Plans for celebrating a company birthday

Nation's Business, Sept, 1997 by Stephen Blakely

We are a family-owned wholesale business, and this year we'll mark our 90th anniversary. We are looking for ideas or literature on how to plan for and promote this milestone. S.C., Lancaster Pa.

You can start with the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in New York City. Assistants at its information clearinghouse, the Professional Practice Center (212-460-1459), can direct you to a public-relations finn in your area, either by telephone referral or by sending you a free copy of the organization's "red book" of member firms and consultants around the country.

The PRSA, the nation's largest association of public-relations professionals, has more than 17,000 members. For a $15 fee for nonmembers, the PRSA will search its PR Works database to produce two-page profiles of similar events held by other companies. The summaries provide useful information about promotional campaigns that were tried, when they were conducted, their cost, and whether they worked.

Be sure to specify that your event is a corporate anniversary and describe the nature of your business and the type of customers you serve.

For possible solutions closer to home, contact other local business owners to find out what anniversary or special-event projects they have tried. Watch for similar promotional efforts that catch your attention. Check with a nearby college or university to see if the business or advertising departments offer free resources. And local print, radio, and television outlets are sure to have some suggestions for ways you can fashion a paid message, depending on how much you're willing to spend.