Keynotes

Sunday p.m. » Monday a.m. » Monday Lunch » Tuesday a.m.

Opening General Session Sunday, 1:00 p.m – 2:30 p.m.
Bettina Luescher, chief spokesperson of the United Nations World Food Programme

A spotlight was placed on the crucial role of public relations and communications practitioners this year as catastrophic events unfolded throughout the world, such as the devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Chile that left victims in the hundreds of thousands in despair as they faced food shortages of epic proportions.

Bettina Luescher, chief spokesperson for the United Nations World Food Programme, will share how critical effective communication is, not only when representing your organization, but also when working to spur the world into action during times of crisis. Learn how the United Nations handles communications during disasters like those in Haiti and Chile as Luescher reflects on her efforts to raise awareness of the hunger issue, and help communities rebuild their shattered lives. 

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide that works to bring the issue of hunger to the center of the international agenda. It strives to reach more than 90 million people with food assistance in 73 countries, working hard to get food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters.

Jim VandeHei, executive editor and co-founder, POLITICO

Recently named by Vanity Fair as one of the 100 most powerful Information Age thinkers for helping to create the “model for the new media success story,” Jim VandeHei, executive editor and co-founder of POLITICO, will discuss the need for news and information, and how you can successfully navigate today’s “information environment.” He also will share his thoughts on the communication discipline and the mid-term elections.

VandeHei is a regular political analyst on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” and is a frequent guest on numerous cable and network television programs. In 2000, he was named The Wall Street Journal’s White House correspondent, and covered the first year of President George W. Bush’s administration. He also was the first representative of a primarily online news organization to serve on the Pulitzer Prize Board.

In early 2007, along with John F. Harris and Allbritton Communications, VandeHei launched the nonpartisan political journalism organization, POLITICO, and quickly established it as one of the leading new media companies in the nation. Drawing on 15 years of experience in Washington, D.C., journalism, he helps direct POLITICO’s editorial content and oversees its business strategy. The company’s more than 100 employees focus on amalgamating the old media values of fairness and accuracy with the speed and immediacy of new technologies.

General Session Monday, 8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Bill Tancer, author of “Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters — Unexpected Insights for Business and Life”

As the world’s pre-eminent expert on online behavior, Bill Tancer provides cutting-edge research and insight into online consumer behavior and the application of online competitive intelligence. He mines his company’s database, Experian Hitwise, of more than 10 million Internet users each day to determine what people are really doing online and how they use Internet-based services.

Tancer offers a unique perspective on human behavior in his best-selling book, “Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters — Unexpected Insights for Business and Life.” He tracks and analyzes the billions of trails left by millions of Internet users, offering surprising and practical insights that can be used in business and life.

He will provide a behind-the-scenes look into the massive database of online intelligence to reveal the truth about how we use the Internet, navigate to websites and search for information.

Tancer’s analysis of the online landscape has been quoted extensively in media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and BusinessWeek. He is a frequent guest on CNBC and has been interviewed on MSNBC, NPR, CNN Radio and CBS Radio. He also writes a weekly column for TIME Magazine titled “The Science of Search.” He was named TelevisionWeek’s “12 to Watch” in 2008, and currently is on the advisory board for the PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Jeffrey Hayzlett,  author of “The Mirror Test: Is Your Business Really Breathing?”

With his highly anticipated debut book, “The Mirror Test: Is Your Business Really Breathing?” Jeffrey Hayzlett holds a mirror to the face of your operation to see if your company is alive and how it can grow and benefit from change. Through entertaining and timely anecdotes, he will teach you to “adapt or die” and “win before you begin,” providing constructive techniques relevant to the public relations industry.

Famous for his outspoken appearances on numerous television networks, Hayzlett is widely recognized as an influential marketer. He is the recipient of numerous marketing and business awards and honors, is a Business Marketing Association Hall of Fame inductee and was named “Business-to-Business Marketer of the Year” by B2B Magazine.

With nearly 25 years of international marketing, sales and customer relations management experience, he previously was responsible for leading all marketing activities at Kodak. In the first three weeks of its release, his new book ranked on three business bestseller lists, including Inc. Magazine (#1), USA Today (#4) and the Wall Street Journal (#4).

Monday Lunch, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Shaping the Debate: Public Affairs Strategies and the Health Care Reform Bill
Public policy is officially made on Capitol Hill, but the legislative process often involves hundreds of interested parties and thousands of constituents. Hear from the representatives of three organizations that had a strong voice during the health care debate, and what strategies were implemented to achieve public affairs goals. Hear how social media tools were leveraged, when issue advertising was most effective and how grassroots campaigns were managed.

Paul Anderson
Paul Anderson is vice president for Communication Strategies and Public Outreach at AARP, following three decades in journalism and public service. He has worked for The Miami Herald and at Knight Ridder Newspapers’ Washington Bureau. In 2001, he became deputy chief of staff and communications director for former Florida Democratic Senator Bob Graham. Following Graham’s retirement, Anderson became managing director of public affairs for the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Eric Lundberg
Eric Lundberg is grassroots director at WellPoint, where he created and oversees the advocacy program that integrates traditional organizing tools and the Internet with new tools available through social media. He also launched the Health Action Network during the health reform debate, pairing the Web page with Facebook. Lundberg has extensive experience with a range of stakeholder engagement efforts, including an outreach program for the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia following the 9/11 attacks.

Susan Neely
Susan Neely is president and CEO of the American Beverage Association, the leading policy and public education advocate for the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Neely was one of the architects of the Department of Homeland Security, for which she served in the White House and as assistant secretary for public affairs. She also has health care policy/advocacy experience through positions at the Health Insurance Association of America and Association of American Medical Colleges.

Moderator
Douglas Pinkham, APR
Douglas Pinkham, APR, is president of the Public Affairs Council. He has authored numerous articles for trade and professional magazines, and frequently speaks on public affairs issues, politics, communications and corporate management. He also writes the weekly blog, Public Affairs Perspective. He serves on the boards of the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, the European Centre for Public Affairs, the Institute for Public Relations and the Center for Ethics in Government.

General Session Tuesday, 9:45 a.m – 11:00 a.m
Charlene Li, author of “Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead", and co-author  of “Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies”

Charlene Li is an influential thought leader and analyst on emerging technologies, with an emphasis on social technologies, interactive media and marketing. Join us as she lays out a new approach today’s leaders must adopt to maintain a competitive advantage, and discusses how to leverage and measure the impact of social technologies use on your organization. Gain an understanding of the characteristics, skills and behaviors of today’s open and engaging leaders, as well as best practices for creating a coherent and effective social media strategy.

In her new book, “Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead,” Li addresses the challenges facing leaders of the modern organization as a result of the dramatic adoption and impact of social technologies on customer, partner and employee relationships. Readers learn how companies can not only manage, but also thrive in this new, open and transparent world.

She also is co-author of the business best-seller, “Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies,” which reveals how readers can use to their advantage the force created by customers who are connecting in the social media arena.

One of the most frequently quoted industry analysts, Li has appeared on “60 Minutes,” “The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer,” ABC News, CNN and CNBC. She also has been quoted in class="msoIns" The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Reuters and The Associated Press.

Founder of the Altimeter Group, Li was named “One of the Most Influential Women in Technology” by Fast Company, recognized by Ad Age as one of its “Top Women to Watch” in 2008 and acknowledged by NowPublic as one of the 50 most influential people in Silicon Valley. She is a much-sought-after public speaker who has presented frequently at top technology conferences, such as Web 2.0 Expo, for which she now serves on the advisory board; South by Southwest (SXSW); and adTech.