Southern California Association of Governments/Compass Growth Visioning Project Challenge: The Southern California population now surpasses 17 million with experts predicting that number to grow by another six million people by the year 2030.  The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), representing the six-county region of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and Imperial, developed the Southern California Compass Project - a two-year planning program, specifically designed to help shape the future of the region over the coming years. The goal of the Compass Project is to allow the regions’ diverse communities to communicate with one another and identify common goals regarding their future and then begin developing recommended actions to achieve that vision. Valencia, Pérez & Echeveste (VPE) successfully implemented a comprehensive media relations strategy to promote the Southern California Compass.  To launch the project, VPE organized a series of “News Conferences in the Sky” lead by designated spokespersons. Following the news conferences, selected reporters and docents boarded helicopters to tour the surrounding area to provide them an aerial perspective of the growth challenges that face Southern California.  Launch sites included Burbank, John Wayne and Ontario Airports. VPE also managed the creation of all promotional materials for the Southern California Compass plan. Selected Results: The “News Conferences in the Sky” obtained more than 4 million impressions.  The following media outlets ran stories on the Compass Project: Los Angeles Times, La Opinion, Orange County Register, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, San Bernardino Sun and Riverside Press Enterprise. VPE is continuing its efforts in the promotion of Southern California Compass by focusing its media outreach efforts on local Growth Visioning Workshops which are being hosted throughout the Southern California area.  VPE will also host a series of Policy Implementation Dialogues in which key Latino political, business and community leaders will have an opportunity to share their input on the Compass project.