gardens, shares the scoop on brand-new plants for 2012 that have caught his attention. You’ll definitely want these varieties in your yard this spring.

Jeremy Lang (Feb. 10 – 11)

Get the 411 on geothermal heating from Jeremy Lang of Enertech/Geocomfort. He’ll give you the rundown of heating your home using this environmentally-friendly method, which is up to 70 percent more efficient that regular heating. Learn how to reduce your energy bill and be green.

Art Kern (Feb. 9-11)

Art Kern, a hazardous waste representative from Metro Waste, will share important tips in his presentation, “Caring for your Home & Garden: Reducing the Role of Hazardous Products.” People use hazardous products around the house without a second thought;  learn about safer alternatives and smart purchasing decisions to reduce and eliminate these products in your home.

Shane McGovern (Feb. 11)

Hunting expert Shane McGovern of Scheels All Sports, will give this hunting presentation, “Harvesting and Preparing your Bounty,” sponsored by OnMedia Cable. He’ll share tips on hunting, safety and cooking your meat to its best potential.

Don Short (Feb. 9-12)

Don Short, owner of West End Architectural Salvage, knows a lot about “Hunks of Junk.” Short will share his expertise on reusing found objects like doors, windows and old furniture. Give your space a fresh look with something old.

Joni Stark (Feb. 9,11)

Joni Stark, owner of Memory Builders, will share her creative solutions for displaying photos and preserving memories. With years of scrapbooking experience, she can help display that one special photo or thousands of photos for every special event.

Bret Van De Pol (Feb. 9-10, 12)

Every home exterior gets some wear and tear – but many homeowners don’t know the extent of the damage that may be caused by this grime. Bret Van De Pol with H20 Wash will share his tips in “Don’t Ignore it, Restore it.” Rid your home of damaging mold, moss, lichen and algae for good.

A Tech Easy Living (Feb. 9-12)

Representatives from A Tech Easy Living will give two presentations: “How to Double Your Storage Space in 30 Minutes or Less” and “IPad Home Automation for Entertainment and Energy Savings.”  Come with questions and they will give their best tips.

Dates: Feb. 9-12, 2012

Location: Iowa Events Center
730 Third Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Hours: Thursday Feb. 9 Noon – 9 p.m.
Friday Feb. 10 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Saturday Feb. 11 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday Feb. 12 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Admission: Adults $11 ($9 when purchased online)
Ages 7-12 $4
Ages 6-under FREE

Ticketing: Tickets are available for purchase online at www.desmoineshomeandgardenshow.com, at Dahl’s Foods locations or at box offices at Iowa Events Center.

Show Highlights:
• Find budget-friendly ideas and low prices as more than 400 companies specializing in home, garden, landscaping, remodeling and interior design showcase their home improvement products and services.
• The Des Moines Home & Garden Show will be one of the first events held in the newly renovated Iowa Events Center.
• The Isiserettes, a local non-profit drill & drum corps for youth aged 7 – 18, will kick things off at noon on Feb. 9 with a performance.
• Check out the New Product Showcase, which will feature this year’s hottest products; learn eco-friendly tips from Green Team members – sponsored by Metro Waste Authority.
• Be one of the first 100 guests each day at Loki’s Garden and receive a free Coleus.
• Learn from the professionals at the Lifestyle Theatre, featuring top experts in design, sustainable living, gardening and cooking. See local and national experts like John Gidding, designer and host of HGTV’s “Curb Appeal: The Block” and “Designed to Sell.” The stage is designed by Mhuka Designs.
• Local landscapers and your favorite media personalities have created stunning Celebrity Outdoor rooms. Stop by as you meander through the four feature gardens and vote for your favorite design.
• See the new “Pimp my Shed” – designed by local decorator Hal Davis. Using unexpected textures and materials, it’s sure to be a show-stopper.
• See the live statue “Orchid” at the Show on Feb. 9 and 10.
• Sample and purchase Iowa wines in the Wine Village and stock up on Iowa-made goods at the new Made in Iowa shops.
• Find great flea market and vintage items at the new Junk Jamboree, presented by West End Architectural Salvage.
• Find great deals at the Annual Plant Sale beginning at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12.
• Participate in the following promotions and WIN Big at this year’s show: Pimp your shed with The Bus 100.3 and take part in the QR Code Scavenger Hunt with KISS 107.5 FM. Visit www.desmoineshomeandgardenshow.com for more information regarding show promotions and opportunities to participate.

