“If you haven’t read Cut to the Chase in the past you have missed advice consultants charge thousands of dollars to provide.In this column, I am giving away free public relations guidance to businesses in Tacoma. Tacoma Daily Index PR 101 revealed several insider publicity campaigns and offered tactical advice on positioning firms within media aim as community and industry leaders. To benefit from past information, I encourage you to read archived issues online at www.tacomadailyindex.com. A brief recap reveals recent marketing efforts branded Tacoma, America’s #1 wired city. National media attention is focusing on Tacoma to cover the high-tech led economic development. Utilized properly the #1 wired platform can gain media coverage for almost any Tacoma business. In an effort to continue local support and national interest of Tacoma’s high-tech image, the city must attain consistent media exposure supporting this claim. Traditional businesses, the city, high-tech firms, and the education sector are working together to draw this media attention to their causes and the community.E-business Day is the latest event creating media momentum for Tacoma. This multi-event celebration is designed to gain media interest drawing consumer, investor, and entrepreneurial attention to the region. It also provides a needed opportunity for the community to interact with the most wired image. August 24, 2000 will be proclaimed the first annual E-business Day in America’s #1 wired city, initiating the day’s festivities.A mid-day showcase of local innovation provides the public with an opportunity to interact with local high-tech companies. Held in the afternoon this interactive open house is aptly named the Web Fair. Closing the day, an awards banquet recognizes the top ten high-tech firms in Tacoma. Awards presented by the Tacoma Pierce County Chamber of Commerce will recognize the top high-tech companies representing local excellence and contributions to Pierce County’s high-tech led economic development. The credibility of the awards banquet and public interaction with local companies and products provides documentation and evidence of Tacoma’s high-tech revolution. Nomination forms will be provided at the Tacoma Network meeting on July 12th, 6:00 p.m. on the 17th floor of the Washington Building and at the Tacoma Technology Consortium on July 19th at 3:30 p.m. in the Tacoma Club on the 16th floor of the Wells Fargo Building.I invite executives representing local technology firms wishing to participate in the E-business Day open house to approach me at either of these events.These functions are high-tech industry specific forums. If you are interested in high-tech networking or contributing to Tacoma’s high-tech revolution, these forums are a must. The Tacoma Network is a non-profit group aimed at bringing technology professionals together to discuss industry topics, form strategic partnerships, and foster the growth of technology in the greater Tacoma area. The audience for this forum includes CEOs, Vice Presidents, Engineers, Venture Capitalists, dot.coms, and students seeking employment. The July 12th event is their fifth meeting. Jim Crabbe, founder of the Tacoma Network comments on the forums dramatic growth, Our attendance has averaged around 100 attendees at each event, while the circulation of our email newsletter is 500. This is a strong indicator of how many people in the Puget Sound tech arena are keeping an eye on what is going on in Tacoma.On the forums utility he added, It is important to technology companies to have a strong network for partnership opportunities. By working together, these local tech companies exponentially increase their odds of succeeding.Andrea Peterson, founder of the Technology Consortium, describes consortium attendance as civic leaders, educators and CEO’s meeting to contribute time and leadership skills in an effort to promote high-tech economic development in Pierce county. Technology Consortium meetings are held the third Wednesday of the month in the Tacoma Club at 3:30 p.m.I encourage executives from the high-tech sector to take advantage of all of these excellent community leadership or networking opportunities by attending these forums. Nomination forms for the E-business Day awards will be available at these events, as will this columnist. I look forward to seeing many of you on the 12th and 19th to discuss E-business Day and to Cut to the Chase on local technology and publicity issues.Note:Please call or email Jamie Chase at 253-573-1030, or jchase@contractquest.com with comments on, or suggestions for future topics, including: The Climate of Innovation in Tacoma; Local Government Facilitation of a High-tech Economy; The Relationship between Seattle and Tacoma in the High-tech Revolution; and, The effectiveness of Online Advertising. Suggestions for column topics, comments on technology issues and the column are welcome.Jamie Chase is director of public relations for Nhanced Media, a Tacoma high-tech firm. Chase is involved with the promotion of Tacoma’s high-tech industry, and is on the steering committee for PBS affiliate KBTC. She writes a column on high-tech issues in Tacoma, Fridays, in the Index and is involved with the creation of E-business Day in Tacoma.For more information on the Tacoma Network, visit the Links section of www.tacomadailyindex.com.For general information on the Tacoma Technology Consortium, visit the Links section of www.tacomadailyindex.com, and go to the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce web site.”