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The pandemic is unlike any other crisis—never more evident than for those responsible for public relations and marketing in health care. While highly versed in crisis communications, this time it’s different. Rather than dealing with a singular issue, the pandemic is pervasive to people across the globe: 24/7 twists and turns make it intense and excruciating with never-ending demands, ethical dilemmas, constantly changing content and unending expectations requiring undivided attention to reach e

In this PRSA Entertainment and Sports Section and PRSSA sponsored session, leaders from entertainment and sports organizations, and the media who cover this industry, will speak to how they have remained relevant.

The conversation will center around how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted both the type of content public relations educators are teaching their students and how they are helping their students navigate these uncertain times. The panelists will also discuss how COVID-19 has changed the type of information colleges are communicating to both current and prospective students.

World-famous spirit maker Brown-Forman, parent company of Jack Daniel’s, took swift action in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Learn from Jack Daniel’s Public Relations Director Svend Jansen on what led to the decision to use one of their distilleries to make hand sanitizer for their community and to partner with others to distribute to a wider community.

As if we weren’t already thinking about and navigating more potential ethical issues these days than ever, along comes the new world order of COVID-19. And while being the ethical cornerstone of a company or organization is not any one person’s job, the very nature of our profession and Code of Ethics does challenge PR pros to fill a special role. We’ll talk about some of the most pressing challenges today and why it’s our job (and opportunity) to step up.

Join BJ Whitman and Tim O’Brien of PRSA’s Board of Ethics and Professional Standards (BEPS) as they dig into details of a new program BEPS launched in 2020 to help make PRSA’s Code of Ethics more accessible.

Hear from public relations agency leaders as they discuss how agencies are supporting their clients during COVID-19 and how they are approaching their messaging and pitching, with sensitivity and situational awareness.

Corporate Reputation Management (RM) is a concept at the core of the Communication’s profession — one that has matured into a management discipline over the past 20 years that extends beyond traditional domain of the function. As it has matured and expanded into the realm of business strategy and corporate governance, Communicators are seen as the go-to experts inside their organizations.

Aside from Communications, only the CEO role is structured to care more about Corporate Reputation. Participants will gain perspectives about the increasing pressures facing today’s businesses and its leadership. This module will provide practical tips for framing issues about the company, winning CEO support and partnering with senior leadership to strengthen your organization’s Reputation.

Fitting Reputation into an org. structure can be difficult. In this module, participants will hear from an executive who has managed the evolution while also tying together the concepts of Corporate Reputation, Corporate Brand and Corporate Responsibility.

Google “Reputation Management” and you’ll quickly learn that SEO companies have hijacked the term for “ORM”, rather than the strategic management discipline. At the same time, new digital and social tools present the greatest threat (and opportunity) for your organization’s Reputation. In this module, participants will explore how to connect the dots from an exec who has led the way.

One of the best ways to help your organization understand Reputation is through quantification. This module will explore how to be pragmatic, targeted and actionable when you bring measurement to your organization.

Too often, Corporate Reputation and Corporate Responsibility are disconnected. In this module, participants will hear from an executive who has seen the evolution and can demonstrate the links among Corporate Reputation, Corporate Social Responsibility and Stakeholder engagement. Additionally, this module will further explain to participants a path forward of how to set the vision for their organization.

Since 1989, the leadership team at Heyman Associates has built a reputation as trusted advisors to CEOs by focusing on one thing and doing it well. From the start, they have immersed themselves in one profession: communications and public affairs. This module will discuss the importance of focusing on building an evolved skill set as you plan the next steps of your career as a Reputation Champion.

Managing across divisions and geographies can be challenging. This module offers tips and techniques for winning support of your programs across all management levels. Participants will learn how to align business objectives, build stakeholder relationships, address operational issues and enhance their organizations’ reputation.

In the wake of unprecedented, high-profile and devastating corporate crises, Reputation Risk has emerged as the No.1 most important strategic risk for every organization. CEOs and Boards need someone to tackle these risks for them — with more than just a crisis management plan. Communicators have an opportunity to meet this need for leadership by implementing a low-tech, high-touch, cross-functional process that gives senior management confidence that Reputation Risk is well-managed.

CEOs and boards cite Reputation Risk as their highest priority; and they don’t feel their organization is prepared to handle it. More importantly, headlines have taught them that they need more than just a crisis plan. In fact, they may be realizing that proactive Reputation Management is needed. What can a communicator do specifically to address this gap and find new ways to mitigate Reputation Risk?

Stakeholders expect companies to do more than obey the rules — they want your organization to be a force for positive change. Learn about who’s doing it well, with a focus on companies who have put real dollars into positive, aggressive Reputation Management recently. How can you convince leadership to stay proactive in a world where sticking your neck out is scarier than ever?

When everyday business decisions seem to generate more reputation risk scenarios, where can leaders turn for positive stories? Learn how leading organizations are turning CSR and Sustainability into pillars of Reputation Risk Mitigation. CSR and Sustainability are moving from the sidelines into core business strategy — what does this mean for Communications strategy? How do you go from Sustainability reporting to a more integrated approach to telling your organization’s story?

Some argue that Reputation Risk Management and Crisis Management are the same thing. They are not, and the differences are important. Learn how Crisis Management must be a critical component of Reputation Risk Management and how integrated planning can enable organizations to shift from a purely reactive to a fully proactive stance. Find out how to use your Crisis Plan to create the business case for actions that directly impact Reputation Risk.