Each celebrity will bring their own sense of style and personality to the “rooms,” which are integrated with this year’s feature gardens at the Des Moines Home & Garden Show Feb. 9-12. Show attendees are invited to visit the rooms and vote for their favorite designs – and pick up some ideas for their own outdoor spaces along the way. The winning celebrity will receive $500 to be donated to a charity of their choice.

The participating landscapers and local celebrities are:

• Earthly Possibilities & Cynthia Fodor of KCCI-TV: Retreat to Cynthia Fodor’s “Urban Oasis,” designed by Earthly Possibilities. This lush garden and outdoor room overflows with rhododendrons, grasses, ornamental trees and daffodils, giving the space a vibrant splash of color. A fountain adds a soothing background in a garden sure to heighten your senses. Sit by the fire pit with friends or take a stroll in the park-like wooded gardens. This garden and outdoor room may inspire some ideas for your own private urban oasis.

• Landscapes by Design & Maxwell and Pam of KIOA-FM – Escape at Maxwell & Pam’s Backyard Getaway, designed by Landscapes by Design. This celebrity outdoor room and garden features an outdoor kitchen and garden, perfect for entertaining guests or simply relaxing. Natural stone, wood and native plants will make show-goers feel like they are on vacation, just by stepping into the garden. Get closer to nature on the stone path, or surround yourself with quiet greenery on the patio.

• Beemer Landscaping & Heather Burnside of KGGO-FM – Don’t have a chance to travel to the beach this year? Check out Heather Burnside and Beemer Landscaping’s outdoor beach creation – in Iowa! The enclosed outdoor space includes two water features and comfy seating around a fire pit – since it can’t always be as warm in Iowa as it is at the beach. A pergola and beautiful blooming plants complete this tranquil space, perfect for spending time with friends, or imagining yourself at the beach while never leaving your own backyard.

• Bob Lenc Landscaping & Van and Bonnie of WHO-AM – Van and Bonnie’s celebrity room, designed by Bob Lenc Landscaping, is sure to bring a sense of relaxation. Peace and calm welcomes show-goers appealing to their every sense. Smell the carpet of blooming flowers around a natural stone path, listen to the sounds of the water flowing and relax in the cozy seating area. The Serenity Garden will conjure memories of spring and leave you ready to create your own outdoor relaxation space.

About the Des Moines Home & Garden Show
The Des Moines Home & Garden Show – The Big One!SM is the city’s oldest and largest show of its kind, featuring the latest trends in home, garden, remodeling and interior design concepts from more than 400 exhibitors and 1,000 experts. The 34th annual Show is scheduled for Feb. 9-12, 2012 at the Iowa Event Center. Visit www.desmoineshomeandgardenshow.com or call 800.HOM.SHOW (800.466.7469) for discount tickets and more information. Tickets are also available at Dahl’s Foods locations and Iowa Event Center box offices.

My top-line advice to speakers – “Preparation is the most important factor contributing to a great speech” – kicks off Grace Lavigne’s “Dear Gracie” column today.

Lavigne lists a few “speaker fundamentals” that I hope are helpful to you, including:

- “Learn about your audience — who are they, and what do they want to learn or hear?”

- “Business leaders especially are too busy to sit through a speech that does not provide new and relevant information, unique insight or interpretation, or some form of entertainment… Ideally, the speaker will provide all three of these, plus an interactive opportunity like a Q&A.”

- On ‘hooking’ the audience fast at the beginning of a speech: “The first five to 10 seconds of a speech count most, as the listener is forming their opinion of the speaker, content and style of the presentation.”

- “Content is more important than the way the speech is delivered, but both are important. Imagine FDR’s speech following the Pearl Harbor attack 70 years ago if he had decided not to begin with   ‘A date which will live in infamy.’ The content counted most, because it helped every American realize that our priorities as a nation had changed. ‘How’ he called America to action was important, but secondary to the primary message. That content still lives on via print publications, recordings, the Internet, etc. It would have been perfect for Twitter!”

