Cancun General Assembly throws focus on public relations

Keen on building the public profile of your co-operative?

One of the three tracks at this year’s ICA General Assembly in Cancun, Mexico, focuses on public awareness and the UN International Year of Co-operatives.

dotCoop is running a four-hour workshop on building a presence on the internet and marketing your organisation through the internet. It will focus on the basics of internet access as well as elaborating on the importance of the internet including the use of social media.

The level of importance placed on public awareness is demonstrated by the ICA’s choice of keynote speakers.

The other key parts of the public awareness track is the two-hour session led by the keynote speech from former Barack Obama staffer Sam Graham-Felsen about using social media to deliver a message. Attendees will also be given an update on the ICA’s 2012 plans in this session. Media expert, campaigner and adventurer, Philippe Cousteau, will discuss enabling change through the media in his closing address.

The General Conference will also include a showcase story from the stories.coop digital campaign being run by Euricse and partnered by the ICA as well as information about the new co-operative development fund and the Global 300 project, also being run in conjunction with Euricse.

The Global News Hub will also have a strong presence at the General Assembly and will provide a forum for co-operatives to distribute their news, data and events.

Meanwhile, the ICA recommends that attendees of the General Assembly do take advantage of the all-inclusive package being offered by The Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort. The resort has excellent security with access from only two roads. It is within 10 minutes of the airport at which attendees will arrive. It is approximately 40 minutes from downtown Cancun and other hotels. Attendees who choose to stay elsewhere will be charged by the hotel $USD88 for a one-day pass to the resort. If you stay elsewhere, you will also have to pay for a daily taxi to and from the hotel which is around $USD30 each way from most of the hotels in Cancun.