OUR AGENDA

When there are too many cooks in the kitchen it spoils the dish. Similarly, it is almost impossible to effectively manage a crisis when too many people are involved in the response; you will be too busy trying to manage people rather than the crisis itself. When everyone senior thinks they can run your crisis response, this can be your brand's undoing and will likely lead to the opposite effect of that desired.

In light of this, this session will discuss:

• How to take responsibility when multiple C-suite stakeholders are involved 
• How to manage internal stakeholders perspectives and which opinions to prioritise while a crisis is ongoing 
• How to earn the trust from C-suite to make the hard decisions 
• Learning how to say no to seniors and trust in your response 

Moderator: PRWeek Editorial team

For companies covered by the press, the news and news media are catalysts capable of triggering significant shifts in consumer brand perceptions, material erosion in sales, earnings and market value. But these shocks cannot be managed using PR metrics based on outdated assumptions about media reach and influence.

Instead, companies should build a Headline Risk Management framework based on consumer-centric data, which can differentiate between a ‘PR flap’ and a genuine crisis, generating actionable insights to defend brand equity and enterprise value.

In this session, we will outline baseline approaches to monitor, measure, manage and – when appropriate – mitigate crises and shocks using this approach.

Capabilities you can take back to your company, cause or campaign:

• Manage: conduct a credible audit of existing crisis monitoring tools
• Measure: quantify thresholds for proactively responding to emerging risks
• Monitor: validate the consumer narratives that shift the brand needle in real-time
• Mitigate: deliver predictive tools for tracking the life cycle of a shock

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs discusses the communication failings in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the key findings and recommendations in the 2024 Inquiry report, and the important lessons we can take from such a terrible tragedy.

The session will include organisational and communication issues, ranging from cultural considerations in emergency response to why planning and training are so important. It will also include on the ground insight into what went wrong in the hours and days after the fire.

It is important that Grenfell can never be allowed to happen again, including the inadequate communications response. So this session is about passing on learning to all sectors, with that endeavour in mind. Expect a 20-minute presentation, followed by a 10-minute Q&A with the PRWeek editorial team which will then be opened to the audience.

Please come back soon for more info!

This session will discuss how you rebuild in the aftermath of a crisis. What issues led to the crisis and how do you change your comms strategies to mitigate the risk of a similar crisis happening again? What issues cannot be addressed retrospectively?

Furthermore, employee morale must also be rebuilt after a crisis; our ways of working must also change. How do you listen to feedback from your extended comms team, directors, marketing, finance, and other departments during and after a crisis, and use this to anticipate a future crisis response?

Key talking points:

• When is the right time to say your brand reputation is back to full strength? 
• The importance of making a point of saying the crisis is over rather than immediately moving on? 
• How do we deal with the concept of blame? 
•  Addressing the psychological effect a crisis has on your team and being aware of and sensitive to their needs during and after.

This session is reserved for one of our brand partners, Evri, more session info to follow.

More session info to follow.

Societal shifts are driving a rising tide of dangerous mis- and disinformation. A polarised, politicised landscape is being weaponised by domestic and foreign actors with their own agendas. Movement in one direction or the other on societal issues like DEI, climate change, and stakeholder capitalism is being met with backlash, heightening “us vs. them” dynamics. Algorithm-fuelled echo chambers learn our prejudices and biases and actively feed them, while geopolitical instability and foreign interference amplify tensions and sow distrust.

This session will present cutting-edge strategies for navigating this complex landscape. Learn how to prepare for, counter, and recover from information manipulation, and explore how data insights and AI can fortify your organisation against these contemporary threats.

• Has the line between external and internal communications disappeared in crisis response? 
• Is internal comms as important as external comms in a crisis?
• How to keep employees aligned with the goal of a crisis response & post-crisis rebuilding

If you would like to book a keynote session, please contact Jess Wain jessica.wain@haymarket.com or Payal Padhiar payal.padhiar@haymarket.com

In a volatile world, brands face a range of external environmental factors that they must learn to navigate effectively in order to protect the impact on their reputation.

This panel will discuss the multifaceted influences of consumer behaviour shifts, emerging competition, technological advancements, and unpredictable global events on brand reputation. The session will also offer practical strategies for mitigating these risks and maintaining trust and credibility.

This session will help you stay ahead of the curve by anticipating the next big thing and navigating the ever-changing landscape of comms.

Talking points:

• What are the best practices for crisis communication in the face of sudden, unpredictable events? 
• What proactive measures can brands take to anticipate and respond to new competitors? 
• How can brands foster trust and loyalty even in challenging times?