28 Jan 2021 | Online
10:00 - 15:30
Register now

Event prices

Private Sector

£345 +VAT

Public Sector

£195 +VAT £145* +VAT

*If registering more than 1 place

Overview

Dealing with a crisis in a crisis  

Delivering timely and effective crisis communications has never been important for public sector and non-for-profit organisations than today.

In one way or another, every organisation up and down the country has had to stress-test their crisis preparation plans these past 12 months. And whilst the crises continue, the challenges have never been greater.

Communication leaders must now deal with the added complexities of teams working from home, the complete dependence on digital messaging, all whilst adapting to a new normal of long and unrelenting crises. As we start 2021, we are presented with a unique opportunity for cross-sector reflection and learning. Together we can distil the key principles and best practice to apply to our crisis communications approaches for the year ahead.

Join your colleagues and peers at the 3rd annual Public Sector Crisis Communications Conference to discuss the latest in crisis communications strategy, from identifying risks, ensuring the right channels are being used, working with the media and best practice to be prepared for the unforeseeable. 

Learning Objectives

  • How to flex approaches to team management and strategic planning in a constant state of crisis

  • How to create positive news stories and how to build advocates within your organisation

  • How to optimise alternative channels through the pandemic - including public affairs and digital

  • How to prepare for the next crisis and reflect on key learnings from 2020

12+ Expert Speakers Confirmed Including:

  • Laurian Hubbard, Brexit Communication Centre, Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet Office Communications
  • Iain Campbell, Communications Manager - Resilience Division, The Scottish Government
  • Nick Price-Thompson, Head of Communications, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
  • Daniel Rossall Valentine, Head of Secretariat, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Foreign Affairs
  • Gemma Regniez, Chief Communications Officer, Army Media & Communications, Ministry of Defence
Agenda
10:00

Chair’s morning introduction
Anna Cole, Public Affairs Consultant

10:15

Keynote: Dealing with a Crisis in a Crisis – Taking a Holistic Approach

  • Finding the capacity to plan and respond to other crises beyond the pandemic
  • Creating the agility to deal with the challenges today as well as manage with the changing nature of the crisis
  • Ensuring we have the time to plan and think ahead
  • Working effectively with internal stakeholders to deliver the best outcomes in a crisis
  • Reviewing the strength of your relationships and investing in them for the future

Laurian Hubbard, Brexit Communication Centre, Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet Office Communications

10:45

Panel Discussion: Managing in a Constant State of Crisis

  • Exploring the changing nature of a crisis and how teams now need to manage crises for longer
  • Preparing for longer crises, how do you need to plan resource differently 
  • Building resilience into teams, finding new ways of working, adapting to working at home as the new normal 
  • Remaining agile during a crisis, creating the capacity to refocus and replan to keep on top of the changing nature of crisis management

Keith Beech, Head of Communications, Worcestershire County Council

Theresa Merrick, Director Communications and Marketing Department, University of Edinburgh

Emily Tofield, Group Director of Communications & Information Services, Ministry of Justice

11:25

Comfort Break

11:35

Understanding the psychology of Crisis Communications

  • Understanding our audience - how individuals and communities respond to risk
  • The role of comms in a crisis - developing empathetic comms strategies
  • Beyond warning and informing - enabling public participation

Iain Campbell, Head of Resilience Communications, Scottish Government

12:00

Lunch

13:30

Case Study: Building the Foundations for Positive News Stories

  • Building a coherent and positive story when you’ve been through a lot
  • Creating pride in organisations and creating positive advocates 
  • Working with communities and using them as part of your story
  • Developing communications for social good

Nick Price-Thompson, Head of Communications, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

14:00

Case Study: Leveraging the Power of Public Affairs at a Time of Shared National Crisis

  • How a shared national crisis has changed ways to effectively influence
  • Getting more from your Trade Body 
  • Working with local politicians and MPs 

Daniel Rossall Valentine, Head of Secretariat, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Foreign Affairs

14:30

Comfort Break

14:40

Panel Discussion: Looking Ahead & Crisis Planning for 2021

  • Responding to the challenges of Brexit – where are we now and what next
  • Managing the rising increase in misinformation and the negative impact this has for crisis communications planning
  • Re-evaluating cyber incident response plans to prepare for an increasing threat
  • Reviewing other risks rising from the pandemic and the new normal
  • Finding ways to do things differently with weakened supply chains, resulting from the pandemic

Gemma Regniez, Chief Communications Officer, Army Media & Communications, Ministry of Defence

Mario Ambrosi, Director of Communications and Marketing, Anchor Hanover

Paul Franklin, HMRC Comms Press Office, HMRC

15:20

Closing remarks from the Chair: Anna Cole, Public Affairs Consultant

Speakers
Laurian Hubbard
Brexit Communication Centre, Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet Office Communications

Laurian is a CIPR Fellow and award-winning Chartered PR Practitioner, with over fifteen years’ experience in PR, communications and marketing. She is the Strategic Communications Lead for Citizens and Nations on the UK Transition Campaign in the Cabinet Office. Previous roles have included working in the public sector in Australia, Welsh Government and the Chambers of Commerce. Laurian is the Founder and Co-President of Women in PR Cymru, International Board member of Global Women in PR, a CIPR Council member; and committee member of CIPR Cymru. She is also a CIPR Chartered Assessor and has been Head Judge for CIPR Cymru Pride Awards for the last three years. 

