Government Communications Boot Camp

March 24th, 10 am - 3 pm (EST)

Book Now

Government Communications Boot Camp

Book Now

March 24th, 10 am - 3 pm (EST)

About the Event

Welcome to the Government Communications Boot Camp!

The Government Communications Boot Camp will provide PR professionals working for the government and public sectors, the opportunity to share lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and discuss the future of government communications in a post-COVID world.

Benefits of attending:

  • Master the latest trends in government communications in the age of authenticity.
  • Build key messages and prepare senior public officials for major crisis.
  • See how the City of Toronto responded to COVID-19 as a crisis unlike any other.
  • Go behind the scenes of UK's government most ambitious international promotional campaign.
  • Develop effective communications strategies and resources during dual crisis.
  • Understand the importance of keeping people at the heart of your crisis response. 
  • Streamline communications to establish a strong identity and message.
  • Create citizen-centric communications strategy.
  • Design communications tactics that are digital and open by default.
  • Foster meaningful, two-way, communication and engagement.
  • Use content strategy in your strategic communications.
  • Redefine reputation management in government communications.

Facts & Figures

Did you know?

  • We are the proud organizers of the Global PR Summit, one of the world's leading PR and communications events, held annually in 24 countries around the world, including US, Canada, Norway, Iceland, Turkey, Malta and Qatar. 
  • The "Government Communications Boot Camp" is part of our Boot Camps portfolio which includes Boot Camps on nonprofit communications, PR agencies communications, healthcare communications, municipal communications & crisis communications.
  • Past delegates from government organizations and the public sector at our events include: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Invest in Canada,, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Export Development Canada, Sandia National Laboratories, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Social Security Administration, City of Brampton, The City of Red Deer, Department of National Defence, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Finance Canada, U.S. Department of Commerce, British Columbia Securities Commission, City of Ottawa, VisitBritain, City of Toronto, Government of Canada, City of Pickering...

Speakers

Patrick Jephson Former Chief Of Staff To Princess Diana

Mary Jo Jacobi Former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, Former Assistant US Commerce Secretary for President George H.W. Bush, British Civil Service Commissioner

Patricia Yates Visit Britain

Brad Ross City of Toronto

Amanda Coleman Former Head of Communications, Greater Manchester Police

Lydia Sermons Spelman College

Agenda

10.00 

Stop the Spin: Government Communications in the Age of Authenticity


Mary Jo Jacobi is the only person in the world that has had the privilege to work for two US president, the Queen of England and a UK Prime Minister.  In her opening keynote, drawing from her experience with the US & UK governments, as well as,  Royal Dutch Shell, BP America, Lehman Brothers, HSBC Holdings and Drexel Burnham Lambert, Mary Jo will share with you the rules of government communications in the age of authenticity.



Mary Jo Jacobi, Former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, Former Assistant US Commerce Secretary for President George H.W. Bush, a British Civil Service Commissioner and a Member of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments 
Former Senior Executive, BP America, Royal Dutch Shell, Lehman Brothers, HSBC Holdings and Drexel Burnham Lambert

10.40 

Out of the Shadows: Personal Branding for Public Officials


In this session, Patrick will help you identify the qualities people expect to see in senior public officials, prepare senior public officials for major crisis, build the key message and most importantly, acquire substance, not spin.
Patrick owes much of his practical communications experience to Princess Diana, who chose him to be her equerry and only private secretary/chief of staff.  He served the Princess for eight years (1988-96), responsible for every aspect of her public life, charitable initiatives, and private organization. He is also a consultant for season 3 & 4 for Netflix’s “The Crown”.

Patrick Jephson, Former Chief of Staff to Princess Diana, New York Times Bestselling Author & Consultant, Netflix's The Crown

11.20

COVID-19: Response, Restart and Recovery  


Brad Ross has been the Chief Communications Officer for the City of Toronto since January 2019. He rejoined the City (he was with the City from 2000-2008) after almost 11 years at the Toronto Transit Commission where he led employee and public communications, including reputation management. In this  interactive session he will share how the City of Toronto responded to COVID-19 as a crisis unlike any other. Months later, restart and recovery continues to challenge administrators and communicators alike.



Brad Ross, Chief Communications Officer, City of Toronto

12.00

Lunch Break

12.40 

Country Branding in Times of COVID-19: Go Behind the Scenes of UK Government's Most Ambitious International Promotional Campaign
Delivering iconic moments to over 145 countries, the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland campaign showcases the very best of UK's rich heritage and cutting-edge innovation. In this presentation, Patricia will give you a behind the scenes look of UK government's most ambitious international promotional campaign, uniting the efforts of the public and private sector to generate jobs and growth for Britain and Northern Ireland. Her presentation will also focus on adapting the campaign in the face of COVID-19 and the evolution of the campaign, as we emerge from COVID.



Patricia Yates, Director, Strategy and Communications, VISIT BRITAIN

13.20 

Case Study: Rebounding from the Under-tow of COVID-19 Communications
Shortly after joining the City of Atlanta government, Lydia was faced with managing the City’s communications in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, racial justice demonstrations, and a highly charged presidential and U.S. Senate election cycle. Lydia’s prior experience leading federal government communications for two U.S. presidential administrations, a U.S. Member of Congress, several federal agencies, and big-city Mayors, equipped her with the tools needed to work through Atlanta’s challenges. She has led national communications strategies from healthcare reform and racial equity to major health crises, such as the Ebola and Zika virus outbreaks and lead contamination in the U.S. City of Flint, Michigan.
During this session, Lydia will share strategies and tactics for managing reactive (crisis) communications and rebounding to resume focus on the City’s strategic priorities. The presentation will highlight how to pull up from the under-tow of crisis communications and push forward on proactive strategic messaging.


Lydia Sermons, Chief Communications Strategist, City of Atlanta, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Office of Communications

14.00

Case Study: Lessons Learned from the Manchester Arena Bombing
On 22 May 2017, an Islamist extremist suicide bomber detonated a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb as people were leaving the Manchester Arena following a concert by US singer Ariana Grande. Twenty-three people died, including the attacker, and 139 were wounded, more than half of them children. Several hundred more suffered psychological trauma.
In this session, Amanda, who until recently was the head of corporate communications at Greater Manchester Police, will talk us through the Manchester Arena bombing and the importance of keeping people at the heart of your response and bringing agencies together in a unified response. 



Amanda Coleman, Crisis Communications Consultant, Amanda Coleman Communication LTD, Former Head of Communications at Greater Manchester Police, UK

14.40

End of Boot Camp

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