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Public Relations Major was Panelist for National Webinar

Posted on Monday, July 18, 2011

Kelly Matune, a Westminster College junior public relations major, served as a panelist for a national webinar, "AV Week 2011: Ways Your Company Can Celebrate AV Week," July 13.

Matune is a daughter of Frank and Doreen Matune of Hermitage and a graduate of Kennedy Catholic High School.

The online conference for more than 70 attendees was hosted by InfoComm International, a leading nonprofit association serving the professional audio visual community, and underwritten by Kramer Electronics. 

Matune was the only student on the panel that included InfoComm's Cheryl Regan, director of member services, and Molly Thompson, member service programs manager; Jessica Spicer and Krystle Czajkowski, public relations specialists from Audio Visual Innovations and Signal Perfection Ltd.; and Malissa Dillman, certified technology specialist and training and education manager for Kramer Electronics.

The panel showcased ways to prepare for and celebrate AV Week, an annual observance that highlights the value of the audio visual industry.  Discussion covered previously successful events; ideas and planning for internal and external events; outreach to schools and local businesses; leveraging social media; succeeding with minimal budget; using InfoComm's resources; the importance of detailed documentation; and the excitement that AV Week can generate.

"I enjoyed getting feedback and ideas from other public relations professionals about AV Week," Matune said.  "I am glad to have been able to represent Westminster's AV department, do some networking, and gain practical experience."

"Kelly did a tremendous job," said Gary Swanson, director of Westminster's AV Services.  "She has been instrumental in organizing Westminster's AV Week activities, so this was a great opportunity for her to share that information."

AV Week at Westminster has included: demonstrations of new technology; presentations by guest speakers; gently-used equipment hand-off drive to distribute used-but-still-useful equipment that can continue to provide educational support in a new setting; Titan Terror Project, a short-film contest that challenged contestants to tell a thrilling story without the use of gore; the Outstanding and Dedicated AV Media Support Services Award, given to a qualifying Westminster graduate; and an e-recycling drive, where campus and community can dispose of used electronics in a way that is safe for the environment.  

AV Week 2011 will be Oct. 16-22.

Contact Swanson at (724) 946-7188 or email avstaff@westminster.edu for additional information.  Visit www.infocomm.org to listen to the webinar.

Kelly Matune