Sunday, February 25

Registration

Workshop padfolios sponsored by Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc.

Marketing & Communications Committee Meeting

Advertising Revenue Information Exchange

• Bobbie C. Crichton, Manager, Marketing & Communications, Miami-Dade Transit, Miami, FL

• Richard Ament, Outfront Media, New York, NY

Welcome to APTA

First time attending APTA’s Marketing & Communications Workshop? New to the public transit industry? Join us and learn how to navigate the workshop and learn more about APTA’s Marketing & Communications Committee. Plus, we’ve assembled a panel of seasoned public transit communicators who will share their insights about today’s world of public transit communications and the APTA resources available to you.

Welcome Reception

Socialize with your fellow public transit marketing and communications professionals in a relaxed atmosphere that sets the tone for the workshop.

Dinner Groups (Dutch-treat)

Monday, February 26

Continental Breakfast

Breakfast sponsored by moovel North America, LLC

 

Registration

OPENING SESSION

• JC Vannatta, Executive Director of Public Affairs, Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), Portland, OR

• Grace Crunican, Grace Crunican, Beaverton, OR
• Edward D. Reiskin, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

• Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr., Chief Executive Officer, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL

• Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC

• Sam Singer, President, Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA

Crisis Communications

An annual favorite, the Crisis Communication session is an opportunity to learn from our PIO peers about how their organizations dealt with a variety of crises. Come hear how Denver’s Regional Transportation District worked to mitigate crossing gate technology on-going hiccups that created a safety perception crisis; how the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System was proactive during a Hepatitis A outbreak that killed 20 people and hospitalized hundreds; and how TriMet and the Portland community responded after a hate-filled rant on a train led to a stabbing that left one man seriously injured and two men dead.

Moderator

• Michelle Cantey, Waccamaw Regional Transportation Authority

• Scott Reed, Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO
• Mark Olson, Director of Marketing & Communications, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), San Diego, CA
• Roberta Altstadt, Director of Communications, Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), Portland, OR

Increasing Ridership through Partnerships

• Antoinette Govan, Atlanta Streetcar/City of Atlanta Dept. Public Works, Atlanta, GA

• Amy E. Hill, MPA, General Manager & CEO, South Bend Public Transportation Corporation (Transpo), South Bend, IN
• Alissa Kostyk, Director of Marketing, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, St. Petersburg, FL
• David Martindale, Director, Marketing and Research, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), Oakland, CA

AdWheel Awards Recognition

Enjoy a late-morning snack as we recognize the 2018 First Place AdWheel Award winners. Awards will be presented in two categories: Best Marketing and Communications to Increase Ridership or Sales and Best Marketing and Communications Educational Effort. Come and celebrate your fellow public transit communicators for their exceptional work.  

Refreshments sponsored by Proterra Inc. 

• JC Vannatta, Executive Director of Public Affairs, Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), Portland, OR
• Pauletta Tonilas, Assistant General Manager, Communications, Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO

Lunch on Your Own

Employee Communications

Join this engaging session that explores the positive impacts effective employee communications have on business performance. Whether it’s launching a new intranet to improve agency communications between departments or utilizing tools such as video or employee-led discussion groups to create better employee engagement, our panelists will share effective techniques for building strong communication within your organization. 

• Julia Schick, Director of Communications, LAKETRAN, Painesville, OH

• Lia Blanchard, Internal Communication Specialist, Community Transit, Everett, WA
• Andrea Schneibel, Knoxville Area Transit (KAT), Knoxville, TN
• Zach Shaner, Public Information Supervisor, Sound Transit, Seattle, WA

Off the Record with Two Top Reporters to Find Out What They Really Want

The news industry and the transit industry are both 24-hour-a-day operations, and in 2018 the expectations put on reporters and PIOs have never been so demanding. Come hear an off-the-record conversation between two top San Francisco reporters and two spokespeople from the transit agencies they frequently cover about how they navigate each other’s needs and work together to provide information to the public and tell memorable stories. This is your chance to hear directly from experienced reporters and ask them questions about what does and doesn't work.

• Michael Cabanatuan, Transportation Writer, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, CA
• Stanley Roberts, Video Journalist, KRON 4 News, San Francisco, CA
• Paul Rose, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, San Francisco, CA
• Alicia Trost, Chief Communications Officer, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), Oakland, CA

Marketing & Communications Exchange and Roundtables

 

• Lisa Grace Bahr, Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), San Diego, CA

• Ann Derby, PMP, CTSM, Director of Marketing & Events, INIT Innovations in Transportation Inc., Chesapeake, VA

• Stella Lin, Department Manager, Marketing & Customer Engagement, Orange County Transportation Authority, Orange, CA

• Fiona Rhodes, Program Coordinator, Blacksburg Transit, Blacksburg, VA

• Ed McGreevy, Marketing Representative, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), Oakland, CA

• Frank White, III, President & CEO, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Kansas City, MO

• Mandee Steele Oglesby, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

• Amanda Wanke, CEO, Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority - DART, Des Moines, IA

