Programme for the day
Conference Chairman: George Hook, Broadcaster & Journalist
| 8.30-9.20 | Registration |
| 9.20-9.30 | Barry Kenny, FPRII, President PRII Opening address |
| 9.30-10.05 | Neil Chapmanformer Head of Communications, Global Refining & Marketing, BP BP case study: The Deepwater Horizon disaster BP’s crisis in the Gulf of Mexico during 2010 was the first energy industry disaster of the social media age. Information – good and bad – travelled at an exceptionally fast rate and was dominated by digital. What were the critical business leadership lessons learned? And what does Deepwater Horizon tell us about modern audience interaction with business, particularly when a corporation is caught in the intense glare of the crisis spotlight? |
| 10.05-10.40 | Cathal O’Neill Chief Executive, Risk Management International Staying in business when the chips are down There are many threats and risks which have the potential to negatively impact organisations, some foreseen, others not. Some risks may be identified as ‘high impact - low probability’, others as ‘high probability – low impact’, and the rest fall somewhere in between. How do organisations classify these risks and ensure they are adequately prepared to respond effectively to a crisis, with PR built into the incident response process? How do they ensure they don’t confuse ‘crisis communications’ with effective ‘incident management’ so that an incident does not become a crisis in the first place? |
| 10.40-11.10 | Coffee & Networking |
| 11.10-11.45 | Elma Peters Corporate Communications Director, Western Europe & Russia, GE GE case study: You can lose the battle but still win the war GE, through its financial business, GE Capital, was exposed to negative sentiment in the media, who began to question the company’s business model and future prospects following the financial crisis. In defence of its reputation, GE developed the Amplification Room, a tool that has since become central to all its communication efforts. |
| 11.45-12.20 | Bernard Harbor Head of Communications, IMPACT And now for the bad news… For unions, the last two to three years have been a period when their internal publics – members, volunteers and staff – have been dealing with relentless bad news. How are they rising to the challenge of communicating internally? Where has it been possible to demonstrate their continued relevance and retain the loyalty and support of members? How are they balancing the internal PR challenge of defending the interests of members and volunteers with those of external publics who question their benefits and practices – all against the background of a hostile and often ill-informed media? And what lessons are there for PR practitioners in other sectors? |
| 12.20-12.55 | Padraig Slattery Managing Director, Slattery Communications Case study: An insider’s unique view of the Toyota Recall In August 2009, a tragic, fatal accident in the US launched the most challenging global crisis in Toyota’s history. The iconic company, synonymous with safety and quality, was vilified by the media and details usually unworthy of widespread attention became smoking guns that convinced the public that Toyota vehicles had electronic problems causing runaway vehicles – and that the company was hiding this from them. 16 million car recalls later, the concerns have turned out to be largely unfounded – but not before billions have been wiped from the value of the company. How did Toyota respond? Where and how? And can – as some observers have suggested – the company’s systematic approach to problem solving help it to emerge stronger than ever following the events of 2009-2010? |
| 1.00-2.30 | Lunch & Networking |
| 2.30-3.15 | Panel discussion: Joanne RichardsonDiarmaid FerriterEoghan O’Neachtain and Nóirín Hegarty How to salvage the reputation of Ireland Inc? Amidst the ruins of a collapsed banking and political system, Ireland has suffered a crushing blow to its international reputation. Chairperson George Hook will lead this interactive discussion aimed at unearthing the communication initiatives we will need to take to regain the trust of global leaders and markets, and heal the very deep wound to national pride. |
| 3.15-3.55 | Tom Murphy Director of Communications, Corporate Citizenship, Microsoft Corporation Global within seconds: Impact of social media on crisis communication and reputation From Haiti and Tahrir Square, to Cowengate and the PwC scandal, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook have infiltrated – if not ignited – every major crisis played out around the world over the past 12 months. Tuning into, and turning down the heat around social media, has now become an essential component of crisis management planning. But there are positives too – this can also be a great vehicle for effectively responding to critics and harnessing goodwill. |
| 3.55-4.05 | Barry Kenny, FPRII, President PRII Closing remarks Followed by a Jameson on Ice drinks reception courtesy of Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard |
