About the Conference

Our time is now! Corporate communicators are increasingly becoming trusted advisors to executives—steadily gaining recognition and leverage among enlightened leaders. With this reality, demands on communications professionals are running high. We’re being pulled in many directions by executives, employees, the media and the public. 

This conference gets real with trends, strategies, challenges and opportunities around belonging side by side with business strategy.

The Benefits to You

By attending this conference, you will:

• Learn how successful comms professionals are proactive and stay one step ahead of trends.  

• Discover strategies and tactics to handle emerging needs and issues before they happen.

• Find out how to reach the most important audiences where the are, quickly and effectively.

• Gain skills and knowledge on new communications methods, technology, and trends.

• Better understand which metrics will prove effectiveness to key stakeholders and the C-Suite.

• Learn from companies that are top in their industry and have the awards to prove it.

• Network, collaborate, and benchmark with your communications peers.

Who Should Attend

This conference is designed especially for professionals involved in the following business areas:

• Corporate Communications

• Employee Engagement

• Executive Relations

• Internal Communications

• Public Relations

• Social Media

• Stakeholder Engagement

Things to do Now

Register:
This event is free for members ($495 for non-members). Register now to join us for the live virtual event and to receive a link to watch later on-demand.

Get Involved:
If you would like to get involved in this year’s conference, please contact us.

• Sponsorship Opportunities: michael.felden@conferenceboard.org

• Speaker Opportunities: jill.christensen@conferenceboard.org

• Group Rates: ulei.kou@conferenceboard.org

• Marketing Partnerships: melissa.mianulli@conferenceboard.org

11:00-11:05 am

Welcome

Jill Christensen, Program Director, The Conference Board

11:05 am–11:40 am

Communicating During External Chaos and an Internal Company Transformation 

AT&T - the world's largest telecom company - is transforming in a number of ways. Transformation isn’t easy, and when you layer a global pandemic and racial injustice on top, it further complicates the journey.  Learn how AT&T is rising to the challenge and what you can do to seamlessly drive change.  

Mark Hyde, Assistant VP - Employee Communications, AT&T

11:40 am - 12:15 pm

Building Purpose, Loyalty, and Pride @ Qualcomm

Hear how Qualcomm launched a global recognition and communications platform during the Pandemic that modernized their recognition practices, achieved a 90%+ participation rate in 90 days, and significantly moved the needle on employee engagement.  By aligning communication, change management, and recognition practices, organizations can increase engagement and create proud, loyal brand ambassadors, who sing your praises on social media.

Christi Gilhoi, Senior Manager of Employee Engagement, Qualcomm

12:15-12:30 pm
Break

12:30-12:35 pm

Session Recap, Virtual Poll & Pet Pics Voting

Jill Christensen, Program Director, The Conference Board

12:35-1:40 pm

Winning Techniques to Identify and Champion Your Key Message

This interactive presentation – designed for both novice and experienced communicators – teaches effective techniques for identifying and conveying powerful points in speeches, presentations, conference panels, interviews, meetings, emails, and any other occasion in which championing a strong point is imperative to your job, your reputation, and your success.

Joel Schwartzberg, Senior Director of Strategic and Executive Communications, ASPCA

1:45 - 2:20 pm

Don't Be Afraid of IT: How to Communicate Big Changes Effectively

Technology is at the core of a productive workplace. When there’s a change in platform or policy, employees can lose trust in their IT org. To help influence employees’ perception, it’s crucial to engage leadership, align your story to company values and goals, target your audience, and rethink training. Today you’ll learn how to make enterprise–wide changes feel seamless.

Jason Hays, Senior Manager of IT Communications, PayPal

2:20 - 2:35 pm
Break

2:35 - 2:40 pm

Session Recap, Virtual Poll & Pet Pics Voting

2:40 - 3:15 pm

Communicating During COVID-19: Keeping Employees Safe, Sane and Motivated

As a global consumer brand, Levi’s faced the challenges of COVID-19 at the epicenter of where it started – Wuhan China in December 2019. Learn how their internal communications team used a combination of channels and storytelling to address the crisis, chart the strategic course of the business, and continue to drive employee engagement worldwide.

Beth Ward Francesconi, Senior Director, Internal Communications, Levi Strauss & Co.

3:15 - 3:50 pm

90–Day Plan to Prime Your New CEO

Plans change when a new executive joins your company. There goes that trusted relationship and fully developed engagement plan. So, what do you do next and how do you get off on the right foot? In this session you’ll learn how to build credibility with your new executive, and the best practices to succeed together.

