VPC’s spring conference was held April 27 at the University of Richmond. About 30 VPC members and guests enjoyed a morning of networking, learning, and celebrating.

The day began with breakfast and networking. Attendees shared their elevator speeches. And members learned unique facts about each other they had not been aware of before. For example, both Michele Cook and Marge Swayne live on farms and raise goats. Who knew? Conference attendees were asked to leave behind an index card with a thought about the day or most interesting thing they learned. Both Michele and Marge wrote the following about each other: “I met another goat lady!”

Our group has expressed interest in learning more about the digital landscape, so we invited two professionals to share how they use social media to engage their audiences. Jennifer Guild, manager of communications and curiosity at the Science Museum of Virginia, and Nicole Hansen, communications coordinator for the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business, shared some great insights on what has worked for them and what hasn’t worked so well.

“You can accomplish all this on your phone,” Hansen noted as she encouraged the audience to consider using more video and audio in their communications efforts.

“Make sure you have clearly defined goals for each channel,” Guild stressed when discussing the many social media platforms available.

The day ended with a celebration of our awards.

 

Quotes from the Day

“I love learning members’ stories.”
—Terry Haycock

“As a guest here, I’m impressed with the variety of people involved and the many different kinds of creative endeavors.”
—Jon Marken

“Loved the social media topic. So informative and had me thinking of ways to advance our own efforts.”
—Lindsey Campbell