The Public Relations Society of America's New York chapter's (PRSA-NY) annual Big Apple awards gala at the Marriott Marquis was an expedient affair. The briskly paced event moved from cocktails, to appetizers, to awards, to lunch, to more awards--all without a moment's pause. After all, public relations types are busy folks. And they're chatty, too: Although we've seen discreet signs at venue entrances reminding people to turn off their cell phones, this one had signs on every table. Evidently, PR types rely so heavily on their mobile devices that the signs practically need to be part of the centerpieces. (And even with the blunt reminders, a few phones rang during the presentation.)
Despite the little distractions, the awards show went off without a hitch. Organized by PRSA president-elect Michael Rinaldo (who is also a senior vice president and partner at Fleishman-Hillard), the event hosted more than 300 flacks, ranging from huge public relations firms' employees to private corporate communications execs. Dave Price and Denise Richardson of Fox News served as the awards presentation's M.C.s, and paced the program well with some light humor. The big winner of the day: Fleishman-Hillard, which picked up six awards and one honorable mention.
The Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis was simply decorated with mustard-yellow tablecloths adorned with centerpieces of clay flower pots filled with grass and shiny red apples (very Garden of Eden-esque) by Atlas Floral Decorators. But despite the relatively quick awards show (about an hour for 35 awards and 10 honorable mentions), we noticed several guests leaving immediately after receiving their awards.
--Suzanne Ito
Despite the little distractions, the awards show went off without a hitch. Organized by PRSA president-elect Michael Rinaldo (who is also a senior vice president and partner at Fleishman-Hillard), the event hosted more than 300 flacks, ranging from huge public relations firms' employees to private corporate communications execs. Dave Price and Denise Richardson of Fox News served as the awards presentation's M.C.s, and paced the program well with some light humor. The big winner of the day: Fleishman-Hillard, which picked up six awards and one honorable mention.
The Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis was simply decorated with mustard-yellow tablecloths adorned with centerpieces of clay flower pots filled with grass and shiny red apples (very Garden of Eden-esque) by Atlas Floral Decorators. But despite the relatively quick awards show (about an hour for 35 awards and 10 honorable mentions), we noticed several guests leaving immediately after receiving their awards.
--Suzanne Ito