Last Monday (19 March) saw a variety of PR professionals come together for our 1-day conference at the CIPR, focussing on this topic. Keynote speakers, David Gallagher and Ruth Yearley, from Ketchum set the tone by defining the need for a strategy, and suggesting that the best strategy will
· Meet business and communications goals
· Be salient in terms of messages
· Relevant to target audience
· Be timely
· Tap into a wider social context
· Work the hardest
They culminated with the reminder that there isn’t one correct strategy – there is always a choice!
Other speakers included Docklands Light Railway’s David Sanders speaking on Stakeholder Buy-in, followed by a talk on Strategy in a Multi-media world, which is essential to us today.
Delegates were invited to join in a discussion on Crisis Planning with Dacorum Borough Council’s Daniel Zammit, Chief Executive, and Louise Oughton, Strategic Communications Manager, giving impressive examples of the Buncefield incident The key messages the left with delegates were about
· Co-ordinating knowledge and understanding
· Strategic and communication challenges
· Emergency response
· Recovery
· Communications challenges
· and, of course, Reputation and confidence.
The second discussion group focused on Measurement and research and how to monitor and improve results.
Lunch gave delegates a chance to network and talk about topical issues. Afterwards Fraser Hardie of Blue Rubicon spoke about what to do When a strategy has to Change, which left delegates with lots of food for thought - ‘a real eye opener for the people in the field.’
One delegate felt this conference enabled ‘leaders in the PR field to come together and share best practise’, something which the CIPR obviously likes to champion. She also went on to say the ‘standards of the speakers are high and sets a good benchmark in the PR field.’
The conference was rounded off nicely with a drinks reception in the Members’ room here at St James’s Square, which gave delegates the chance to reflect on the day and socialise.
If you missed it, the conference is being repeated again on Monday 24 September and bookings are now open. For more information visit www.cipr.co.uk/strategy.
