Elevate Next

10/29/2026

⏰ Today is the final day to pre-register for the Barktoberfest costume contest for $15! Sign up before midnight to save $5; entry is $20 at the event.

Entry is per family group, not per dog, so bring the whole pack in matching costumes! The canine family costumes are always hilarious, and the prize baskets are full of great doggo and human swag. 🎃

Special events like Barktoberfest are the only place to enjoy JC's Gourmet on-site, and the Vodka for Dog People swag team will be celebrating with us. 🍹

📅 Tomorrow, Fri., Oct. 30 | 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
📍 Grand Park at Grand Boulevard at Sandestin

Elevate Next is proud to sponsor Dog-Harmony's 11th Annual Barktoberfest, our favorite fundraiser of the year.

🔗 Register at https://dog-harmony.org/events/11th-annual-barktoberfest

Please leave prong, choke, and shock collars at home.

10/28/2026

Scout. Verify. Decide. 🐝

Three Lessons From Honeybees for the Workplace and Democracy

When a honeybee colony needs a new home, hundreds of scouts search, report back with waggle dances, and check each other’s findings until a quorum agrees. The result? The best available hive site about 90% of the time.

Three lessons from the swarm for better decisions:
1️⃣ Build a diverse team with a shared purpose
2️⃣ Explore every option and debate openly
3️⃣ Set a quorum, not unanimity

Be a good scout at work, and at the polls on Nov. 3. 🗳️

Read the full story here: https://www.elevate-next.com/blog/scout-verify-decide

10/26/2026

Thank you to Conexion MEDIA GROUP and David Triana for publishing our latest article in English and Spanish in this month's publication! ¡Gracias!

“Reputation and Reach: How AI Search and Podcasting Are Redefining Results” shares two shifts from the Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF)’s 2026 PR Roots conference that matter for small businesses and nonprofits:

🔎 AI search runs on earned media. A Muck Rack study of more than 25 million AI citations found 84% came from earned media and 0.3% from paid content. When people get answers without clicking through, the AI answer shapes your reputation.

🎙️ A podcast needs a distribution plan more than it needs an expensive studio. A good USB microphone and noise-canceling headphones are enough to start.

Both work together. A podcast interview that is transcribed on your website and picked up by local media becomes the kind of credible content AI search draws from.

🔗 To read the latest article in English (o Español) and learn more about the upcoming, rescheduled Emerald Coast Hispanic Heritage Festival on Saturday, Oct. 31, from noon to 9 p.m. at The Landing in Fort Walton Beach, visit:https://conexionflorida.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Conexion-October-2026-web-1.pdf

10/22/2026

From inbox to Lantern 🏮

I’m presenting at Emerald Coast Public Relations Organization, ECPRO’s Nov. 10 Lunch & Learn: “From Inbox to Lantern: A Case Study in Award-Winning Public Relations.”

How did a one-person agency’s newsletter earn a top-tier SPRF Lantern Award? I’ll walk through the research, planning, implementation, and evaluation behind ELEVATED NEWS, plus:

✔️ What makes a strong awards entry
✔️ Why meaningful measurement beats vanity metrics
✔️ How small teams can compete and win

📅 Tuesday, Nov. 10 | 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
📍 Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce
🎟️ Advance tickets through Nov. 4:

Learn how to turn PR strategies into award-winning results using the RPIE framework with Christie Solomon, MBA, at ECPRO's Nov. 10 Lunch & Learn in Fort Walton Beach. Get tickets by Nov. 4!

10/19/2026

Our favorite fundraiser of the year is almost here! 🎃🐾

Elevate Next is a proud sponsor of Dog-Harmony’s 11th Annual Barktoberfest:
📅 Friday, Oct. 30, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
📍 Grand Park at Grand Boulevard at Sandestin

Admission is free. To enter the canine costume contest, register in advance for a $15 donation, or pay $20 at the event. Entry is per family group, not per dog, so matching costumes are encouraged. Winners take home fun doggy swag, and prizes are awarded at 6:15 p.m.

While you’re there, enjoy:
🍤 Gulf Coast gourmet bites from JC's Gourmet
🍹 Seasonal libations courtesy of Tito’s Vodka for Dog People
🎶 Beats by DJ Diamond Dan
🏷️ A silent auction with items from local businesses

Every dollar raised supports Dog-Harmony’s therapy dog programs in youth mental health, literacy, and adult wellness, plus Keeping Dogs in Homes.

