#AmplifyCastle
20
We're getting ready to celebrate our 20th year! To mark the occasion, we're kicking off our #amplifycastle campaign as a way to showcase our client work, culture and employees--all who are central to our success. We hope you'll follow along on our social channels and share the ways in which you amplify your work, talents and interests with us.

Coming Up

On Thursday, March 3, Sandy Lish will share her expertise on crisis communications relative to sexual misconduct accusations at academic intuitions on a Fred C. Church Risk Management WebEx roundtable webinar. Joining Sandy will be Linda Johnson and David Wolowitz, co-chairs of the Education Law Group at McLane Middleton, and Jeff Olsen, SVP and co-founder of the education practice at Fred C. Church Insurance. Click here for more information or to register for the free event.

Castle Behind the Scenes
From serious pre-planning to double-checking every detail to building venues from scratch (yes, we've done it!), so much goes into making Castle events a success. Head over to our website to see exclusive behind the scenes video of SOLVE coming together. 

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Deloitte New England partner Susan Esper on being appointed chair of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women's Network Advisory Board.

Facebook's "Reaction Buttons" are Almost Here

Facebook users rejoice! Just a few months after the social media giant announced plans for alternatives to its hallmark Like button, Facebook's Reaction buttons will be rolled out to users around the world over the next few weeks. Instead of using the generic, and sometimes inappropriate, Like button, users will now also have the option to choose Angry, Sad, Wow, Haha and Love. Tidbit: Facebook initially planned to include Yay, but the option was thrown out when the sentiment wasn't universally understood during the testing phase.

For scoop on how Chief Product Officer Chris Cox and his team went from Like to Reaction, head on over to Bloomberg Business.

Welcome New
Castle Interns!
Welcome to our new spring semester interns!
Kendall Bauer
(Simmons College)
Durra Jingfeng Liang (Boston University)
Grace Rhee
(Boston University)
Grace has returned to Castle following a fall internship with us.

In late December, we lost a beloved member of our PRGN family, talented communicator and storyteller Joe LedlieJoe was truly one of a kind, and we will miss his leadership, quick wit and friendship. 

Castle Welcomes New Clients
Since our last newsletter, we've welcomed Newton Wellesley Hospital and Manulife Asset Management. We're also working with an out-of-state public university system on a confidential communications project. 

You Don't Look 20! 
How to Keep your Mature Business Fresh
By Sandy Lish, Principal/Founder

When we hit a certain age in life, it becomes flattering to be told you look younger than your birth certificate would indicate. I would posit that the same is true in business. As Castle prepares to hit the big 2-0, there are many opportunities to reflect and many lessons learned. But one thing is true--we feel, and in many ways look, "younger" than we are.

It astonishes me how quickly the time has flown. I can recall a job early in my career that lasted three years--but felt like an eternity. Here 20 years has (almost) passed in the blink of an eye, which I chalk up to a number of things. Here are some of those lessons learned to keep your business or department feeling and looking fresh and new.

Adapt with the times -- Public relations and events management have changed dramatically since we opened our doors. None of that is a revelation. But what keeps us "young" and fresh is not just the ability to change with the times and learn new things, but to fully EMBRACE the changes, be passionate about what we're learning, and put a stake in the ground with new technologies, services, people and skill sets that keep us moving forward.

Relationships matter -- Whether in a service business like ours or otherwise, relationships are the foundation for success. We work hard at, and truly care about, all of our relationships--with one another, our team, our clients, our community and also the people we go home to at night. That takes balance and dedication, but also fosters decades of loyalty and rewards that cannot be counted on a balance sheet.

Change things up -- Everything is on the table at Castle, in terms of constant improvement. Our operations, social agenda, d�cor, website, etc. We are never rooted in any one way of doing things, and welcome input and suggestions from inside and outside to be better for our clients, our team and ourselves.

Exercise the mind -- We've put our expertise to work for some challenging clients, industries and problems...and that fuels us. Taking on something that seems daunting, applying our expertise to a new industry, seeing someone through a new type of crisis or planning an event with parameters that seem impossible is hard work...but it's rewarding hard work that keeps us motivated and fresh.