• Teresa Stepic, Senior Vice President, Client Relations, DDC Public Affairs, Washington, DC

• Lloyd Brown, Director of Communications, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC

PIO Shop Talk

• Pauletta Tonilas, Assistant General Manager, Communications, Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO

Research

• Jason M. Minser, Director of Marketing, WeGo Public Transit, Nashville, TN

• Dr. Robin Salter, Senior Performance Analyst, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Atlanta, GA
• Ivelisse Matos, Manager, Transit Research, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Atlanta, GA
• Nichele L. Laynes, Marketing & Communications Director, AC Transit (Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District), Oakland, CA
• Aaron Priven, Service Information Administrator, AC Transit (Alameda Contra-Costa Transit District), Oakland, CA
• Jennifer Kalczuk, AlphaVu, Baltimore, MD

Dinner Groups (Dutch-treat)

Your chance to meet other public transit marketing and communications professionals and build your network of industry contacts in a relaxed, casual setting. Can’t make it to dinner tonight? No worries, we have dinner groups scheduled for Tuesday.

Tuesday, February 27

Continental Breakfast

Breakfast sponsored by moovel North America, LLC

 

Registration

2018 Call Center Challenge Finals

• Thomas J. Costello, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Alyssa Lujan, Orange County Transportation Authority, Orange, CA
• Edith Randle, Marketing Assistant, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, St. Petersburg, FL
• Jamie Smothers, Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), Portland, OR
• Mallory Wright, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Atlanta, GA
• Jennifer L. Young, Senior Communications Specialist, Virginia Railway Express (VRE), Alexandria, VA

State of Good Repair

As public transit agencies expand or look to make significant repairs or replacements, communications must take on all forms to reach employees, riders and the public. Strategic communications is critical, and targeting your key messages to specific audiences can be the difference between projects with positive or negative perception. Our panel will share their success stories.

Moderator

• Hillary Foose, Director, Communication & Strategic Initiatives, Valley Metro, Phoenix, AZ

• Jawauna M. Greene, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), New York, NY
• Alexia Hinton, Public Communications Officer, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles, CA
• Elizabeth Anderson Bousley, Spokane Transit Authority

Communicating Your Way through Natural Disasters

• Bonnie L. Arnold, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority

• Jerome Gray, Executive Vice President & Chief Communications Officer, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston Metro), Houston, TX
• Ashlie Handy, Public Relations Manager/PIO, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, St. Petersburg, FL
• Jeanne Mariani-Belding, Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART)

Innovative Customer Experience

Customer experience and perception of transit service now goes beyond our ability to run trains and buses frequently, on time and without disruption. We are all working to expand ridership by providing a comprehensive customer experience that is convenient, attractive and comfortable. Join our panelists to discuss how agencies are utilizing social media, trend tracking, surveillance and remote communications, and customer service integration to positively impact customer perception.

Moderator

• Amy L. Snyder, Deputy Managing Director, Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, Urbana, IL

• Yena Williams, Manager II, Digital Communications, Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA)
• Wendy Williams, Sacramento Regional Transit District, Sacramento, CA
• Nicole Recker, Vice President of Mobility Services & Admin, Denton County Transportation Authority, Lewisville, TX

Lunch & Learn: Group Discussions by System Size

Pick up your box lunch in the Grand Ballroom Foyer, Street Level, and head to one of three rooms that corresponds with your transit agency's size - small, medium or large. This is an ideal opportunity to discuss challenges your system encounters, your insights, and successes and failures with your marketing and communications colleagues.

• Patricia Feeny, Chief Communication Officer, Salem Area Mass Transit District, Salem, OR

• Michael J. Moreno, Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, Reno, NV

• Nevin Grinnell, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, TX

System Redesign: Outreach & Engagement

Effective engagement with the public and stakeholders must be substantive and involve two-way conversation if you want to garner support and create positive perceptions. This is extremely critical when agencies are launching new programs or system redesigns. Session panelists will tackle topics that include how an agency created new outreach events to reach new audiences; how an agency rallied employees to engage key stakeholders to promote the launch of new service; and how community engagement helped shape service redesign.

 Moderator

• Felicia Friesema, Director of Marketing and Communications, Foothill Transit, West Covina, CA

• Belinda Woodiel-Brill, Chief Planning and Public Information Officer, Knoxville Area Transit (KAT), Knoxville, TN
• Brandi Childress, Chief of Staff, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, CA
• Lisa Myers, Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA)

Tackling the Negative Narrative

Hear three case studies that demonstrate how proactively communicating with the media, customers and stakeholders can move the conversation in a positive and productive direction. In Austin, Texas, inviting reporters to regularly-scheduled meetings with subject matter experts is leading to positive earned media. At Kitsap Transit, concerns about a ferry service were addressed in part through online community meetings. And in California, the risk of losing federal funding was overcome with a concerted and coordinated communications campaign.

