Meetings & Events

PBIRG Winter Workshops and
Industry Networking Reception

February 27, 2012
Bridgewater Marriott
Bridgewater NJ
Register now!

2012 PBIRG AGM

May 20-23, 2012
Hyatt Regency
Chicago IL

PBIRG Fall Education Workshops and
Industry Networking Reception

September 24, 2012
Bridgewater Marriott
Bridgewater NJ

2012 PBIRG AGM

Competing to Win
Ensuring Success at every Step of the LifeCycle

May 20-23, 2012
Hyatt Regency, Chicago IL

Keynote Speakers

  • Mike Ditka

    2012 PBIRG AGM Keynote Speaker - Mike Ditka

    Mike Ditka joined the New Orleans Saints as head coach after leaving NBC Sports. He previously served as head coach of the Chicago Bears for ten years. In 1985 he led the Bears to a 15-1 regular season record and captured the NFL crown in Super Bowl XX, defeating the New England Patriots, 46-10. That season, he was named Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, The Sporting News, and the Pro Football Writers Association. Ditka was named Bears head coach in 1982. In his 11 seasons as head coach, he compiled a regular-season record of 106 wins and 62 losses, and had a 6-6 record in the playoffs. He guided the Bears to six NFC Central Division Titles, in addition to three NFC title games. From 1985-88, Ditka led the Bears to 52 wins—the most ever by an NFL team in any four-year span and is the only Bears coach to lead his club to five straight post-season appearances [1984-88]. Ditka received his second Coach of the Year honors following the 1988 season in which he led the Bears to a 12-4 record, despite his mid-season heart attack. Ditka began his NFL career in 1961 as Chicago's firstround selection, out of the University of Pittsburgh. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1961, following a season in which he caught 56 passes as a tight end. He appeared in the Pro Bowl in all six seasons he was with the Bears [1961-66]. He played two years with Philadelphia and four with the Dallas Cowboys before retiring following the 1972 season. In his 12 years as a player, Ditka recorded 427 receptions—including 75 catches in 1964—and a touchdown reception for the Cowboys in its' Super Bowl VI win. Besides Tom Flores, he is the only individual to have won a Super Bowl as a player, assistant coach and head coach! Mike is involved with a variety of charitable endeavors including "The Mike Ditka Foundation" which raises money for Misericordia, a residential facility for developmentally disabled youth. He also endowed an academic scholarship to his alma mater, Aliquippa High School, and has pledged to contribute $100,000 during the 1990's to the Mike Ditka Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Pittsburgh. Ditka is a highly-sought after motivational speaker and television personality. He has appeared on virtually every late night network talk show and has been featured on various network newscasts. Ditka was the subject of "Saturday Night Live's" continuing popular "Da Bears" skit and in 1989 played himself in episodes of the television series "LA Law" and "Cheers." Ditka is also one of pro football's most visible ambassadors. He was part of CBS-TV's playoff coverage following the 1989 season and began a career as an NFL and PGA commentator for NBC Network.

  • Frank Luntz

    2012 PBIRG AGM Keynote Speaker - Frank Luntz

    Frank Luntz is one of the most honored communication professionals in America today. Time magazine named him one of "50 of America's most promising leaders aged 40 and under" and he is the "hottest pollster" in America according to the Boston Globe. Frank was named one of the four "Top Research Minds" by Business Week and was the winner of the coveted Washington Post "Crystal Ball" award for being the most accurate pundit in 1992. Public Television's Bill Moyers had this to say about Frank: "He's a magician with a gift for the politics of words and what words best connect with the hearts and minds of the public". Said comedian Al Franken: "Asking Frank Luntz if he understands public opinion is like asking Julia Child if she knows how to make a soufflé."

    Luntz has written, supervised, and conducted more than 1,500 surveys, focus groups and dial sessions in over two dozen countries and four continents over the past decade. Frank has become the go-to consultant when Fortune 100 companies need communication and language guidance, from General Motors to Federal Express, Disney to American Express, from AT&T to Pfizer, from Kroger supermarkets to McDonalds and the entire soft drink and motion picture industry, as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Business Roundtable.

    The "Instant Response" focus group technique pioneered by Frank was profiled on 60 Minutes. He has also been a guest on Meet the Press, Nightline, The Today Show, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Good Morning America, Hannity and Colmes, Charlie Rose, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Hardball with Chris Matthews. He also served as a consultant to the award-winning NBC hit show "The West Wing". More media outlets have turned to Dr. Luntz to understand the hopes and fears of Americans than to any other political pollster.

    In the 2000 election cycle, Frank conducted almost two-dozen focus groups for MSNBC and CNBC, including live sessions following each night of both party conventions and presidential debates. His reoccurring segments on MSNBC/CNBC, "100 Days, and 1000 Voices" won the coveted Emmy Award in 2001. He was a primary night and election night commentator for The News with Brian Williams on MSNBC in 2000 and for Hardball in 2004. Frank was the first and most vociferous public opinion expert to predict the GOP's demise in the 2006 congressional elections. Frank has conducted focus group sessions for all three major television networks, two of the three cable news channels, PBS and the BBC. He has also conducted focus groups for The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The New Yorker, and U.S. News & World Report.

    Frank is the author of the much acclaimed Words that Work: It's Not What You Say it's What People Hear. The book delves deeply into the art and science of language creation, examining how the simple choice of words can change the course of history. It's one of those rare publishing crossover success stories -- owning space on top best seller lists for political as well as business books.

    When he is not consulting, Dr. Luntz can usually be found in front of a classroom. From 1989 until 1996, he was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also taught at Harvard and George Washington. Frank has lectured at two-dozen colleges and universities. An accomplished author, he has written op-ed pieces for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times, and The Washington Post.

    Frank graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science, and was named a Thouron Fellow. He received his Doctorate in Politics at the age of 25 from Oxford University. He spoke for 24 straight hours as part of the Oxford Union Society's Guinness World Book of Records debate. In the spring of 1993, Frank was named a Fellow at Harvard University's Institute of Politics, the second youngest individual ever to receive this honor.

Back to 2012 AGM page | Back to Networking & Events page