NEWS

Erica Backus, Visit Savannah’s director of public relations, was asked to speak on a panel at the 2017 Public Relations Society of America’s Travel & Tourism Conference in Palm Springs, California last week. The panel discussion, called “Steal This Idea! Five Minutes to Get Inspired” featured tourism PR professionals who used a creative approach to problem-solving in their public relations strategy. Backus was asked to speak about Visit Savannah’s 2016 FAM tour partnership with Allegiant Air which used social media and internet influencers to help disseminate the message that Savannah was open for business immediately after Hurricane Matthew. The session was one of the conference’s most attended.
The Public Relations Society of America or PRSA is the nation’s largest professional organization serving the communications community with a mission to “make communications professional smarter, better prepared and more connected through all stages of their career.” PRSA’s membership collectively represents more than 30,000 members comprised of communications professionals spanning every industry sector nationwide and college and university students who encompass the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).