Last week, I spent a momentous two days in downtown Baltimore.
On Thursday, Rosemary and I attended the PRSA Best in Maryland Awards Gala, at which RoseComm received the Best in Maryland award for a blogger campaign we conducted on behalf of our client, Apex Tool Group.
I honestly can’t recall the last time I attended a PRSA event. When Rosemary and I worked together at RM&D (which became Carton Donofrio Partners) in Baltimore, entering PRSA’s awards competitions every year was de rigueur. One particular time in the ’90s stands out for me. Our former company received several nominations and we won big on awards night. We were feeling at the top of our game and weren’t ashamed to flaunt our pride.
Good times.
The 2013 Maryland PRSA awards event was decidedly different – more subdued. I’ve heard interest has declined in PRSA in general over the years and the number of organizations entering the awards competition has waned, likely due to the economy as well as a changing of the guard of sorts at PRSA. Now there seems to be new blood and a growing enthusiasm among PR professionals. Maybe we’re feeling we can exhale and once again consider showing off some of our hard work as we participate in some friendly competition with our peers.
The following evening, I attended the “after party” for my former agency CDP. As we’ve discussed in this blog, CDP is in the process of closing up shop after 50 years in the business. The occasion was bittersweet on so many levels. I was thrilled to reminisce and catch up with former colleagues I hadn’t seen in years. I was saddened to see friends who had been through profound personal hardships and losses, knowing the lines on their faces were caused by much more than the simple passage of time. I cherished the few moments I glimpsed Hal and Chuck Donofrio – father and founder, son and CEO – smiling as they stood together surrounded by admirers.
All in all, I loved the spirit with which we all gathered together, to pay our respects and say goodbye one last time to the agency where we all had shared so much.
The juxtaposition of the two days’ events was not lost on me, nor was the fact that my longtime colleague and friend Rosemary was by my side for both.
As Rosemary likes to say: Ever onward.