Progressions

District Conference Preview: Bloomfest! Grow Into Your Potential (East Stroudsburg University 2024)

The East Stroudsburg University Chapter of PRSSA is preparing to host our first-ever District Conference on April 19-20, 2024.

Our conference, Bloomfest, will showcase a variety of panels ranging from crisis communication, government and financial PR to celebrity PR, news PR and more. We have over 20 alumni attending to help further amplify your career. We will also be hosting a speed networking event, where conference participants will have the opportunity to network one-on-one with a communication professional. Bring your resumes, business cards and more to embark further on your career path!

How did you arrive at your conference theme and what can members expect to see at this conference?

It took a bit of brainstorming to decide what would be a great conference theme, especially since we are hosting our conference in April. April reminded us of flowers and bloom, almost like someone growing into their potential and metamorphosing into their most refined self. That is how we created Bloomfest with the slogan “grow into your potential” because Bloomfest is a conference where professionals walk out of the room feeling more motivated, accomplished and a better version of who they were walking into the conference.

Is your conference virtual or in person? If it’s virtual, what are some of the platforms being used? If it’s in person, where will it take place?

Bloomfest is designed to be an in person conference, as we believe the best way for other PRSSA Members to truly tap into their potential is if they fully experience the conference themselves. We are hosting the conference on our Main Campus at Beers Lecture Hall and the Science and Technology Center (i.e. Sci-Tech).

Tell me about the speaker/session that excites you the most. Why should members tune in for this?

The session I am excited the most about is the Celebrity PR Panel, hosted by Chelsea Martineau, who has worked for celebrities such as Usher. I believe attendees should be excited for this session because Martineau will share her experience, the dos and don’ts of the industry, how to get your foot in the door and explain how to have a successful PR career. 

The ESU Chapter Vice President Patrick Harvey, on the other hand, is extremely excited about the Social Media/AI panel hosted by Alissa Poster. Harvey is stoked to hear more about ways to fully utilize social media to its full potential and to learn more about how to connect with organizations and their clients through social media.

Do you have any planned networking events? How will your conference allow members to connect?

ESUs PRSSA Chapter is hosting a Speed-Networking Event, where communication professionals and PRSSA Members from all Chapters can interact and engage  We encourage attendees to seek advice and showcase their resumes, business cards with a 5-minute career pitch. It is a great opportunity to impress professionals with your career experience and goals!

How can members make the most of their conference experience?

The best piece of advice we can give attendees is to interact with all the panel sessions, make the most out of the Speed-Networking Event, and truly utilize all tools to best network with other professionals and peers.

Anything else you would like to share?

Thank you so much for considering attending our conference. We hope to see you there! Feel free to check out East Stroudsburg University’s Mid-Atlantic District Conference website for more information.