Tuesday 6 November  |  Wednesday 7 November

08:30 Morning refreshments and networking

09:00 Chair's opening remarks

Ali Phillips, Director, Group Internal Communications, Thomas Cook

09:05 Making internal communications a critical business function

Opening keynote address and Q&A

• Developing storytelling-based employer brand strategy across multiple functions and countries to enable meaningful storytelling in combination with technologies like VR and AR.
• Discussing how internal communications can influence business strategy, and the benefits of bringing your international communications function closer to HR.
• Creating the right conditions for talent to thrive as this becomes an ever more pressing concern for ambitious businesses.

Rosa Riera, VP Employer Branding & Social Innovation, Siemens

09:35 Is there a smarter way to do digital?

Panel discussion and Q&A

• Building the digital skills internal communications practitioners will need in the next 3 - 5 years.
• Overcoming cultural challenges when implementing digital platforms and avoiding failures and abandonment.
• Enhancing your strategy through utilising employee feedback on digital channels.

Lucy Scrannage, Head of Internal Communications, Rolls Royce
Tanya Croft, Head of Corporate Communications, Devon & Cornwall Police
Fran Chambers, Head of Global Communications, BUPA
Louise Creighton, Communications & Engagement Manager, Anchor Trust

10:15 Morning networking break

Breakout Sessions

11:00 Communicating through uncertainty: Mergers & Acquisitions Case study presentation and Q&A Merging two distinct brand cultures and engaging employees with the new brand Dealing with discontent and disillusion of employees affected by change Best practice for communicating or withholding sensitive information during a merger Madeleine Porter, Group Head of Internal Communications, Ladbrokes Coral

11:00 Planning for success: Building employee advocacy Case study presentation and Q&A The challenges of implementing an employee advocacy strategy Encouraging employees to tell your story in a meaningful way Maintaining momentum years down the line Dan Corfield, Senior Director, Corporate & Digital Comms, Hilton

11:40 Swap or stay

Breakout Sessions

11:50 Change communications: How to apply change leadership theory to your brand Interactive workshop An introduction to change leadership models Learn how you can apply the change leadership models to change communication and which are most appropriate in different scenarios. Take on practical tasks and scenarios using change leadership models and change communication. Nadine Powrie, Executive & Leadership Coach, Nadine Powrie Consultancy

11:50 Telling powerful stories on a budget Case study presentation and Q&A Breaking the cycle of boring or predictable communications and creatively engaging employees Increasing employee engagement through video narratives - highlighting successes and creating a standard of excellence How to build a video campaign without the need for high costs and infrastructure David Bowles, Director of Communications, RSPCA

12:30 Networking lunch

Breakout Sessions

13:45 Starting from scratch: Building authentic brand values Interactive workshop Learn techniques for uncovering the values that genuinely reflect your organisation and workforce Resonate with your employees by building authentic brand values that encourage them to engage more How to introduce your newly developed values into the organisation by involving employees and ensuring buy-in Jackie LeFevre, Director, Magma Effect

13:45 Creating mentally healthy workplaces Interactive workshop Implementing an effective framework to create a mentally healthy workplace - at an organisational, team and individual level Running a successful mental health campaign to raise awareness Benchmarking successful campaigns that have put mental health front of mind and gained employee support Emma Mamo, Head of Workplace Wellbeing, MIND

14:25 Swap or stay

Breakout Sessions

14:35 Harnessing the power of AI: Using Chatbots to increase productivity and engagement Interactive workshop Strengths and limitations of using bots as part of your communications strategy How to implement chatbots into a wider channel strategy Getting buy in and engagement on using chatbot technology and infiltrating company culture Syd Lawrence, CEO & Co-founder, The Bot Platform

14:35 How to audit your channel strategy Case study presentation and Q&A Identifying which channels employees engage with and which are ineffective Utilising measurement techniques which can help to uncover the effectiveness of your current strategy and improve your ROI Uncovering the key questions you need to ask to choose new channels that are the best fit for your business Rhian Moore, Head of Internal Communications, Great Western Railway

15:20 Making measurement meaningful

Presentation and Q&A

• Best practice approaches for proving the ROI of internal communications
• Making measurement meaningful to your organisation
• Sharing your IC success with the C-Suite

Chloe Foy, Strategist, Synergy Creative

15:50 The power of live events

Closing keynote address and Q&A

• Using live events as an engagement channel; bringing employees together to build company culture, foster advocacy and increase positive feeling towards your brands
• Keeping the momentum going post event

Jo Bleasdale, Director of Internal Communications, BT Consumer

16:20 Chair's closing remarks

Tuesday 6 November  |  Wednesday 7 November