From HarborCenter and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus to the Hotel Lafayette and several downtown loft conversions, high-profile building projects are reshaping Buffalo and paving the way for its resurgence. Hear from a panel of expert public relations leaders who are promoting these exciting new development projects and helping to define a new vision for Buffalo.

Discussion topics will include:

• An overview of various development and construction projects occurring around the city and their impact on its economic vitality.
• How panelists create, package and share key messages about these important projects to the public and key stakeholders.
• In turn, how those messages and projects are shaping a collective vision for Buffalo’s future.

Moderator:

Patrick Finan, Founder/Principal, Block Club; Co-Founder, City Dining Cards
At Block Club, a branding and marketing agency that works with forward-thinking businesses and organizations, and City Dining Cards, Patrick Finan believes in triple-bottom-line-focused growth: people, planet, profit. He, his companies and their work have been recognized by top national media and design blogs.

Panelists:

Erin Carmina, Director of Business Development, Marketing and Public Relations, Carmina Wood Morris PC
In her six years working at an architectural, engineering and interior design firm, Erin Carmina has communicated and promoted many of the historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects that have contributed to Buffalo’s revitalization. Last year, she earned a Master of Public Administration from Hilbert College.

Ellen Goldbaum, Senior Medical Editor, University at Buffalo
Among her duties, Ellen Goldbaum is developing a strategic communications plan for the new UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences under construction on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. She joined UB’s media relations team in 1990, initially covering science and engineering, and has also worked at trade and consumer magazines.

Don Heins, Communications Manager, HarborCenter
Don Heins handles public relations and media inquiries and creates video content for HarborCenter, a $172 million downtown project that will include ice rinks, the Academy of Hockey, a hotel and retail and restaurant space. Previously, he spent three years as a reporter and weekend sports anchor at YNN Buffalo.


Notes: Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. Program will run promptly from 8 to 9 a.m. Light continental breakfast will be provided. Parking has been arranged at St. Michael’s Church (651 Washington St, Buffalo 14203), across from the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. It is easiest to enter the lot from behind the church, on Ellicott St : http://www.thepartnership.org/documents/Parking-2013.pdf