A special, five hour media training program featuring on-camera practice and critique will be offered at the International Meat Expo (IME) at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga.  IME is part of the International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE).

The session will be held Thursday, January 31, from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  To ensure educational quality, attendance at the session is limited to 25 participants.

During the session, media relations professionals from the industry will cover important topics including preparation, message development, interview techniques and message management.  Attendees will learn strategies for translating technical information into understandable talking points and how to stay on message even during the most challenging interviews.

Instructors will also deliver practical advice about posture, how to dress for an interview and will detail the many types of interview set-ups that they may be asked to handle, including taped interviews, live in-studio interviews, live remote and panel discussions.

Attendees will break into small groups to collaborate on messages, tape on-camera interviews and receive critiques. The session will conclude as participants try their hand at live, on-stage simulations of popular news shows.

Speakers include American Meat Institute (AMI) Public Affairs Committee Chairman Dennis Pittman, director of corporate communication at Smithfield Foods; Michael Martin, director of media relations at Cargill, Inc.; Janet Riley, senior vice president of public affairs and members services at AMI and Eric Mittenthal, vice president of public affairs at AMI. The four speakers have extensive combined experience in print and broadcast media as well as media relations and will deliver practical, real-world advice to participants.

The cost of the program is $495.  To register, visit www.IME13.org.

Source: AMI