With the Republican National Convention (August 2020) just 10 months away, Charlotte is readying itself for the international attention, upwards of 50,000 visitors and an estimated $121 million impact hosting the convention will bring to the city and its brands. The Charlotte AMA hosted a night of networking, fun, and a panel discussion from area brand leaders on what their organizations are doing to prepare for the spotlight.

We wanted to share some insights from the recent Small Business Brand Expo event, hosted by Spectrum Reach and presented by Gerry O’Brion, former marketing executive at P&G, Miller Coors, Red Robin, Quizno’s & More.

I've always loved writing. As a kid I swore I would be an author and even wrote a novel on my Gateway desktop computer - let's just say I'm happy I can't find it! In college I wrote for a digital magazine and since have continued to write for a variety of publications

Oreo's "Dunk in the dark" will always be my favorite campaign. The quick turnaround of it, and it's explosive-ness on social media was just plain brilliant.