One of the things I have truly taken away from my travels, conferences, and meetings this summer is to make sure to make the effort to meet fabulous social media friends I have made over the years in person. I have had a chance to do that her in Montreal on several occasions, and the first one I want to share is when I had a chance to meet the fabulous Melissa Agnes.
If you don’t know Melissa, she is one of the leading voices and practitioners in the area of social media, crisis communications, and crisis management. She is a professional based in Montreal and has been working with clients and speaking at conferences all around the world. Her blog and podcast are pretty fabulous as well!
For several years, Melissa and I would tweet, chat via FB, and even start having virtual coffee meetings via Skype. Melissa would come on board with The Crisis Show and would also be a popular guest speaker for my classes at the University of Louisville. Melissa has also allowed me to be a guest on her blog, podcast, and even guest blog as well like this latest one on teaching crisis communications.
When I found out that AEJMC was going to be in Montreal – I immediately let Melissa know about it and we had a year to plan accordingly – #OperationFabulousPRPartOne!
Melissa and I at coffee in Montreal! (Photo Credit: Melissa Agnes)
I finally got to meet Melissa the first day I was in Montreal – and it was probably one of the highlights I had not only in Montreal, but my travels this summer. Melissa is exactly how she appears online – kind, energetic, enthusiastic about life and the profession, and absolutely a delight to spend time with.
We had actual coffee together at an amazing local coffee shop and dinner later (was fabulous!) I took away the experience as being so enjoyable because I felt I have known Melissa for years, which we have of course. Melissa also attended the conference as a practitioner and was able to come to my presentations, which was pretty cool!
Overall, based on my experience and meeting Melissa in person, I knew she was super fabulous, but she is beyond super fabulous! One of the best professionals I know and a truly fabulous friend. Along with several other professionals I got a chance to meet in person from our connections on social media, this really sparked my enthusiasm to do more of this.
Thank you so much for meeting up with me here in Montreal Melissa and showing me the beauty of your city! Truly a once in a lifetime experience.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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