Friday, November 4, 2011

8:00 - 8:45

Registration (Front lobby)

Breakfast (Quarterdeck)

8:45 - 9:00

Opening Remarks (Quarterdeck)

9:00 - 10:30
(Quarterdeck)

Session 1 - Open Data
The BC government and the city of Vancouver have gone public in a big way, posting data in useable formats for reporters and researchers to play with. But what happens with the information once it’s out there? What kinds of information do people want, and what do they do with it? Are organizations liable for how the information might be used? Are there any privacy issues? What do PR practitioners need to know about the risks and opportunities of posting open data? And where is this trend going? We check in with Herb Lainchbury, a leader in open data research and Sean Holman, an investigative journalist.

10:30 - 11:00
(Quarterdeck)

Break

11:00 - 12:30
(Quarterdeck)

Session 2 - Marketing Compassion

Social media has changed the PR game for non-profits, especially those who work with the homeless and people in need. They used to have problems gaining the attention of traditional media and that made it hard to find an audience for their message. But times have changed. We'll hear from Maggie Kerr-Southin, APR, with the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness, Alan Rycroft from Victoria's Cool Aid Society and Cst. Mike Russell from VicPD who will talk about how they're bringing PR best practices to a whole new level.

12:30 - 1:30
(Quarterdeck)

Talk Amongst Yourselves - Buffet Networking Lunch

1:30 -3:00 (Quarterdeck)

Session 3 - Career Talk

Kellie Garrett and Patsy Worrall have a lot in common. They are veteran communicators with diverse experience, high profile projects and a very personal commitment to their work. Join them in a frank discussion about professionalism, priorities and personal bests in their careers.

3:00 - 3:15
(Quarterdeck)

Break

3:15 - 4:30 (Quarterdeck)

Keynote - Cyrus Mavalwala, Advantis Communications

Cyrus Mavalwala, ABC is an accredited and award-winning PR practitioner, speaker and trainer who has been helping organizations achieve their business objectives for 18 years. In 2002, Cyrus founded Advantis Communications Inc., a Toronto-based public relations and marketing agency that delivers measureable value by integrating traditional, digital and social communications for companies across Canada and the U.S. In 2009, Cyrus co-founded Act Like An Agency with his Australian counterpart. The program trains corporate communicators on how to become trusted advisers within their organization by developing key consulting skills and transforming their role from tactician to communications strategist.

4:30 - 6:30

(Castle)