• Drew Kerr, Public Relations Specialist, Metro Transit, Minneapolis, MN

• Mariette Hummel, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin, TX
• Sanjay Bhatt, Public Information Officer, Kitsap Transit, Bremerton, WA
• Casey Fromson, Chief Communications Officer, San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), San Carlos, CA

Marketing/Design - Branding

Marketing professionals face unique challenges and opportunities when crafting brand strategy and brand campaigns. Learn from our panelists how to manage, strengthen, refresh and sub-brand transit services.

Moderator

• Candace Sue, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

• Steve Vanagas, Vice President, Customer Communications & Public Affairs, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC
• Parks Blackwell, COO & Sr. Vice President, Digital Practice Lead, Pavlov Advertising , Fort Worth, TX
• Robbie Douglas, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, TX

Publicizing Unique Ridership Situations

Working with the media is essential in order to communicate to the public about any large event’s logistics. Come and learn how your colleagues have worked with the media to disseminate information about extremely large, unique ridership events. LA Metro had to prepare for two massive Women’s Marches and will share how they applied lessons learned from 2017 to the Women’s March that took place just last month. AC Transit will share how they worked with the media for a Warriors NBA celebration parade that was attended by one million people. Following the horrendous attack of the nightclub Pulse in Orlando, learn how LYNX worked with the media for an emotional event that took on a life of its own with less than 48 hours to prepare and an anticipated 50,000 attendance.

• Patty Poist, Communications and Marketing Manager, Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT), Ithaca, NY

• Pauletta Tonilas, Assistant General Manager, Communications, Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO
• Robert Lyles, Media Affairs Manager, AC Transit (Alameda Contra-Costa Transit District), Oakland, CA
• Matthew P. Friedman, Director of Marketing Communications, LYNX - Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority, Orlando, FL

Homeless Roundtable

More than 500,000 Americans are considered homeless. Although the absolute number of persons who are homeless has declined in recent years, there is a common perception among public transit professionals, and the communities they serve, that this is a growing problem. Our customer surveys and media reports about the customer experience reinforce this notion. Public transit agencies are challenged to balance their roles as mobility providers and good neighbors. This discussion session is designed to help members share experiences and ideas for helping transit agencies work that balance more effectively.

• Morgan Lyons, Owner, Lyons Strategic, Arlington, TX

Staffing Roundtable

Join this open format session and get expert advice regarding attracting, hiring and retaining skilled individuals. We will also discuss staffing levels and hiring initiatives that help organizations move forward.

Facilitator

• Martin Munguia, Corporate Communications Manager, Community Transit, Everett, WA

Dinner Groups (Dutch-treat)

Wednesday, February 28

Continental Breakfast

Ridership Roundtable

Ridership is one obvious, overarching goal that every public transit agency has, whether it be growing or maintaining it. As one of the base measures, ridership has a direct impact on financial resources that support the agency. Growing ridership, at times, can be a moving target. Join this open format session to discuss challenges and tools to help attract and retain riders.

 Facilitator

• Aaron Weinstein, Executive Consultant, Transit CX, San Leandro, CA

Telling Our Story through Video

Storytelling is an effective way to capture the public’s attention. When coupled with video, you have the opportunity to reach a broader audience. This session's panelists discuss the different ways they have told their stories through video. Learn how Albuquerque’s Mid-Region Council of Governments is bypassing public meetings and using video to engage the public and stakeholders in the transportation planning process; TransitCenter's videos have helped advocate for bus improvements; and how LA Metro has developed a one-minute video series that is distributed to 60 cable stations.

• Cyndi Raskin, Director of Commuter Services and Chief Safety Officer, Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, Tampa, FL

• Augusta Meyers, Communications Manager, Mid-Region Council of Governments, Albuquerque, NM
• Hayley Richardson, Communications Associate, TransitCenter, Inc., New York, NY
• Joni Honor, SVP, Communication Strategy, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, TX

Social Media Palooza: Day in a Life

• Amanda Clelland, Public Information Officer, WeGo Public Transit, Nashville, TN

• Jennifer Balmes, Creative Communications Specialist, Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, Aspen, CO
• Nicole Ramos, Director of Marketing & Communications, OMNITRANS, San Bernardino, CA
• Steve Gladstone, Director, Digital Marketing and Content, Maryland Transit Administration, Baltimore, MD

Social Media Palooza: Social Media in a Call Center

• Brittany Schlacter, Interurban Transit Partnership (The Rapid), Grand Rapids, MI

• Mark Bariglio, Director Customer Service Department, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia, PA
• James Siler, Assistant Director, Customer Service Department, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia, PA
• Emily Schubin, Customer Service Center Manager, Keolis North America, Boston, MA
• Paul Rose, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, San Francisco, CA

CLOSING SESSION: That’s a Wrap!

This is your chance to voice your opinions about APTA’s 2018 Marketing & Communications Workshop and make suggestions for next year’s event.

• JC Vannatta, Executive Director of Public Affairs, Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), Portland, OR