With the Republican National Convention (August 2020) just 10 months away, Charlotte is readying itself for the international attention, upwards of 50,000 visitors and an estimated $121 million impact hosting the convention will bring to the city and its brands.

The Charlotte AMA invites you to join us for our Annual Alphabet Bash for a night of networking, fun, and a panel discussion from area brand leaders on what their organizations are doing to prepare for the spotlight.

• With Charlotte being in the spotlight, what does this mean for marketers buying media for their brand, especially knowing political groups will be buying media as well?

• How can we put Charlotte and our brands in the best light?

• What does it mean to have Charlotte on a global stage for reasons of a political party?

• A discussion about representing the brands and creative community in Charlotte, and what they should be aware of from a marketing perspective.

As with all of our Annual Alphabet Bash events, we will be partnering with many of the other marketing, creative, and business organizations in Charlotte. The proceeds from this event will be donated to philanthropic organizations selected by the partnering organizations.

Agenda:

• 5:30 p.m. – Cocktails & Networking

• 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. – Dinner and Panel Discussion

• 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Networking

Moderator: Dianne Chase

An accomplished media, journalism and public relations professional with profound expertise in various communication disciplines, most notably crisis communication, Dianne Chase is also an experienced issue and reputation management consultant, media trainer, presenter, and writer. Ms. Chase’s broadcast journalism career includes positions throughout the Carolinas as news director, anchor, and reporter at the top news radio stations. She is the winner of numerous local, state, regional, and national broadcast news awards and past Executive Editor of ‘North Carolina Police Officer’, the official publication of the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, the Asheville, NC native was the founding partner of two media relations consulting firms. Ms. Chase has broad experience in helping companies of all sizes deal with the informational needs of the media and other important stakeholders. Her work for C4CS® has included immediate on-the-scene response to a variety of crisis incidents as well as ongoing strategic communications advice and media and crisis communication training for senior managers.

Panel:

• John Lassiter serves as President and Chief Executive Officer for the Charlotte 2020 Host Committee. Lassiter is president of Carolina Legal Staffing, which provides legal professionals placement and services in every major market of the Carolinas. He previously served as chairman of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina and as a member of the Charlotte City Council and Charlotte- Mecklenburg Board of Education. Prior to starting his company, he was a Senior Vice President and General Counsel with Belk Stores and an Assistant Attorney General with the North Carolina Department of Justice. John earned his Bachelor’s Degree and Law degree from Wake Forest University.

• Tracy Russ is an experienced strategist, communications executive, and engagement expert with demonstrated success in designing and deploying innovative brand experiences and interactive engagement processes that build value and advance purpose for people and cultures within for-profit and non-profit organizations and institutions, communities and advocacy efforts. Tracy has created, led and guided numerous high-profile initiatives as Chief Marketing Officer for the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Chief Convergence Officer at ecoAmerica and Executive Director of Crossroads Charlotte.

• Morgan Jessup is the Sr. Director of Advanced Advertising Media Sales for Spectrum Reach. Her passion is helping marketers connect with audiences across all screens using data-driven insights and innovative messaging technologies. Morgan also leads field sales and strategy efforts for Spectrum Reach’s Display and Online Video initiatives, inclusive of their advancements in whole home addressability. Morgan is an active member of WICT Carolinas where she is Director at Large of their award-winning mentoring program, helping others grow and develop is a goal of hers both personally and professionally. She is a 2015, 2016, and 2019 WICT Woman to Watch Nominee and 2017 WICT Rising Leader Graduate. She was one of the first in her organization to become IAB Digital Media Sales Certified in 2012 and has since been a champion in helping others better understand this rapidly evolving media landscape. In her downtime, Morgan focuses on a fun, healthy lifestyle and loves spending time with her husband, Larry, their two princesses, Scarlett and Savannah, and their bulldog, Magnolia.

• Shelly Chandler is a national Customer Experience consultant and speaker with more than 25 years in customer experience strategy and execution at Fortune 500 companies, delivering customer insights, experience design and process improvement programs. Her mission is to help small-to-mid-sized companies create and grow their customer experience design programs, and to help larger companies to see meaningful results from existing CXD work. Shelly also co-leads the Charlotte Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), the premier global non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and cultivation of the customer experience profession and customer results produced by its members. Shelly will challenge and educate Charlotte brands on how to think through the end-to-end experience they plan to purposefully deliver before, during and after the RNC event. Shelly lives in Wesley Heights one mile from Uptown and hopes to make a killing by renting her house out during RNC week!