09:50 Chair’s opening remarks

John Harrington, Editor, PRWeek

10:00 Can you save your reputation? Using technology to survive a crisis.

Interactive Crisis Wargame

Unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, Signal AI has created a crisis simulation that will keep you on your toes. When crisis strikes it is time for PR & Comms professionals to shine - but are you prepared to respond at a moment's notice? Navigate your way through a media crisis and find out if you have what it takes to survive. Leverage technology and media intelligence to gain actionable insights – before it’s too late.

By the end of this sessions delegates will be able to:

• Leverage cutting-edge technology to stay ahead of the story
• Test best practices theories to control the narrative

Anwer Ismail, Head of Customer Success, Signal AI

10:45 Session break

10:55 Considering cancel culture - Getting social media right

Panel discussion

• With more people using social media than ever, does this increase the opportunities for brand scrutiny?
• How to approach an increasingly polarised space through creating connections with your audience 
• Keeping your communications clear and responding to incidents that escalate quickly

Doug Male, Communications Director, Guinness World Records
Natalie McEvoy, Counsel, Slateford
Gary Cleland,  Managing Director, Corporate, Hanover Communications
Kristian Foged, Founder, Director of Analytics & Strategy, Simply Thought

11:40 Session break

11:50 Learn in 10: Are you prepared for what Covid was hiding?

Barnaby Fry, Head of Crisis and Risk, ENGINE MHP + Mischief

12:00 Session break

12:10 Communicating on Climate Change

Panel discussion

With COP26 in November this year, there is huge momentum building with pressure on government and businesses to engage the public and make change happen.

• Exploring the challenges of engaging with a broad audience and creating change
• How should comms professionals be engaging in the conversation?
• Communicating clearly and effectively in order to create urgency 

Philip Allport, Director of International Communications, Norwegian
Nafisa Shafiq,  Student Communications Manager, University of Leeds
Simon Davis, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Virgin Media O2
Stephanie Mackrell, Head of Corporate Communications, The Climate Group
Brendan O’Grady, Group Communications Director, The Guardian

12:50 Networking lunch

13:50 The power of PR for brand reputation

Case study

• Exploring how to use PR to establish strong reputation and differentiation in an increasingly values-aware beauty industry.
• Understanding how to use hyper local community campaigns to build your brand reputation.
• How can brands adapt to shifting consumer expectations while remaining true to their values?

Olivia Gerrie, Managing Director, Seen Group UK
Sarah Brown, Founder, Pai Skincare

14:20 Session break

14:25 Building your online corporate reputation before crisis strikes

• Why your reputation is important
• Know what content you own
• Understand who’s sharing and saying what
• Be aware of your hard earned reputation

Toby Bull, Director of Strategic and Creative Services, UK & Europe, Investis Digital

14:50 Session break

14:55 Dealing with a crisis within a crisis

Case study

• COVID has been ‘the’ crisis subject for over a year, but what about other crises we have also had to deal with?
• And when dealing with other major issues, how do you cut through the COVID noise to reach your audiences?

Laurian Hubbard, Head of Engagement, Welsh Parliament; Founder & Co-President, Women in PR Cymru

15:25 Chair’s closing remarks

15:30 Close of conference