PopUp Workshops Add to the Arsenal of Info for 3CMA Members

By Tom Bryson
3CMA President | Director of Communications, City of Farmers Branch, Texas

We're proud that the 3CMA Annual Conference has long been a source of inspiration and motivation for members across the nation. We all tend to get energized by the work of and networking with our colleagues and friends.

In recent years, that experience has been enhanced by regional conferences that have tackled everything from emergency operations to emerging social media and much, much more. Really vital webinars have been added to the mix that have kept the 3CMA member experience alive through the year, between conferences.

Now comes the "PopUp Workshop."

Designed as a deep dive on a single topic in a 60 to 90 minutes time frame, the 3CMA PopUp Workshop debuted in January when I joined my friend and colleague Steve Stoler at the City of Plano, Texas for an update on the phenomenon of "First Amendment Auditors." We had a small audience in person at Plano City Hall, but about 200 of you on Facebook Live.

Here's the great part – we know of many agencies that gathered staff in central locations like conference rooms and Council Chambers to watch the Facebook Live broadcast and there have been at least another 100 views of the video on demand. Conservatively, we estimate between 400 and 500 people have been the benefit of this first PopUp Workshop.

So, now, it's your turn.

We're asking members across the nation to consider setting up their own PopUp Workshop. It is pretty simple:

  1. Decide on a single topic worthy of an hour to 90-minute-long deep dive. The more timely, the better. Topics could be literally anything, ranging from specific crisis events to media relations refreshers to SnapChat for People Over 40 or anything else that others might benefit from.
  2. Pick your presenters and clear all of this through Scott at the 3CMA national office. He can help you set a date and advertise it to members.
  3. You can invite a local audience, but it's not required.
  4. We do, however, need you to Facebook Live broadcast your session. Again, Scott can work with you on credentials for doing that.

We try to keep it informal. No registration required. The Facebook analytics will give us an idea of attendance.

So, what ideas do you have? Contact me (email) or Scott Lehtonen at the 3CMA office for more conversation.

We look forward to seeing what comes next.

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