Help yourself to drinks and pastries while you network with industry peers.

Amber De Botton, Former Director of Communications, 10 Downing Street & Chief Communications Officer, The Guardian.

With the decline of trust in traditional media and the rise of alternative information sources such as Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), join our speakers for an honest and open discussion about what the best strategies are for proactive monitoring and early intervention in emerging issues, and how corporate comms adapts to respond to live, rapid conversations outside of traditional media.

Using Sli.do this interactive session will gather and discuss the most effective proactive monitoring and early intervention strategies currently being deployed by your peers. Contribute your successful corporate comms tactics and walk away with immediate, actionable blueprints to protect your brand from the next digital crisis.

Talking points: 

• The challenge of misinformation spreading rapidly on platforms without fact-checking.
• Strategies for proactive monitoring and early intervention in emerging issues.

Moderator: Amber De Botton, Former Director of Communications, 10 Downing Street & Chief Communications Officer, The Guardian. 

Speaking representative, Onclusive (Speaker yet to be confirmed)

Keeping your finger on the pulse has never been more challenging, with the news breaking not only on news outlets, but across multiple different social media channels. How can you manage the distribution of news stories without burning your team out? During this session with Paul Quigley from Sprout Social, we will be discussing how you can utilise AI to manage a crisis. 

Talking points

• There are more news stories and data points than ever before, how can your team manage a crisis in real time? 
• Whilst human touch is needed, how can you utilise AI to amplify efforts and speed up responses? 
• News is being consumed on social more so than traditional media outlets, how can you course correct your strategy to reflect this? 

What happens when an admin error becomes a life-changing and potentially life-threatening moment for all your employees?

Hear how the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s data protection regulator, responded to a data breach after the Police Service of Northern Ireland inadvertently published the names, jobs, and locations of their 9,483-person workforce.

Talking points:

• How can you be proactive in the media when the full story is still unfolding? 
• How do you focus on the human impact of a crisis? How do you go about understanding the sensitivities of the communities you are talking to?
• Hear the ICO discuss their PRWeek award-winning campaign, and how a crisis can be an opportunity to change perceptions and behaviour.

Please help yourself to refreshments and network with our event partners and industry peers.

This panel discusses being in the ‘eye of the storm’ of a crisis and addresses strategies to help navigate the balancing act of managing pressure from your C-suite, your team and the wider business, during reputational fallout. As part of this session the audience will be asked to discuss with their peers and ask questions based on the following talking points:

• How transparent should leaders be with their teams during uncertainty
• Managing C-suite expectations during the crisis and learning when to say no
• Internal Communication vs. External Messaging
• Learning and debriefing after the storm: Turning mistakes into growth moments for your team

Moderator: Amber De Botton, Former Director of Communications, 10 Downing Street & Chief Communications Officer, The Guardian

The people leading organisations and their communications teams should play a pivotal role in crisis response when things go wrong.  Too often they simply aren’t equipped to do so.  During this session with Bridgid Nzekwu from PA Media Academy, we will be discussing how to deploy people power to take back control of the narrative in a crisis, minimise reputational damage and get back to business.

Talking points:

• Secrets and top tips from a decade of crisis-training brands and institutions
• What should be in every organisation’s crisis bible
• Scanning the horizon for emerging reputational crises and what to do now

Expect a keynote on resilience followed by a Q&A with the chair and audience that will help you with key takeaways you can apply to your business today! 

Talking points

• Comms contribution to business resilience 
• Influence to the board level 
• How to not just be reactive.
• How being confident in your comms can help drive credibility

Enjoy a lunch that’s designed to break the ice and broaden your professional circle.

Learn how the Public Relations team at William Osler Health System secured executive buy-in for high-stakes, reputation-shaping decisions and why trusted counsel matters most when the risks are highest.

This session is reserved for one of our event partners. If you would like to take part as a keynote partner, please contact Payal Padhiar at payal.padhiar@haymarket.com.

Take this opportunity to connect with industry experts and fellow attendees. Reflect on your learnings, exchange takeaways, and gear up for an exciting 2026.

Comms professionals often find themselves on the front lines of scrutiny, often bombarded with hate comments and negative news stories.

The pressure to manage your brand's reputation while navigating a constant stream of online hostility and misinformation can take a significant toll on mental and emotional well-being. 

PRWeek sits down to have an honest conversation about how we can make things better for comms professionals, moving beyond the headlines to address the human side of crisis communications. As part of this session, the audience will be asked to use Sli.do and discuss with their peers the following talking points:

Talking Points:

• Spotting the Burnout - What are the early warning signs of stress in yourself and your team?
• Building a Support System - Create a resilient network and a culture of well-being.
• Post-Crisis Review - Conduct comprehensive reviews that prioritise the team's emotional recovery.

Moderator: Siobhan Holt, Deputy Editor, PRWeek UK

Comms professionals massively risk reputational fallout if not careful when navigating polarised issues. Brands often become forced to take a stance on geopolitical issues.

This discussion will be an exploration of how you can navigate increasingly polarised global issues and address the challenges of maintaining an independent stance while addressing significant societal concerns.

Talking points 

• Why does it matter?
• Balancing advocacy and neutrality in divisive issues & Managing political stances.
• Addressing cultural identity minefields and the dynamics of a now multigenerational workforce.
• Addressing stakeholder expectations in a charged public environment.

Moderator: Amber De Botton, Former Director of Communications, 10 Downing Street & Chief Communications Officer, The Guardian.

Amber De Botton, Former Director of Communications, 10 Downing Street & Chief Communications Officer, The Guardian.