Twitter handle: @laurian_10

Emily Tofield
Group Director of Communications & Information Services, Ministry of Justice

Emily is the most senior communications and information operations adviser for the government’s biggest department. She has leadership responsibility for a multi-award winning communications directorate, serving seven separate agencies and arms’ length bodies. She is a crisis communications expert, who led the successful multi-channel crisis-communications response to COVID-19 across the justice system. She has also led communications functions in the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs and at the heart of Whitehall in the Cabinet Office. She has been the chief communications adviser to six secretaries of State and is a former broadcast journalist. 

Keith Beech
Head of Communications and Engagement, Worcestershire County Council

A former BBC journalist who worked at BBC Radio 5Live and with the World Service in Nepal before becoming Managing Editor at BBC Radio WM, the BBC’s biggest Local Radio station outside of London.

Having left the BBC, Keith worked as a Director in two communication agencies in London, working with a range of commercial clients including Pret A Manger, Lloyds Pharmacy and Thorntons.

Keith became Head of Communications at Worcestershire County Council 5 years ago and has led the Council’s communications throughout the response to the pandemic.

Daniel Rossall Valentine
Head of Secretariat, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Foreign Affairs

Daniel is a Senior Advisor at College Green Group, a specialist public relations agency headquartered in Westminster, where he leads the work of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Foreign Affairs and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Housing Market & Housing Delivery. 

After studying at Oxford University, the University of St Andrews and King’s College London, Daniel served in the Royal Corps of Signals, the combat arm that provides the communications throughout the command system of the British Army. Daniel started his corporate career in investor relations, serving as Head of Investor Relations for companies listed on the FTSE250 and FTSE100. 
As Group Director for Weber Shandwick UAE,  Daniel established a new commercial and financial practice in Abu Dhabi. 

In 2018, as head of campaigns at the Royal Academy of Engineering, Daniel created and launched the UK's largest ever campaign to promote engineering careers: "This is Engineering". 

Daniel is also a mentor on the Advance Programme for ‘Women in Transport’ and has been fundraising for children’s charities for two decades. He currently serves as an ambassador for Great Ormond Street Hospital. 

Daniel is the author of: “Online Marketing to Investors: How to Develop Effective Investor Relations” published by Business Expert Press and available on Amazon. 

Theresa Merrick
Director Communications and Marketing Department, University of Edinburgh

Theresa is an experienced senior leader in higher education communications, marketing, public affairs and public engagement with eighteen years’ experience in four Scottish universities. At the University of Edinburgh, she leads the Communications and Marketing team and during the pandemic has been a member of the team leading on the University’s response. Prior to working in universities, Theresa held posts in the private sector and local government.

Theresa is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, being a Chartered Practitioner and Assessor for the latter.

Anna Cole
Public Affairs Consultant

Anna is an accomplished public affairs and communication specialist, lobbyist and campaigner with over fifteen years’ experience in organisations that include Liberty, Labour Human Rights Campaign, the National Council for One Parent Families and the Association of School and College Leaders. An experienced facilitator, trainer and public speaker, she is also a former family and human rights solicitor. 

Gemma Regniez
Chief Communications Officer, Army Media & Communications, Ministry of Defence

Gemma Regniez is a senior strategic marketing and communications professional with over 20 years diverse experience spanning behaviour change campaigning, global communications and currently oversees internal and external communications for the British Army. When not working, she spends as much time as possible trying to keep up with her 9 year old son and has a particular passion for supporting and promoting sustainable solutions to the challenges our world faces today.

Mario Ambrosi
Director of Communications and Marketing, Anchor Hanover

Mario Ambrosi became Director of Communications and Marketing for Anchor Hanover when Anchor and Hanover merged in 2018 to form England’s largest provider of older people’s housing and care. He is a communications professional with experience in public relations, internal communications, public affairs and marketing. He began his career as a journalist working on regional and national newspapers and magazines and was editor of www.insidehousing.co.uk and assistant editor of Inside Housing magazine. He held a number of senior roles at Anchor before becoming Communications Director in 2017. Mario has led a several award-winning campaigns, including Standing Up 4 Sitting Down, which won a CIPR Excellence Award for media relations. He is a former chair of the PRCA’s charities group and former non-executive director of the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion.

Who should attend?

Senior Communications Leaders - Heads of Crisis Communications - Heads of Corporate Communications - Heads of Communications - Strategic Communications Leaders - Heads of Correspondence - Heads of Digital - Heads of HR - Heads of Information Governance - Senior Marketing Managers - Heads of Internal Communications - Heads of News - Heads of Operations - Heads of PR - Heads of Social Media - Heads of Strategy - Media and Digital Leaders

From sectors including:

  • Local Government

  • Central Government

  • Health & Social Care

  • Higher Education

  • Defence & Security

  • Emergency Services

  • Transport

  • News & Media

  • Private Sector

FAQs
How much does it cost to attend the Crisis Communications Conference?

Public Sector & Not for Profit  | 1 Place: £195 | 2+ Places: £145 each
Private Sector | 1 Place: £395

Prices above exclude VAT

Where will the event take place?

Due to current uncertainty surrounding live events and restrictions around social distancing, this event will take place online on Zoom webinar.

Will there be interaction in an online event?

There will be opportunities throughout the day to put your questions to all of our speakers as well as active participation in panel discussions.

Is this a CPD certified event?

All of our events are CPD certified. This event is equivalent to 3 CPD points. A certificate is available on request post-event to all attendees.

When do I receive joining instructions?

We will be sending out joining instructions to all delegates a couple of weeks prior to the conference with details on how to login to the online platform.

Will the presentations from the sessions be available after the event?

Access to presentations and videos from each conference session will be provided to delegates after the event.

If you have any questions regarding our events or wish to attend an event, please contact our Customer Services team on 0207 593 5739 or via email.