Marti Powers, External Relations Country Manager, U.S. & General Manager, Global Shales, Shell

3:50-4:05 pm

Keep Employees Informed and Inspired, and They Can Catapult Your External Image

Join powerhouse speaker Edward Ford to hear inspiring ideas and new approaches, to deliver clear and compassionate internal communications. Why? Because informed, inspired, and engaged employees can serve as your greatest champions externally on social media – bolstering the opinions that critical stakeholders have about you. You’ll learn how to leverage employees as your greatest asset, as you look to broaden your reach, create positive brand awareness, and build trust.

Edward Ford, Senior Director, Client Engagement, Medidata

4:05 - 4:40 pm

Listen, Understand, Act: Getting to a Starting Point

In the days following the death of George Floyd, many brands showed their support for communities of color, but were plagued with the public’s questions of, “Why now?” Join speaker Ashley Morgan to hear how her impactful story led their brand on an inspiring journey to listen, understand, and then act, to ensure they delivered authentic and meaningful messages.

Ashley Morgan, Director, Internal Communications, European Wax Center

4:40-5:05 pm

Panel Discussion: How to Demonstrate Your Value to the C–Suite

As communications experts, we see the need to demonstrate our expertise and worth to the C–Suite, but what’s the most effective way to accomplish this without looking like we are posturing? Among the questions we’ll consider as part of this discussion are:

• How do we describe our work?
• How do we ensure alignment with business objectives?
• How do we measure success and present results?
• How do we demonstrate strategic thinking?

Moderator:

Jill Christensen, Program Director, The Conference Board

Panelists:

Mark Hyde, Assistant VP – Employee Communications, AT&T

Marti Powers, External Relations Country Manager, U.S. & General Manager, Global Shales, Shell

Ashley Morgan, Director, Internal Communications, European Wax Center

5:05-5:10 pm

Session Recap, Virtual Poll, Pet Pics Voting

Jill Christensen, Program Director, The Conference Board

11:00-11:05 am

Welcome & Virtual Poll

Jill Christensen, Program Director, The Conference Board

11:05-11:40 am

Keys to Keep Stakeholders Informed and Engaged When It’s the Last Thing on the M&A Team’s Mind

When a company is pursuing an acquisition, merger or divestiture, it’s common for ‘the deal’ to take precedence over effective communication. While it’s critical that stakeholders remain in the know and engaged, it’s usually the last thing on the minds of the people who are crunching numbers and making the deal happen. In this session, we’ll dive into how to partner with the M&A team to ensure stakeholder communication and engagement do not take a back seat, in times of potential resistance and change.

Mary Lou Panzano, VP of U.S. Internal Communications, Bayer  

11:40 am-12:15 pm

ESG: The Communicator's Roadmap for a New Business Imperative

Increasingly, companies are expected to have a positive impact across a number of non-financial environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions. Stakeholders - including employees, customers, communities, and policymakers - are demanding action and transparency, which has significant implications for a company’s business, brand, and reputation. This session explores why corporate communications is central to an effective ESG strategy and how to drive that message - even in a difficult environment. 

Peter Gudritz. Director, Office of the CEO & Executive Communications - Global Public Affairs, Dow

12:15-12:30 pm
Break

12:30-12:35 pm

Session Recap & Virtual Poll

Jill Christensen, Program Director, The Conference Board

12:35-1:10 pm

My Students Today are Your Employees Tomorrow: How to Recruit, Retain, and Communicate with Gen-Z

The generational differences that impact workplace communication may not be what you think they are.  Gen-Z isn’t necessarily more fluent with or attached to technology than their older cohorts, but they do have different expectations and motivations that are influenced by their collegiate experiences.  We’ll discuss what you need to know to engage effectively with young top talent.

Diane Gayeski, Professor of Strategic Communications, Ithaca College

1:10-1:45 pm

Seven Lessons in Leadership Communications

Needless to say, a 25–year–career in Corporate Communications partnering with senior executives at AT&T, Lucent Technologies, Pfizer, J&J, and Zoetis yields a tremendous amount of valuable lessons learned. In this session, Bill boils down his key takeaways to help communications professionals navigate the landscape and soar.

Bill Price, VP and Chief Communications Officer, Zoetis

1:45–2:00 pm

Session Recap, Pet Pics Winner & Closing Statements

Jill Christensen, Program Director, The Conference Board