stedavies.com - communications consultant

VENUE: THE BRIDGEWATER HALL, MANCHESTER
DATE / TIME: FRIDAY 5 DEC 2008, 9AM TO 4PM
TICKETS: £195 + VAT, £175 + VAT EARLY BOOKING / CHARITY RATE
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ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The internet has revolutionised the way we seek and share information and has acted as a catalyst for wide ranging social interaction and potential communication opportunities with individuals, niche audiences and mass markets.

In a few short years weʼve seen the rise of social networking, hugely popular user generated sites and bloggers with the influence to make or break brands and reputations.

The Donʼt Panic Guide To Social Media is aimed at senior communicators and will examine the rapid growth of online PR and the social media tools that are driving the revolution.

Delegates will hear the latest insight into how and why social media is an essential part of the communications mix alongside a range of case studies showing how to successfully integrate social media into your communication strategies.

The conference takes place at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and features an unmissable line up of speakers. Refreshments, lunch and access to presentations are included in the ticket price.

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SPEAKERS

TOM MURPHY, HEAD OF PUBLIC RELATIONS & CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, MICROSOFT IRELAND
Tom has spent the past 15 years providing public relations counsel to technology companies across Europe and North America. He has worked in both agency and in-house roles with a range of companies such as BEA Systems, Corel, Gateway, Intel, IONA Technologies, Marrakech, Microsoft, StorageTek and Visio.

He has blogged on the challenges facing Public Relations and marketing professionals since 2002 with PR Opinions and more recently Murphyʼs Law. He has been interviewed on the changing dynamics of communication by a range of media outlets including CNN, The New York Times, and PR Week amongst many others. Tom blogs at tpemurphy.com/blog

STEPHEN DAVIES, MD, 3W PR
News travels fast on the World Wide Web and as citizen journalists, bloggers and the mainstream media increasingly use multimedia content some might say the traditional press or news release is dead.

This presentation will provide an insight into the rise of the Social Media News Release, a modern alternative that enables the sharing of information, links and even content such as Flickr galleries and YouTube videos, and how they can be used to reach audiences and create dialogues with consumers, influencers and traditional news outlets.

Stephen is one of the UK’s leading PR bloggers and has worked for Edelman, Frank PR and webitpr before launching his own online communications consultancy 3W PR in 2008. Stephen blogs at stedavies.com

STUART BRUCE, MD, WOLFSTAR
Stuart is a founder and managing director of Wolfstar, a specialist public relations, social media and word of mouth marketing and communications consultancy. He is listed in PR Week’s PowerBook of the UK’s most influential public relations practitioners who describe him as a “comms wunderkind trying to make his mark on the consultancy side. Seriously web savvy, his CV reads like a top ten of all things tech”.

Stuart has run UK and global social media campaigns and provided strategic counsel to clients as varied as Sony Ericcson, Philips, energywatch, Ministry of Defence and Health Secretary Alan Johnson. He is also one of the UK’s most influential PR bloggers and his presentation will provide case studies of major brands who have successfully used blogger out reach programmes as part of their wider communications strategies. Stuart blogs at www.stuartbruce.biz

GRAHAM GOODKIND, CHAIRMAN, FRANK PR
Graham was previously MD of “Absolutely Fabulous” PR consultancy Lynne Franks PR, he then founded Another.com, one of the UK”s leading internet brands, before returning to PR and setting up Frank. Frank are one of the giants of the UK PR scene and Graham”s presentation will look at creativity, buzz and word of mouth and how they successfully generate these elements online. Frank also look after a retired greyhound called Flying Frank, the only dog with a blog. www.frankpr.it

MARSHALL MANSON, DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGY, EDELMAN UK
Marshall Manson is Director of Digital Strategy for Edelman in London, and a leader in the field of online strategy, communications and reputation management. Previously, he was Vice-President of Online Advocacy for Edelman in Washington, DC.

His presentation will focus on how technology is driving changes in the way audiences get and share information and the implications of that shift and where it may lead us in the future. He will also examine how businesses are using social media in the US, UK and elsewhere and the success or otherwise of their strategies. Marshall blogs at ontapblog.com and edelmandigital.com

MEG PICKARD, HEAD OF COMMUNITIES AND USER EXPERIENCE, GUARDIAN UNLIMITED
Meg describes herself as a creative geek and has worked in New Media for about ten years including consultation roles with small startups, global brands and charities. She currently works at Guardian Unlimited where she is responsible for developing and managing existing and new social web strategy and experiences. Before this she was Consumer Experience lead for Social Media at AOL Europe.

Her presentation will examine the importance of social media strategy for organisations and their audiences. Meg blogs at meish.org

MARK PAYNE, HEAD OF PRESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS, WEST MIDLANDS POLICE
Chief Inspector Mark Payne is responsible for the smooth running of one of the busiest police press and public relations departments in the UK. West Midlands Police are also one of the most progressive in relation to social media use including their aptly named “plodcast” which provides an insight into the work of the force and and the varied employment opportunities for police and support staff. Launched in 2006, the regular and free audio downloads attract over 20,000 listeners.

More recently the force has begun uploading crime prevention advice and behind the scenes videos to YouTube and launched a Facebook site offering news and appeals, videos and crime alerts as part of a wider strategy to reach young people.

SIMON WAKEMAN, HEAD OF MARKETING & PR, MEDWAY COUNCIL
Simon is a qualified marketing and public relations professional with a passion for new technology and its impact on the way we communicate. He will be exploring the extent of social media usage in local government with examples of those authorities who have used social media channels to reach their audiences. He will also consider the reasons why some authorities may still be reticent to create truly open dialogues with those they serve. Simon blogs at simonwakeman.com/blog

MARK ROGERS, CEO, MARKET SENTINEL
Mark is co-founder of online monitoring and response specialist Market Sentinel which monitors consumer generated content in blogs, message boards and consumer sites and provides reputation measurement on behalf of its clients. Since its foundation in 2004 the company has acquired a number of UK and international blue chip customers including Yahoo! Europe, British Gas, the BBC Trust, Hyundai, Avis, GSK, Bacardi, Cadbury and Experian.

Previously Mark was co-founding commissioning editor of BBC Online and cofounder of Amazon.com Anywhere and has worked for a number of high technology start-ups in the US and Europe. Publications include: ‘Search is Brand’, ‘Measuring the influence of bloggers’ and ‘Responding to crisis using social media’. His presentation will examine how organisations can successfully evaluate the value and influence of online coverage. Mark blogs at marketsentinel.com/blog

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BOOKING

Ticket prices are £195 + VAT or £175 + VAT for bookings before 14 Nov & charities. For event booking or further information please contact Nicky or Andrew at Donʼt Panic on 01706 828855 or alternatively places can be securely booked online at – www.dontpanicprojects.com/booking.htm