Port Saint John Receives 2 Awards of Excellence and 2 Awards of Distinction

Saint John (NB) – The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), a trade association representing leading port authorities throughout the Western Hemisphere, has selected 26 seaports to be recognized for exemplary communications projects and programs at its annual convention and awards luncheon this fall. Winning entrants in AAPA’s 46th annual Communications Awards Program will be recognized at an Oct. 16 luncheon in conjunction with AAPA’s 102nd Annual Convention in Orlando, Fla., which runs Oct. 13-17.Port Saint John has received a total of 4 awards, 2 awards of Excellence and 2 Awards of Distinction in this year’s competition. The communications projects/programs which were recognized were:

  • Award of Excellence – Port Saint John Social Media Engagement Strategy in the Social/Web-based media category
  • Award of Excellence – “Where the City Begins” Video in the video category
  • Award of Distinction - #portcity Event in the Special Events category, and
  • Award of Distinction – Port Saint John Re-brand in the Overall Campaign Category

The local Saint John office of the firm National Public Relations, worked with Port Saint John on the winning rebrand project last year; while local firm, Hemmings House, produced the Award of Excellence winning video for Port Saint John with the narrative being prepared by National Public Relations as part of the overall re-brand project.Early in 2012, Port Saint John’s Board of Directors gave management a priority to enhance two-way dialogue and build brand awareness with the community. This meant the rebranding of the Port into an ‘open and inclusive” entity and part of the community.While Saint John is an historic port city with the highest volume tonnage in Eastern Canada, the Board and staff of Port Saint John recognize that the relationship with the surrounding community gives us ‘social license’ to operate and it is therefore essential to nurture this relationship.At the start of the rebranding campaign in early 2012, Port Saint John developed a new logo and strategy that removed “Authority” from their printed materials. In terms of branding and community, “Port Saint John” is a more approachable title for community members to identify with. Along with the new logo came new graphic standards, fonts and an entirely new approach to branding materials.“Our rebranding, along with key events, education outreach, emphasis on social media and transparent communication are all pieces of the puzzle, “noted Jim Quinn, President & CEO of Port Saint John. “We want to let the various levels of government, our stakeholders and community know what is happening at their Port and better understand its importance to the region.”“When port authorities communicate strategically with their many audiences, including their communities, business leaders and policymakers, they’re better able to show their tremendous value as economic development and jobs drivers,” said Kurt Nagle, AAPA’s president and CEO. “This competition helps our member ports by rewarding effective communications and highlighting best practices and lessons learned.”The 2013 AAPA Communications Awards Program, which had a May 1 deadline for entries, utilized 36 professional public relations practitioners from the Washington, D.C. area who cumulatively spent more than 144 hours over a period of two weeks judging the 15 classifications of entries, ranging from advertisements and periodicals to videos and websites.To see all of the winning entries in the 2013 AAPA Communications Awards Program, as well as winners from previous years, visit www.aapa-ports.org.

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Media contactPaula SmallManager of Stakeholder and Community EngagementPort Saint Johnc. (506) 650-5288e. psmall@109.199.110.97Download PDF: Port Saint John Receives 2 Awards of Excellence and 2 Awards of Distinction

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Port Saint John reconnu pour son excellence dans le domaine de l’exportation