Last week marked August First Friday in downtown Raleigh, and Clairemont celebrated the occasion by hosting our own special event at The Clairemont House – Pawgust First Friday. Part networking, part professional development, part tear-jerking and part tail-wagging, the event was a huge success, especially because we were able to raise money for a local pet charity very near and dear to the Clairemont family’s heart: the SPCA of Wake County.

At the event, local PR professionals and friends gathered to network and listen to two dog-inspired presentations given by Clairemont CEO, Dana Hughens, and HMA Public Relations general manager/vice president, Abbie Fink. Reading a blog post written by Clairemont’s top-dog, Billy, Dana shared 10 social media tips for success, like creating leash-free environments on Facebook, being the master of your territory and riding with your head out the window (make sure to check out the blog to see what all of these mean for your social media strategy!).

Visiting all the way from Phoenix, Ariz., Abbie did an encore performance of the highly rated ignite-style speech she presented at the 2013 PRSA Counselors Academy Conference. A love letter to her late dog, Viva, Abbie didn’t leave a dry eye in the house as she talked about the love of a dog and its owner and the hard decisions you sometimes have to make.

At the end of the evening, guests voted for a local pet charity to donate the Pawgust First Friday event proceeds to, and we are happy to say that the SPCA of Wake County was selected! You see, the oh so loveable chief motivational officer at Clairemont Communication and Hughens family dog, Billy, was adopted from the Wake SPCA so we were thrilled that our guests decided to help give back to such a great local organization.

All in all, the event was a blast, and we would like to thank everyone who came out and made it a success!