Lavigne also summarized experts’ excellent advice regarding speech preparation, delivery, content and “four lessons from Steve Jobs” (my favorite).

PR Newswire/ProfNet editor Grace Lavigne writes the Dear Gracie column that is followed by more than 44,000 business, science and academic experts across North America. I’m flattered that Grace calls me a “seasoned PR pro” because helping our clients communicate more effectively is usually reward enough.

Searching for the right words for any setting?  Give us a call…

Ronald Hanser, President, Hanser & Associates

Hanser & Associates’ peers at the Council of Public Relations Firms (CPRF), the trade association of top 100 public relations firms in the USA, last week offered predictions about social media in 2012.

The issues/trends the marketing community will be talking about throughout the next year were included in CPRF/Advertising Age’s “The PR Factor 2011” on November 28; the 16-page pull-out section.

My favorite predictions (social media strategies that Hanser & Associates has been working on with our clients for some time) include:

Engagement will be the key goal for 2012, and the power of consumer influencers will grow – The strategic focus will be on engagement—not merely “likes,” or fans or followers—and center upon how to further engage customers. These may be key consumers (your potential customers) who carry a lot of clout in their circles because they tweet or post regularly about a topic and are viewed as experts.

Clients and their PR firms will continue to search for good, common metrics for social media efforts – Companies understand that “You can’t manage what you don’t measure” and there’s a correlation between measurement and corporate satisfaction with social media results. For example, the Hanser & Associates 2011 Des Moines Social Media Survey found that organizations measuring the results of their social media program were three times more likely to say “The results of my organization’s social media program meet our expectations.”

Measurement will be a higher priority for companies in 2012, especially for companies that are generating many viewers/followers/fans, but are asking, “Is it driving sales?”

Communications strategies will need to change for mobile consumers; and your brand will need to be “on” 24/7 – As use of smartphones approaches 50 percent in the U.S., marketers need to re-evaluate how to engage consumers on the go and bring them back more frequently.  Engagement with your customers needs an ongoing commitment to maintaining fresh content, relevant dialogue and responsiveness.

Companies will work to globally integrate their online presences – On the Internet, every campaign is visible globally. Speaking with one voice – even in multiple languages – is increasingly important.   While you’re re-thinking your company’s online integration, remember that 90 percent of conversations about brands are still offline; so the “Big Idea” for integration is to employ a mix of paid media (ads), earned media (traditional news coverage), owned media (company-owned websites, blogs, etc.) and shared media (social media, including Facebook, Google+, Twitter and YouTube).  Experienced PR firms are best suited to lead these market discussions.

I invite your email at rhanser@hanser.com or call to 800-340-6434 if you want a reprint of the Advertising Age insert of wish talk about improving social media in your public relations program.

Ronald C. Hanser, President, Hanser & Associates

Insight from Mashable and White House gurus…

At the Critical Issues Forum, hosted by Council of Public Relations Firms in New York on October 27, I heard superb analysis and insight regarding the role of social media in public relations strategy.

Mashable founder Pete Cashmore and former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs described how customers and voters are more-than-ever in control of brands/issues.

Kathy Cripps’ blog post (“What We’re Wondering about Social Media—Eight Burning Questions”) provides an excellent overview.

I welcome your answers to the Eight Burning Questions…

Ronald Hanser, APR, Hanser & Associates

Des Moines, Iowa – (October 27, 2011) – Ronald Hanser, president of West Des Moines-based Hanser & Associates, has been elected to the board of directors of Council of Public Relations Firms (CPRF).  Hanser will serve through 2014.

New York-based CPRF is the public relations industry’s trade association of more than 100 of America’s leading PR firms.

“Public relations firms are in an important era as clients seek our industry’s counsel to integrate marketing and communication and reallocate their investment among earned, owned and paid media,” said Hanser.  “Clients are more frequently engaging public relations firms to lead their social media strategies.”

