Welcome to the sixth (online) edition of the Global PR Summit Canada.
Benefits of attending:
Featuring interactive presentations by PR experts from Argyle, IBM, Ikea, Islamic Relief Canada, Facebook and Wattpad, Global PR Summit Canada 6 will cover the most important trends and challenges for PR professionals in a post-pandemic world.
Why pay more? Book by September 24th and SAVE CAD 400.- off the final ticket price!
Former COVID-19 Crisis Communications Lead, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, Central Canada, Leger
10.00 Opening Keynote: Trust me, I'm in PR
These days, trust seems to be the elusive holy grail for organizations around the world and they’re turning to their communications and public relations teams to deliver results. In an environment where our own industry seems to be under the microscope and #PRFail remains a popular hashtag, is trust even possible? Join Kim to discuss recent research from the Canadian Public Relations Society on how Canadians view PR professionals and how to work with your organization to build relationships that improves reputation, earns confidence and maybe, just maybe, leads to trust.
Kim Blanchette, Senior Vice President and GM (Western Canada) | National Lead, Indigenous Engagement & Communication, Argyle
10.40 Communicating at the Speed of Science – A Pandemic Case Study
In this session Andrew will share with you the importance of quick transformation of your communications strategy in times of unprecedented changes, as well as , lessons learned from Pfizer’s communications efforts during the pandemic.
Andrew Widger, Senior Director, Global Media Relations Pfizer
11.20 Winning Back Consumer Confidence and Communicating in the New Normal
As organizations adapt to the “new normal” customer confidence and trust are becoming more important than ever. In this session Tanya will share with you the steps you need to take to win over consumer trust and foster new growth, as well as, develop communications initiatives that will ensure that your customer relationships outlast the coronavirus.
Tanya Bevington, Head of Communications, IKEA Canada
12.00 Lunch Break
12.40 Seeing Clients Bigger. Integrated Comms is the New Normal
In today’s hyper digital marketplace, clients demand ROI and consumers are bombarded by thousands of messages. To make an impact it is imperative to ensure your communications strategy is omnichannel and delivers across all the touchpoints. In this session, Christine will show you how to tap into entrepreneurial thinking to maximise your results, leaving nothing on the table.
Christine Faulhaber, Founder & CEO, Faulhaber Communications
13.20 Follow the Data: Communicating Effectively During a Crisis
The COVID-19 crisis re-emphasized the importance of data when responding to a crisis. Typically, whether in crisis or peace time, monitoring across traditional and digital channels should be prioritized to close the loop and inform communications strategies. However, with the COVID-19 crisis, the magnitude, rapid spread of misinformation/disinformation and changing information, it was critical for communicators to pay attention to the data insights to ensure that messages are responsive to the needs of key target audiences.
In this session, Ukwori will highlight how the data monitoring system informed communications strategy for the health response to COVID-19 in Nigeria, tools used for collecting the data, challenges faced and recommendations for the future.
Ukwori Ejibe, Communications Consultant, Former COVID-19 Crisis Communications Lead, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
14.00 Short Break
14.20 Reimaging Content PR in the Next Normal
In today’s world of information overload, storytelling is still more important than ever. But, with the changing consumer habits and political and societal turmoil, brands have to put an extra effort when it comes to creating the right content with the right tone for the right audience on the right platform.
In this session Bjorn will share with you insights on how content PR has changed post pandemic, as well as, how to create an authentic connection with your customers, combat content overload and give and showcase value.
Bjorn Trowery, Consumer Communications & Brand PR, Facebook
15.00 Tailoring Social Media Content to Meet Your Objectives
When it comes to social media content development, there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach. It’s important to look to the brief and detail out the specific objectives you are trying to meet. The paid social objectives you will be bidding against (whether it’s brand awareness, traffic, conversion, etc.) can be a great guide as there are ways to optimize your social content to help drive results by objective. Learn more about how to create content that will drive results at the session.
Elspeth Baird, Group Director, Digital and Content, Ruckus Digital
15.40 Closing Discussion and End of Day One
10.00 Cancel Culture: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
If getting cancelled isn’t part of your crisis planning, it needs to be. In a world where outrage travels fast and missteps lead to mob mentality, the list of brands and individuals facing 'cancel culture' backlash grows longer by the day. Consumers are demanding more transparency and social purpose from organizations than ever before, but getting it wrong can have serious consequences. And while managing brands in the age of cancel culture is uncharted territory, addressing calls for accountability has become mission-critical for any public relations strategy to succeed.
In this session, Kathryn Kolaczek will lead a deep dive into:
- The rise of the cancel culture phenomenon – online and in the real world
- The dangers of 'woke-washing' and tone-deaf activism
- How brands can protect themselves from being #cancelled
- Brand and reputation management strategies in the age of cancel culture
- The way forward: shifting from a cancel culture to an accountable culture
Kathryn Kolaczek, CEO, Alchemy Communications
10.40 How to Power Your Crisis Communications Plan for a Post-COVID Age
COVID-19 has completely reshaped our world. For PR professionals, it has raised the bar for what qualifies as being prepared.
In this session Donald will share with you what it takes to maintain your reputation in the post-coronavirus reality, build your crisis communications playbook, prepare in advance and apply the right tone and tactics in your crisis communications strategy.
Donald Steel, Former Chief Communications Adviser, BBC
11.20 The Importance of Seeing a Crisis Before It’s a Crisis
The COVID-19 crisis is not over yet, but a different crisis may be waiting around the corner, just as we are at our most exhausted and vulnerable. In this session, Matt will lift your vision and energy to make sure your organization is fully crisis communications ready. He will share with you tips on how to identify potential crises, detect early warning signs for a crisis to minimize the damages, and understand the relationship between advance preparation and speed in crisis communications.
Matt Wood, Director, Communications and Marketing, University of Northern British Columbia
12.00 Lunch Break
12.40 Communicating for Brand Evolution - How PR Can Help Evolving Brands in Periods of Transformation
With an acquisition and then a merger, this was an exciting year for Wattpad, the world’s leading user-generated stories platform. In this session Kiel will share with you case studies and recent insights on the importance of public relations in times of transformation.
Kiel Hume, Director of PR & Communications, Wattpad
13.20 How Data is Transforming the PR Industry
For PR professionals, data is everything! It helps us create better stories, better campaigns but most importantly it helps us measure the effectiveness of our work. In this session Lisa will share with you the data PR trends you need to know about in order to create a more cohesive PR strategy with a personal touch that will strengthen your reputation but also improve your ROI.
Lisa Covens, Board Director, CPRS National and Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs, Leger
14.00 Maintaining Employee Engagement in a Post-Pandemic Workplace
As our industry prepares for employees' return to work, and taking into consideration the possibility of a hybrid workforce, employee engagement is key for your organization's long-term success.
In this session Reyhana will share with you what has COVID-19 taught us about employee engagement, how to encourage employee engagement and re-engage your employees post-COVID, as well as, maintain creativity and motivation in busy PR teams and keep reinventing your communications team to keep up with the evolving PR skills set.
Reyhana Patel, Head of Communications and Government Relations, Islamic Relief Canada
14.40 Closing Discussion and End of Global PR Summit Canada 6
This program can also be delivered as a tailored in-house training for your organization. We adapt the content to your industry, objectives, and level of maturity, focusing on real challenges your teams face and the decisions they need to make. In-house formats allow your people to align on a shared approach, work through relevant scenarios, and build skills they can apply immediately.
If you’re exploring an in-house option, tell us a bit about your team, priorities, and timing, and we’ll recommend the right format.
Contact us about in-house training
