Registration and Morning Coffee
Moving Away from the No Comment Mindset – Telling the Federal Agency's Story
The United States Secret Service is becoming a little less secret as the agency embraces a reinvigorated communication strategy to educate the American public on the investigative and protective functions of the agency. In this keynote, Anthony will share how the leadership culture at the Secret Service has shifted to be more forward leaning on communication, social media, transparency and brand.
Anthony Guglielmi , Chief of Communications, United States Secret Service
Why Internal Communications are Key During a Crisis: Lessons Learned From the January 6th Capitol Riot
Having a solid internal communications strategy is essential for success, especially during times of constant crises. If we've learned anything as PR professionals in the past three years it's that effective internal communications doesn’t just empower employees to accomplish outstanding results but more importantly, it ensures that your organization can withstand change and unexpected crisis. In this session Dustin will share with you how to successfully manage internal comms to prepare your teams for major crisis and how to keep your team productive during a crisis.
Dustin Sternbeck, Director Of Communications, Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Best Practices for Critical Incident Response (Active Shooter/Mass Casualty) – Lessons Learned from the Old National Bank Louisville Shooting
On April 10, 2023, a mass shooting occurred at the Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Five people were killed, and eight others were injured, including two responding police officers.
Drawing from this experience, Angela will share with you best practices for responding to a critical incident such as an active shooter or mass casualty situation. She will discuss the importance of proper training and preparation for such incidents, as well as the importance of having a plan in place for how to respond. Angela will also provide concrete steps to take in the event of an active shooter or mass casualty situation, as well as resources to help prepare for and respond to these incidents.
Angela Ingram, Emmy-nominated Journalist & Director of Communications, Louisville Metro Police
Lunch for Speakers and Delegates
Building & Maintaining a Brand Reputation in a World of Polarization ang Growing Mistrust
Drawing from her experience at the City of Atlanta Police Department (APD) and the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC), Chata will share with you how to build and maintain a brand reputation in a world of polarization and growing mistrust. She will discuss the strategies used to create a brand that is trusted and respected by the public and how to respond to negative publicity. Additionally, she will discuss the importance of transparency and accountability in building a strong brand reputation.
Chata M. Spikes, Public Affairs Director , City of Atlanta Police Department (APD) & Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC)
Communication Strategies During Ongoing Protests: Ottawa, Canada Freedom Convoy Occupation
Hundreds of trucks and other vehicles, organized under Freedom Convoy 2022, clogged traffic in Ottawa's core for weeks. Julie will share with you the strategies that Ottawa Police used to communicate during the protests, the lessons they learned, and how they will use this experience to better their public relations in the future. Julie will also discuss how Police can better engage with the public and build trust with their constituents. She will also explain how the Police should strive to use de-escalation techniques to resolve conflicts. Finally, she will discuss how the Police will use the Freedom Convoy 2022 incident to improve their communication strategy.
Julie Kavanagh, Manager, Corporate Communications, Ottawa Police
Networking and Refreshment Break
Recruitment and Retention – Being Strategic With a Multi-Generational Workforce
With retirements, resignations, and fewer hires, police departments across the country are leaving the communities they protect with understaffed and potentially underqualified departments. In this session Terry will share with you how to address this issue and ensure that your police department is properly staffed with qualified individuals. She will also discuss strategies on how to recruit and retain qualified personnel in an increasingly competitive job market. Terry will also provide best practices for creating a positive workplace culture that is attractive to current and prospective employees. Finally, she will talk about strategies for creating a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Terry Cherry, Senior Police Officer, Charleston Police Department
Building the Law Enforcement Brand Through Social Media Engagement
It has been shown that social media can be a valuable tool in assisting law enforcement agencies to reach out to the community, to solve problems, to conduct investigations, and to prevent crimes from occurring. As part of this session, Corey will share what it takes to build engagement, enhance communication, and protect the brand of your agency using social media. She will also discuss the challenges and risks associated with using social media, and how to effectively manage them. Finally, Corey will provide best practices for developing an effective social media strategy
Corey Dobridnia, Public Information Officer, Walton County Sheriff's Office
End of Day 1
Interactive Crisis Simulation Workshop with Jon Meakin: Update Your Crisis Plan and Protect Your Agency's Reputation in a Polarized World
We live in a time of polarization and growing mistrust. As skepticism grows in our society, organizations must understand the dangers of a crisis and be prepared to respond quickly and effectively. Jon Meakin's Interactive Crisis Simulation Workshop will help you update your agency's crisis plan and protect your reputation in this difficult environment. The workshop will help you identify potential risks, develop a response strategy and practice your team's response to a simulated crisis. It will also guide you on how to effectively communicate and manage the aftermath of a crisis.
The workshop will introduce participants to established best practices as well as new ideas on how crisis communicators can protect their organizations' reputations and provide support to those affected by crises.
The workshop includes an opportunity to work with your fellow delegates through challenging but very engaging crisis scenarios, harnessing social media, media interviews and a sensitive press conference.
You will return to work with:
- Ten top crisis communications tips for a polarized world
- An action plan to improve executive readiness for crisis communications
- A heightened awareness of how to communicate in an increasingly aggressive environment
At the end of this workshop you will:
- Understand the relationship between advance preparation and speed in crisis communications
- Be equipped to review your organisation’s tone, language and style on social media in a crisis
- Be familiar with aggressive question types in crisis media interviews and how to deal with them
- Be ready to review your organisation’s crisis communications plan in the light of the workshop
About Your Workshop Leader:
Jon has 30 years of communications consultancy experience, gained on both sides of the Atlantic. He has spent the past decade in technology communications, first running the PayPal business across the EMEA region, before moving to San Francisco and leading the West Coast team for global PR firm, Grayling, and North America for emerging tech agency, Clarity.
Over that time, Jon has worked with scrappy start-ups and mature enterprises alike, advising ambitious founders and seasoned C-suite executives in B2C and B2B tech firms. In late 2022, Jon founded Coldharbour Communications, a consultancy focused on providing content-first brand communications services to technology businesses.
Additionally, since 2018, Jon has served on the international Board of the Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC). As the founding Chair of AMEC’s agency group, Jon is focused on increasing the adoption of best practice evaluation methodologies throughout the agency world.
A frequent judge of communications and creative industry awards, Jon also speaks at professional conferences around the world, on topics including crisis management and measurement and evaluation.
British-born, Jon is currently resident in San Francisco.
