I’m sitting in a casino hotel room in Reno NV attempting to get over the three hour time adjustment. My reason for being here? No, not to gamble away my hard earned money in an electronic income reducer. I actually have no fascination or interest in this activity at all. I’m here to attend the annual NIOA conference. NIOA is the National Information Officers Association. I look forward to this conference each and every year. This is the “western rotation” so I’m extremely out of my element.
However! As I sit here in the room attempting to adjust my system for the time (knowing that it is now 12:30 a.m. at home and that I’ll likely wake up at 6:30 “my time” with nowhere to go and nothing to do) I reflect on some of the great training I have received at this conference in the past.
I was fortunate to hear from the public affairs officers from the United States Navy as they described the ordeal they encountered with the attack on the U.S.S. Cole. This was even before we had any inclination that Osama Bin Laden was involved and certainly before the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. If we had only known then what was to transpire. The PAOs were extremely professional. I believe they taught us all a little bit about how to handle a crisis that becomes national news.
There are actually so many learning events that I can’t list or prioritize them with any efficiency. I do hope to document some of my thoughts and experiences at this conference over the next week. If my writing can benefit other PIOs, then I will have accomplished something worthwhile.
Also, as I sit here, I’m watching the coverage of Hurricane Katrina as it is reported on the Weather Channel. Many of the public information officers from that area are here for the conference. I wonder how many will be called back into action — leaving a great conference opportunity, but serving their communities as they have sworn to do. For those of you that pray, say a word or two for the residents along the Gulf of Mexico, southern Florida, and even Cuba.
