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Melissa Mauldin, Senior Marketing Specialist

It seems like only yesterday we heard the call of summer, which always began (for me) with The Fresh Prince’s “Summertime,” for others maybe it was Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” or The Drifters’ “Under the Boardwalk.” Well, just as it seems summer began, it’s time for all of those summer anthems to come to an end.  Although some of us are looking forward to cool off from this “Cruel Summer,” I think most of us can agree we’ve had enough “Hot Fun in the Summertime” to last three summers! Okay, enough of the songs, it’s time for the books.

Getting ready for school is an exciting time. As a child I’d go every year to buy a new pair of Stride-Rite shoes with my grandma and we’d shop for new school clothes until we literally dropped. Of course, school wasn’t all about new clothes, but new friends, new classes, new experiences and new lessons. It was exhilarating to delve further and further each year into the areas I was interested in – English, art and social studies. Conversely, I dreaded the not so interesting classes for me – chemistry, geometry and yes, gym class! As I got older I couldn’t wait to be finished with school – I’d have so much more time then (yeah, right).

Now as an adult I know there is no such thing as more time, unless someone invents the 30-hour day. But I also learned my education did not end with graduation or receiving my degree.  As many of us know, in order to stay ahead, or be considered a knowledgeable expert in our field, we must continually educate ourselves, learning new trends, new practices and new studies, whether it be in a classroom setting, online, attending seminars, joining professional organizations, etc.

The benefit of continual education has many folds. Not only does it grow your own depth of knowledge, but it also impacts those around you – colleagues, clients, customers, peers, competitors and so on. Not to mention it serves the American dream. It’s our endless hunger for knowledge, to think of the next big thing and spurn on innovation.

So as we get ready to send the kids off to school, take a moment and reminisce about your own school days. Remember the excitement and the challenge, and find a new way to enhance your skill set with the many programs and educational opportunities around you.

Below are some of the recent seminars team members at ABI have attended:

• American Marketing Association (AMA) Baltimore/Baltimore Public Relations Council (BPRC), Marketing Adventures with Dan Cathy, President of Chick-Fil-A
• Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Maryland Chesapeake Conference
• Baltimore Public Relations Council Annual Conference
• PRSA Maryland Accredited in Public Relations (APR) Bootcamp
• Social Media Bookmarking and Tagging and PR
• U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) training
• Pixibility Webinar, Social Media Video Secrets with Peter Shankman
• AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts), Design Army Graphics presentation
• AIGA, Lecture with Steven Heller
• PaperSpecs, Direct Mail and Postage seminar
• PaperSpecs, FSC Certification and Labels

Upcoming events of interest:

• Advertising Week, Washington, D.C. (9/20-9/24/10)
• AMA Virtual Event: Getting to the Core of Social Media and Mobile Marketing for Higher Ed Institutions (9/22/10)
• PRSA Maryland, Writing Series for the Public Relations Professional, a three part series (beginning 9/23/10)
• AIGA, Lecture with Debbie Millman (9/23/10)
• AMA, Social Media seminar, Washington, D.C. (10/12/10)
• Annual government security training