Many of you are working on your 2016 budgets, and I would suggest a few of the Public Affairs Council conferences be included to help with your government relations work.

If you have some funds left for 2015, attend the State and Local Government Relations conference from September 23-25 at the Hilton Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia. This is the absolute best 101 program to learn about state and local government relations. We have used this as a stepping-stone to all first-year staff to learn more about the subject.

The premiere conferences offered by the Council are in 2016—National Grassroots Conference, January 25-28 in Orlando, and the National PAC Conference in Miami from March 7-10. Yes, it is winter, and yes, they are in Florida. However, set that aside and think about the sessions where discussions are held about:

1. Case studies involving grassroots programs;
2. Branding your grassroots program;
3. Educating the members of your grassroots or PAC programs;
4. Ethics, Gift Rules, and Legal Guidance (my favorite session);
5. Engaging Senior Executives;
6. Operating a Successful PAC;
7. Communicating Across Generations;
8. Hosting a Candidate Fundraiser;
9. Auditing and Assessing Your PAC; and
10. Setting a Course for Your Professional Development.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I serve on the PAC Board of Directors (but there are 160 of us, so no one really notices me) and I am on the Advisory Committee for both of the 2016 conferences…But, that should show my commitment to the Council and how much I treasure and value its contributions to the public affairs industry.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give me a call. I would be happy to discuss the value and importance.

Until next month, remember professional development is something you should always push for to help you with your career.

Thank you.

Elizabeth Z. Bartz

President and CEO