Keep your physical appearance looking good -- Over the years we've rebranded; rebuilt our website several times; bought, built out and redesigned our Navy Yard office condo; built and refreshed our social media channels; and tested and purchased new technologies. Your appearance must match your attitude.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger -- We started our business during a booming economy, but then faced, and weathered, two recessions. When you've been through the tough times, you become well prepared for whatever comes. You learn, grow and set examples. And that keeps you relevant and provides all-important staying power.

Where there's a will, there's a way -- If you have the conviction that you can find a way to achieve what you set out to do--regardless of the hurdles, the naysayers or the competition--you will do it. And when you do that, you build the corporate confidence and mindset that anything is possible. And when anything is possible, a bright future is always ahead of us.

Be true to who you are -- Over the years, we've had opportunities-clients, partnerships, alliances--that didn't feel right. Maybe they didn't align with our expertise or business plan, or perhaps culturally or ethically they were just a poor fit. We focus on what we do best--and we're best at what we focus on. And it shows in our work. We trust our guts as well as our heads. We sleep pretty well at night because of that.

You're as young as you feel -- We've got a lot of competitors in the marketplace. Many have been here long before us and some are newer. But because we feel young, we are never complacent. In the first year we were in business, a client told us they selected us because we were "scrappy." (Almost) 20 years later, we're still scrappy. We LOVE our scrappiness.

Find others who can make you better -- Our membership in the Public Relations Global Network is a perfect example of this. We're based in Boston, we're from Boston, we KNOW Boston. But since joining this exclusive group more than a dozen years ago, we can also legitimately say the same about San Francisco, Tokyo, Germany, Chicago and every other major media market in the world. We can remain authentically Boston and yet provide our clients and staff with opportunities and intelligence far beyond the city limits.

Love what you do -- Yes, it's trite. But we built this business because Wendy was passionate about events management and I was passionate about PR. And we still are. So we find like-minded people to hire, develop and partner with. Some stay and some move on, but those who flourish have that same passion. When you love what you do, the days fly by. And when the days fly by, 20 years goes by just...like...that.

Client News

Consumer
Boston Harbor Cruises teamed up with the HISTORY channel for its new series "Billion Dollar Wreck," which follows famed treasure hunter Martin Bayerle and his son as they search for billions of dollars in treasure aboard the sunken cruise liner RMS Republic. BHC's Offshore Logistics Division played a critical role by providing an ocean platform for the divers and equipment. 

This week the Castle Event team will be supporting Ocean Spray at their Annual Grower's Meeting in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. More than 750 attendees are expected and we're looking forward to another successful meeting!

Real Estate
In response to General Electric's announcement that it will move its headquarters to Boston's Seaport District, Rental Beast Founder and President Ishay Grinberg spoke with NECN Business and Boston.com about how this will affect rents in the increasingly popular Boston neighborhood.

Technology
The Castle Events team recently returned from Austin where they executed a 1,200-person sales kickoff conference for a Fortune 500 IT products and services provider

For more client updates check out our News page!

Congratulations Callie & Sara!
  
Callie Cleary has been promoted to senior event manager. Callie's been with us for six years, rising up through the ranks in events management. Sara Barone has been promoted to assistant event manager. Sara has been with Castle for three years, having joined us full time after graduating from the University of New Hampshire.

          
The Calm Before the Crisis
Castle Vice President Jamie Kelly tells Inside Higher Ed readers how they can prepare their communications teams for a potential crisis situation.

Pick up today's paper and you're sure to read about a student protest, racial tensions on campus, sexual misconduct, Title IX or a no-confidence vote in administration. Although these issues and crises have long plagued college campuses, today it seems as if they attract more attention, more regularly. Some of this is due to the severity of particular situations, and some is a result of the 24/7, connected world in which we live. Whatever the reason, pre-planning and attention to current issues gaining momentum in the media can lead to a swift response and resolution to tamp down a crisis before it becomes a recurring headline.

How issues are managed and how an institution communicates to its key internal and external audiences during a crisis critically affect short- and long-term reputational risk. PR professionals are tasked with communicating clear messages in a timely manner, striking the right tone and maintaining a consistent voice. Collaboration across campus departments, a clear understanding of risks and opportunities, and protection of the school's reputation are all of great importance.

To read the rest of Jamie's blog post, visit the Inside Higher Ed website.

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Sincerely,

 sandy   wendy

Sandy Lish             Wendy Spivak

Principal/Founder   Principal/Founder