
Message from IABC Saskatoon President
Hello, IABC Saskatoon members!
It goes without saying that these past couple months have been a bit unusual. I just wanted to reach out to update you all on a few things, because even though we’re very far from ‘business as usual,’ your local IABC chapter hasn’t stopped working to keep providing value and keep you all connected.
Certification
Originally, we had planned to host a CMP/SCMP certification exam here in Saskatoon at the end of May. COVID restrictions unfortunately mean that we have to postpone that, which is disappointing. It does NOT, however, mean that IABC Saskatoon members interested in attaining their certification in the near future can’t still connect and prep for when we are finally able to host an exam.
While we can’t know exactly when we will be able to reschedule, certification applicants are able to write the exam any time up to two years from when their application was approved. We’re pretty confident (knock on wood) that we’ll be able to host an exam within that time range, so we want to connect people who wish to start prepping sooner rather than later.
I’ll be hosting a Zoom call on Thursday, May 28, centered around certification. You should join us if you:
- Are interested in applying for your CMP or SCMP certification and want to connect with other people in the Saskatoon area who are doing the same so that you can study, together or have a fun group to celebrate with after you successfully write the exam.
- Are interested in applying for your CMP or SCMP and have questions about what to expect out of the experience from people in our chapter who have already written, or
- Have already achieved your CMP or SCMP certification and are willing to share your experience with people who are interested in applying.
If you would like to join the call, please fill out the form here and I’ll send a link out a meeting link closer to the date.
Staying Connected
As is evidenced by the popular move away from the term “social distancing” in favour of “physical distancing,” keeping a safe physical distance doesn’t have to mean losing that connection. We had a blast on our first “Wine About It” zoom call and will be following it up with what I have taken to calling “Wine About It 2: Wine Harder,” on Thursday, May 21st.
So sign up, then grab a drink and join your fellow IABC Saskatoon-ers as Past President Ben Borne guides us in a discussion around some of the key experiences that a lot of us are sharing right now.
You can sign up here to attend and again, I’ll send out the meeting link before the call.
Communicon
Fall 2018 marked the first ever IABC Saskatoon Communicon day-long communications conference, and it was a huge success. A biennial conference, we were planning on holding the second, bigger, better Communicon 2.0 in October 2020.
We have made the very difficult decision to cancel Communicon 2020 in its originally planned form. Given the current landscape, we want to make sure that we are providing resources and connection opportunities for members in ways that are useful, but are also comfortable and safe for all involved.
While we won’t be able to hold a full-day, in-person conference this year, we are working hard to figure out a suitable replacement. We want to make sure we get it right, so we don’t know exactly what that looks like right now, but are open to any suggestions or feedback you might have.
AGM
The AGM will be happening the third week of June and will be held virtually. We’ll have a solid date and will send registration information to all members ASAP.
That’s it for updates, but please feel free to reach out to me at any point if you have any questions, concerns, or just want to chat. I’m here to make sure we’re serving the members of IABC Saskatoon in the best way possible, and am always open to suggestions, feedback, and conversation with my fellow communicators.
As always, our whole board is grateful to be able to serve such a great group of members, and we can’t wait to see you all again in person, whenever that may be! In the meantime, hopefully we can see you (and your pets, please!) virtually on the 21st.
Sincerely,
Krystal