Other CPRF newly-elected board members, all CEOs/principals of their firms, are Jens Bang (Cone); Scott Chaikin (Dix & Eaton); Dorothy Crenshaw (Crenshaw Communications) and Kathy Tunheim (Tunheim Partners).

Other board members include Andy Polansky (Weber Shandwick), chairman;  Gary Stockman (Porter Novelli),  chair-elect, Janet Tyler (Airfoil), treasurer; Laura Tomasetti (360 Public Relations), secretary; Christine Barney (rbb Public Relations); Amy Binder (RF Binder); Donna Imperato (Cohn & Wolfe); Margery Kraus (APCO Worldwide); Sharon Linhart (Linhart Public Relations); Elise Mitchell (Mitchell Communications); Jennifer Prosek (CJP Communications); Dave Senay (Fleishman-Hillard) and Melissa Waggener Zorkin (Waggener Edstrom Worldwide).

Visit http://prfirms.org/news/council-of-public-relations-firms-announces-2012-board-of-directors for more details in CPRF’ news release dated Oct. 27.

NEW YORK (Oct. 25, 2011) – Megabus.com, the widely popular city-to-city, express bus company with fares from $1, announced today its expansion to the southern United States with a seventh hub in Atlanta. Atlanta residents can now travel to 11 cities: Birmingham, Ala.; Charlotte, N.C.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Gainesville, Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Memphis, Tenn.; Mobile, Ala.; Montgomery, Ala.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Orlando, Fla., for as low as $1. Service will begin Nov. 16, and customers can begin booking travel today at www.megabus.com.

Megabus.com will offer daily departures from its stop location on the street level at MARTA’s Civic Center station in downtown Atlanta. The curbside bus stop is just south of the intersection of West Peachtree Street NW and Pine Street NE., on the northbound side of West Peachtree St NW.

The Civic Center station is on MARTA’s Gold and Red lines, offering fast connections via rail throughout the Atlanta metro and to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Customers are encouraged to book early to secure $1 fares. Fares always start as low as $1 and get higher as the traveling date gets closer.

“Megabus.com has rapidly become the travel option of choice for millions of people and today we’re excited to bring our unique travel option to Atlanta and the southeast region,” said Dale Moser, president and COO of megabus.com. “As Americans continue to look for ways to stretch their income, we look forward to providing safe, convenient and affordable travel to the millions of Atlanta-area residents.”

To celebrate this service expansion, megabus.com is offering 10,000 free seats for travel between Nov. 16 and Dec. 16, 2011. The free seats will be available on megabus.com departures to and from Atlanta and the 11 expansion cities. Customers will need to use the promo code ATL10K when booking their tickets via www.megabus.com (subject to availability on select dates, routes).

“Already the world’s most accessible city, getting to Atlanta will be even easier with the arrival of megabus.com,” said William Pate, president and CEO of Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Over the last few years, Atlanta has seen significant tourism growth with our world class attractions and restaurants. Adding a new form of transportation for travelers will only heighten the city’s exposure.”

Megabus.com, a subsidiary of Coach USA, launched in April 2006 and is one of the largest intercity express bus service providers in North America, transporting more than 13 million travelers. In addition to affordable fares, megabus.com offers customers state-of-the-art environmentally-friendly buses with free Wi-Fi, power outlets and restrooms.

Visit www.megabus.com for additional information about the service, schedules, arrival and departure times and fares.

PRSA queued up solid advice from Darin Klemchuk yesterday.

And I was struck by a couple of things:

1. Namejacking is still a problem? I understand if you’re launching a company (Qwikster?), but, for others operating now, it’s just too easy to hit namechk and lock it all down.
2. Social media monitoring still isn’t mainstream? I know we’ve seen just10% monitoring social media in the Des Moines area recently. Its amazing that there isn’t more listening going on. Not sure how you can be social without listening…

While we can’t give legal advice (but we can give referrals!), we can help you with stay out of trouble with word of mouth and social media programs. We’re tuned in as PRSA members (some are APRs, too), and we’ve been members of WOMMA for years as they continue to stay out front on ethical and legal issues in online (social media) and offline word of mouth.

So, call if we can help point you in the right direction.