Conference update

Keynote speakers announced

Our 24th annual conference is right around the corner, June 19 at the Carlson School of Management. This year's theme is "Craft the future" and we are excited to announce the keynote speakers: 

--Ellen Lupton: curator, author, teacher, designer

--Seitu Jones: Joyce Award Winner, visual artist, master gardener

--Dessa: singer, writer, rapper, producer.

Request for vendors

We're seeking vendors for the vendor fair at conference. The vendor fair helps make the low cost of conference possible. If you work with any vendors and think they might be interested in this inexpensive opportunity to raise their profile with potential clients, please contact Karina Carlson at carl2263@umn.edu as soon as possible.

2014 Communicators Forum Awards 

Our annual awards competition, the Maroon and Gold Awards for Communications Excellence, encourages high standards by recognizing excellence in communications at the University. You must be a member to submit an entry. This year's submission process will occur in March 2014.

Any work designed or produced by Communicators Forum member(s) and/or published / used by the University between March 1, 2013 and February 28, 2014 is eligible. Submission period is March 1-21, 2014. 

We revamped the award categories (Gold) and created several new sub-categories (Maroon) to better showcase the excellent and effective work being done by University communicators. 

More to come, but start planning what you want to submit for these 2014 award categories: 

--Design: Expanded the previous print category to include design for non-printed items; applications, infographics, web, video, and display items. 

--Interactive: Expanded the previous electronic media category to include interactive blog, application, single social media. Coordinated social media is now a part of the Campaign/Series category. The website subcategory has been broken into three subcategories: website, web section and web page.

--Writing: Expanded category to include writing for websites, newsletters, and messages. 

--Campaign/Series: The least changed of the four categories, added coordinated social media.

In addition a new maroon award has been added in each of the four categories: Innovator. The innovator award will be given to work in Campaign, Interactive, Design, and Writing that uses new media, techniques, tools, or combinations of communication tools in innovative ways heretofore unseen by the University of Minnesota community.

--Illuminate: Best use of this year's "Driven to Discover" campaign theme: "Discovery Illuminates Everyone." Any communications piece can be submitted for Illuminate award consideration.

--MIKE: The "people's choice" award. Any communications piece can be submitted for MIKE award consideration.

--Margo: Award for the highest impact for the lowest dollar amount. Any communications piece can be submitted for Margo award consideration.