Please leave prong, choke, and shock collars at home.

Register your pup for the Canine Halloween Costume Contest here: https://dog-harmony.org/events/11th-annual-barktoberfest?utm_source=fb_page&utm_medium=Elevate+Next&utm_campaign=publer

10/14/2026

At the latest Emerald Coast Public Relations Organization, ECPRO Lunch & Learn, “Beyond the Ballot: How Strategic PR Builds an Informed Community,” Communications Manager Shiana St. Romain and Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux described how their office communicates complex, high-stakes information.

Three takeaways for any organization:

1) Sharing facts and countering misinformation are different requirements of the same job.

2) Separate what you must say from what you choose to say. Required communications meet requirements; optional outreach builds trust.

3) Choose the social channels you can sustain. Because every post the Supervisor of Elections publishes is subject to public records requests, the office limits its social media to a single platform: Facebook.

Thanks to ECPRO for another great program and the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce for hosting.

10/07/2026

The biggest takeaway from the 2026 Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF) Conference: AI search runs on earned media. 84% of AI citations come from earned coverage, and just 0.3% from paid content.

Here are 6 actionable lessons to implement now: https://www.elevate-next.com/blog/sprf-2026-ai-search-earned-media-pr-takeaways

10/05/2026

Last month, ELEVATED NEWS 🎈 earned a 2026 Lantern Award from the Southern Public Relations Federation, and we owe it to readers like you and the encouragement from Emerald Coast Public Relations Organization, ECPRO.

In the October news issue, we cover:

• What AI means for earned media: takeaways from the 2026 Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF) Conference
• An abstract art workshop and upcoming exhibit at Frame Gallery Gifts & Art
• Sandy Baird, MBA of Baird Dental Business Concepts joins UAB as an adjunct professor
• Chloe's Story Time visit with Dog-Harmony
• Sewanee's "Smart Kids" goat calendars are for sale, benefiting the University Farm
• A full slate of October events, from Barktoberfest to the Emerald Coast Hispanic Heritage Festival

Read the full issue and subscribe: https://www.elevate-next.com/elevated-news/october-2026-lantern-award

09/29/2026

We're a proud contributor of articles on leadership, strategy, and resilience to Conexion MEDIA GROUP, available in English and Spanish, for a diverse audience from Tallahassee to Mobile. CMG connects our region's voices on what drives business and builds community. Join us on October 4, from 12 to 9 p.m., at Fort Walton Beach Landing Park to celebrate the Emerald Coast Hispanic Heritage Festival. Event details: https://www.elevate-next.com/events/emerald-coast-hispanic-heritage-festival-2026?utm_source=fb_page&utm_medium=Elevate+Next&utm_campaign=publer

Estamos orgullosos de contribuir con artículos sobre liderazgo, estrategia y resiliencia a Conexión Media Group, disponibles en inglés y español, para una audiencia diversa, desde Tallahassee hasta Mobile. CMG conecta las voces de nuestra región sobre lo que impulsa los negocios y construye comunidad. Únete a nosotros el 4 de octubre, de 12 a 9 p.m., en Fort Walton Beach Landing Park para celebrar el Festival de Herencia Hispana de la Costa Esmeralda.

09/25/2026

ELEVATED NEWS just won a 2026 SPRF Lantern Award. 🏮

At the Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF)'s "PR Roots" Conference in Tuscaloosa, our monthly newsletter — ELEVATED NEWS: Building Community Through Monthly Business and Marketing Insights — earned the Lantern Award, the program's top honor, in the Advertising & Publications category.

SPRF entries are judged by PR practitioners outside the region on the comprehensive research, planning, implementation, and evaluation (RPIE) process — so this recognizes not just how the newsletter looks, but how it's planned, produced, and measured.

Thank you to the Emerald Coast Public Relations Organization, ECPRO for a valuable membership program, support, and encouragement; to SPRF for the recognition; and, most of all, to every reader who opens ELEVATED NEWS each month. You're the reason we publish it!

Not on the list yet? Subscribe: www.elevated-news.com/subscribe