News

Dear MAGC Members and Colleagues:

The MAGC staff and board members have been diligently monitoring the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) daily and have been meeting regularly to assess its impact on our upcoming events.

As this is an unprecedented turn of events and a very fluid challenge, we’ve been busy researching all of our options in order to ensure the well-being of our individual members as well as the association as a whole.

While plans are still set for our upcoming events, we respectfully ask for your patience while we continue to weigh all options. We are informed by and in touch with members daily, each of whom has their own unique context in their community. Please continue to check the MAGC website for the latest updates as information is changing fast.

We hope that each individual is making preparations for their own health and well-being. As a reminder, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified older adults and individuals with serious chronic medical conditions as high risk populations, who should take actions to reduce the risk of getting sick by staying home, limiting non-essential air travel, and avoiding crowds.

Please reference our updated online messages, visit the CDC website and MDH website for COVID-19 resources, and reach out directly to any of our Board Members or Christine for questions and guidance regarding event registration or if you are among a high-risk population as defined by the CDC.

The Board is working to ensure that every effort has been made to explore every option regarding the delivery of our upcoming events. The health and safety of our members and event attendees is paramount, which guides all of our decisions and processes.

And a heartfelt thank you to all of our colleagues across every line of government working tirelessly on COVID-19. A special thanks to government communicators whose role is critical during such an epic event. Their role is essential for both internal and external communication. Our thoughts are with all our residents and those on the front lines and at the forefront of battling COVID-19.

Thank you.
Your MAGC Board of Directors

This year’s event will provide an opportunity to see award-winning projects from around the state and find out who the 2020 Communicator of the Year will be. 

Agenda  

5 - 6 p.m. | Networking and social hour, including heavy appetizers and a cash bar
6 p.m. | Northern Lights Awards program

Cost

The cost to attend is $30 per ticket.

Judges of the Northern Lights contest and NL20 Committee members may attend the event for a discounted rate of $20. Please use the discount code provided when registering.

Click here for additional event and registration information.

Start your entries now and get recognized for your best work from the last year. Deadline is Monday, March 2, at 8 a.m. See contest rules and more information.

Thank you to the following members who have offered to serve on the MAGC board:

All members with a current, paid membership may vote for up to six candidates. Voting is now open and will close at 11:59 p.m. on November 15, 2019.

Please visit our 2020 Board Election page to view the candidate information and access the ballot.

Join us at Burnsville City Hall’s Community Room November 21 for tips and tricks from the folks who produced some of the highest-scoring entries in this year’s Northern Lights Contest. Morning is the Showcase of non-video entries, then there’s a box lunch, and afternoon is the Film Festival (video entries). 

Event details and registration information.

Six seats on the MAGC board are up for people to the MAGC board in this fall’s elections. Members who are interested in serving on the board should fill out the MAGC board candidate interest form by 4 p.m. November 1. Voting will take place November 4 – 15.

More information about board elections.

It will be a day of Fun, which happens to be this year’s theme. The conference will help you achieve a greater understanding of communication FUNdamentals.  Starting off with our keynote speaker will be Mike Veeck, owner of the St. Paul Saints and co-founder of the organization Fun is Good.  We are thrilled to have him share how to incorporate fun into everything we do.

Full day sessions topics include:  The fun and un-fun part of social media, crisis communication, photography, and much more including networking, learning, prizes, and food.  – That’s a good and FUN day.

Save the Date! MAGC’s largest professional development event of the year, the Fall Conference, is planned for Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at the Earle Brown Event Center in Brooklyn Center. A full day of sessions are planned, with topics based on feedback from membership.

The theme this year revolves around connecting with audiences using humor. While it can be a touchy path to navigate for government agencies, when it’s done well it drives engagement and is fun! 

Our keynote speaker is Mike Veeck, owner of the St. Paul Saints and co-founder of Fun is Good, a Twin Cities-based organization that specializes in employee engagement. Mike is an amazing storyteller who will inspire us to achieve success by redefining rules, cultivating creativity and having fun. More details to come, but reserve the date now so you don’t miss out!

We had a lot of fun at the Northern Lights Awards ceremony May 22. Thanks for joining us, if you were among the 130 attendees, and making it a real occasion.

We gave out 71 awards in 26 categories, along with two special achievement awards and a best of show award.

Highlights

• Kari Spreeman of Minnetonka was named Communicator of the Year. 
• Doug Schultz, MDH, received the Scott Pengelly Lifetime Achievement Award. 
• Ramsey County Library received Best of Show for “Meet Sting: The Greyhound” in the Social Media Engagement category.

Links to NL19 resources

• GALLERY showing entries that received awards—You can browse the entries or use “slideshow” mode to get a general sense of what was entered.
• GOOGLE PHOTO ALBUM with event photos—Includes the handshake photos taken by Yvonne. 
• JUDGES' COMMENTS—To view the comments for an entry you submitted, log into your account at enter.magcawards.org, navigate to "My entries," and click the "View feedback" button/link. 
• FULL LIST OF 2019 AWARDS—PDF.

Duplicate trophy orders
(no longer available)

You can order extra copies of your trophies (to display, to present to contributors, etc.). To order, contact Christine at info@magconline.org and let her know what you’d like to order. 

Deadline: Friday, June 7, 2019.

Pricing:

• $200 — Duplicate Best of Show Award, Communicator of the Year Award or Lifetime Achievement Award
• $115 — Duplicate Northern Lights Award
• $55 — Duplicate Silver Award
• $45 — Duplicate Bronze or Merit award

Pricing is based on the cost of producing the trophies plus the cost of shipping them to you. MAGC does not intend to make a profit on duplicate trophy sales.

Our largest professional development event of the year – MAGC’s Fall Conference – is in October and we need your help to make it happen! 

From scheduling speakers to planning the theme and décor (and a lot in between) there is a role for everyone’s talents and interests.  

Most of the meetings are by phone and a lot of hands make light work. If you want to sign up or learn more, contact Telly Mamayek by email or call 952-594-5672.