From the President

Hi all,

A brief one from me while Kate is on leave…

Well how timely have we been in organising a Be There lunch session on Crisis Communications & Reputation on November 18. I am sure our experts will be keen to share their thoughts on how Qantas have managed the episode. Whether you agree or not will be another matter.

IABC Chair Adrian Cropley blogged his thoughts and was highly critical of the CEO and what looks to be a lack of communication advisors involved. The end result as Adrian sees it will be irrevocable damage to the Qantas brand.

Anne Sorensen provides a timely reminder on the importance of trust in reputation in considering how Qantas may need to rebuild its brand.

I take a different view in that I’m not sure that Qantas has incurred much damage, nor would I have advised anything different. It was quick decisive action that forced a decision that would enable the business to continue unimpeded. The share price had dropped since the Unions started industrial action in August and rose after Joyce’s action, and continues to rise. Sounds like trust in a brand to me. I also though the eDM sent to Frequent Flyers had all the markers of great leadership and change communication to me – personal responsibility, acknowledging the negative consequences, and providing a clear direction.

No doubt it will be a topic that divides IABCers – you can still get tickets to the lunch here…

Keep reading Jen's President's letter >>

IABC Victoria member profile - Graeme Domm

In a new initiative, we would like to share some of the stories of our dedicated IABC Victoria members. This issue we hear from Graeme Domm who recently celebrated 10 years as an IABC Victoria member, and remains an IABC member from his current base in Vietnam.

(1) Graeme, what’s your current role?

I’m Director of Communications at RMIT University, based in Vietnam.

(2) Why did you decide to join IABC?

I joined IABC Victoria because I wanted to be part of a global community of communication professionals – to benefit from the knowledge of others and play a part in the development of higher standards of performance, ethics and professionalism in the industry.

Keep reading Graeme's member profile >>

IABC Gold Quill mentorship program

IABC is happy to announce that the Gold Quill Awards mentorship program will be offered to all entrants again this year! The program has been an overwhelming success the past two years and we hope that even more prospective entrants will take advantage of it again this year.

The Gold Quill Awards mentorship program pairs entrants with experienced Gold Quill Awards volunteers. All mentors have either won a Gold Quill Award or judged at either the first or second tier level, so entrants can be sure that they will receive world-class advice. Your mentor can walk you through the steps on preparing your Gold Quill Award entry, review your work plan and work sample and provide general feedback as you prepare for the final submission of your Gold Quill Award entry.

Registration for the program begins on 7 November and will be open until 27 January. In order to register simply send an e-mail to recognition@iabc.com and indicate your location and which category you plan to submit to. We will then match you up with a mentor with experience in your prospective category.

IABC Victoria survey

In the next week we'll be sending out our IABC Victoria members and supporters survey for 2011.

This is a short survey asking how we can provide better value to you - the IABC Victoria community.

With Gold Class movie tickets on offer for participants, keep an eye out for it in your inbox.

IABC Victoria Christmas drinks

December 1 - save the date!

Come join us at The Mint Bar for a delightful outdoor summer barbecue and a few cheeky drinks!

$35 for members

$45 for non members.

Starts at 6.00pm

Relax, chill out and simply enjoy the company of your communications community.

IABC Victoria blogroll

Do you have a communications blog, or even a few favourite communications blogs that you love to read?

If so, we'd love to hear from you as we compile our own IABC Victoria blogroll for our website.

We've also just launched our Blogging with the Board series, including thoughts from our Board members on the world of communications.

If you'd like to guest write on the IABC Victoria blog, simply send us an email with your thoughts for a post.

Special thanks to our professional partner

Market U

IABC Victoria is disappointed to hear of WDScott's decision to close Market U. Market U has been a major contributor to the communications industry, and will leave a significant void. We wish all of the Market U team a quick transition to an exciting new future.