Welcome to the first issue of your PRAM newsletter! Published three times a year, this e-newsletter is a vehicle for sharing and exchanging professional news among our membership. We welcome feedback and contributions from our colleagues across the nation. Submit brief articles or concepts to Susan Trien at strien@museumofplay.org or Brady Dyer at brady.dyer@blantonmuseum.org.

Onward to the AAM Annual Meeting in Philadelphia (April 30 to May 4)
In an economic downturn, PR & Marketing efforts need to be smarter, more efficient, and more effective. Learn how to sharpen your skills at nine exciting PRAM-sponsored marketing sessions. Network, share, and learn at PRAM sponsored events throughout the conference, including our opening reception, networking breakfast, business luncheon, and Marketplace of Ideas. (And don’t forget to take advantage of discounted Early Bird conference rates when you register by January 30.)

PRAM SPONSORED AAM SESSIONS:  Your PRAM committee worked all year to develop these outstanding sessions for you during the AAM Annual Meeting:

•    Beyond the Party:  Continuing Museum Engagement for YoCos (Young Cosmopolitans) Discover successful introductory social models for attracting and retaining this population.
•    Free Admission:  Audacious Mission-Driven Marketing Strategy
Explore the strategy, marketing, PR, and development issues involved in implementing     free admission.
•    Open Wide the Doors:  Leveraging New Content to Develop New Audiences Learn about evolving trends in museum attendance and how to develop new audiences to remain relevant in our changing communities.
•    Where the Rubber Meets the Road:  Economy, Tourism, & Museums
Explore the impact of the economy on travel and tourism and its consequences for  museum visitation.
•    The ABC’s of Working with the Media A panel of reporters and editors field questions on newsroom decisions, pitching stories, and cultivating media relationships.
•    Beyond the Front Door:  Creating A Culture of Visitor Service
Three very different museums tell how they have approached the visitors service     challenge to create a truly seamless experience for their audiences.
•    Getting More for Less Through Collaborative Marketing Programs
Tips on establishing partnerships for sharing mailing lists, market research, special  events, and discount programs.
•    Branding:  Extreme Makeover 101 Re-branding experts present the nitty gritty of how to accomplish a successful re-branding project.
•    Measuring the Impact of Advertising:  Useful Metrics or Impossible Dream? Advertising research:  what works, what doesn’t, and what we can learn from outside the field.

You won’t want to miss. . .a Tutorial on Google Ads/Pay-per-Click and our annual Marketplace of Ideas, brimming with opportunities to meet the experts in your field at informal roundtable discussions.

And Don't Forget to Sign Up For These Special PRAM-Sponsored Events!

DAM/PRAM RECEPTION
Thursday, April 30, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
The Union League, 140 South Broad Street
Meet friends old and new at this historic gem in Philadelphia’s cultural district.  Enjoy great food, networking, door prizes, and live music. Co-sponsored by PRAM and the Development and Membership (DAM) Committees. (Ticket: $45)

PRAM BUSINESS LUNCHEON
Strategies for Successful Corporate Partnerships
Friday, May 1, 12:15 - 1:45 p.m. 
Learn how to tap new corporate marketing dollars and maximize corporate sponsorships from Dan Kowitz, Vice President of IEG Advisory Services, the industry leader in sponsorship consulting. You’ll walk away with real world solutions you can immediately implement! Generous support for the luncheon provided by Pimzlo Media Inc. (Ticket: $45)



PRAM NETWORKING BREAKFAST
Saturday, May 2, 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Maggiano’s Little Italy (near the convention center)
1201 Filbert Street
Take a break from session rooms and hotels and meet PRAM colleagues for a scrumptious hot breakfast buffet. Network with colleagues and share challenges, successes, and take-aways from the conference, and help us plan 2010 sessions. (Ticket: $18)

FELLOWSHIP
Apply by January 14 for LaPlaca Cohen PRAM $1,000 Fellowship
PRAM is offering a $1,000 fellowship for newcomers to the field (generously underwritten by LaPlaca Cohen) to defray costs of attending the 2009 annual meeting. Applications are due January 14. Announcement of the winner will be made by January 25, in time for the early bird registration (due January 30). For details, please click here. Questions?  Contact PRAM Fellowship Co-chairs Ann Wilson (ann.wilson@blantonmuseum.org) and Suzanne Hall (suzanne.hall@vmfa.museum)

Save $$$ on 2009 National Arts Marketing Conference
Members of AAM are entitled to an $80 discount to the National Arts Marketing Conference from Saturday, March 14 to Monday, March 16, 2009, presented at the Kimmel Center at NYU. The theme is “Cultivating the Next Generation of Audiences & Securing Your Organization’s Future:  A Technology, Research, and Programming Summit for Our Times.” Register by December 20 for the Early Bird deadline. For more details click here.