We felt the best kind of holiday party is one with purpose – and one that could connect others for a better 2010.

On Dec. 3, the “rCelebration” bash brought 11 industries and 80+ organizations together for a night of networking as well as a very loud “thank you” for sustaining our own business through 2009. R&R hosted about 125 clients, vendors and business friends – with a theme designed around giving thanks and giving back. Together, we recognized that through mutual support, all of us survived an historic year.

R&R recruited local vendors to encourage support of neighboring businesses. They included Su Vino – a Scottsdale-based winery, Cruz Tequila – an award-winning tequila maker started by former ASU fraternity brothers, and Rock Bottom – a local brewery. Honey Moon Sweets provided an amazing cake designed to mimic our event invitation. And the fantastic cook-to-order Italian buffet came from nearby Scottsdale’s FireSky Resort.

Guests contributed canned goods at the door and, together, we made an 800-pound contribution to St. Mary’s Food Bank.  And over conversation (and a few tequila shots) new prospects were made for a robust 2010. Although we still couldn’t help the State Treasurer resolve that nagging $3 billion-dollar deficit.

Special thanks to the R&R Live division, which added incredible flair and polish to an event that, as intended, summoned the rain clouds of commerce in to a parched corner of the Sonoran Desert. We look on to a New Year and wish everyone bright success in 2010.

What are we thankful for in 2009? From great colleagues to great clients to Sprinkles cupcakes around the corner... it's all on the wall.

Many people hire a Public Relations team to help supplement their advertising reach. And while very cost effective compared to buying billboards and air time, this year news outlets also experienced a business bust. Newspapers continued to file bankruptcy and find themselves without buyers. Broadcasters cut staff in response to fewer advertisers and viewers. And more of us turned to online news on-demand. Call it a perfect storm or a bubbling crucible, but it all means that your PR tactics should evolve in 2010 beyond the connotations we have now.

While traditional news outlets still are considered more trustworthy than social media sites, 28% of the public  say they will turn to a search engine when news is happening and they want to know more. If you don’t have your side of the story posted online somewhere, only one side of the story gets told – and it could be the side without your key message. Sure, it’s exciting to be on TV and push your message out to hundreds of thousands of viewers, but TV is prone to tight editing with just a 9-second soundbite from you. And unless the station or newspaper archives your story online indefinitely, it will soon be forgotten, too. Businesses in 2010 will do well to also follow the time-efficient, cost-efficient, targeted approach of making your own news and sharing it online.

I’m encouraging PR clients in 2010 to think and act like a newsroom. Find the compelling stories about how your business is breaking the trend or pushing innovation or reaching milestones, then act fast and create the story. PR practitioners can help craft online articles, blog posts, social networking updates and video or audio podcasts that are placed on your business’ website, corporate newsroom or unique URL. By also harnessing advertising or social media channels, others can be alerted to the self-produced news. Not only will you control the message completely (without risk of a reporter’s editing or error), but you also have more control over how long it lives online. And you can seek comments or respond without being left out of the conversation.

Let’s face it, as traditional media undergoes more changes that hurt the ability to win air-time or ink, we’ll only see fewer places to share a message with fewer reporters to tell it. But before you start crying at this funeral, you might just pop open the champagne for a newborn approach in 2010. You can create it, tell it, target it and share your self-produced message like never before.