Public Affairs Leadership Summit

Tuesday, September 29

10:45 a.m.              Welcome

Introductions and learning objectives:

• What brought you to this week’s summit?
• What do you hope to learn?
• What do you hope to get out of your networking experience?

11:00 a.m.         The Government Relations Toolkit for 2020-21 

How should you approach lobbying in the current political environment? What are the keys to engaging with stakeholders in an election year and preparing for a potential new administration in 2021? In this session you will learn how to: 

• Align your state, federal and global policy teams 
• Translate best practices into an effective and holistic public affairs strategy   
• Manage the expectations of your C-Suite and other internal stakeholders 

11:45 a.m.        Diversity and Inclusion in Public Affairs

The public affairs profession can do more to address issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion and create a workforce that better reflects the community it serves. Join us for a conversation on how practitioners can tackle these issues while building more effective teams. 

12:30 p.m.        Adjourn

Wednesday, September 30

11:00 a.m.      Building and Managing an Integrated Public Affairs Function During Times of Uncertainty

How are executives adapting their public affairs strategies in times of uncertainty? In this session, two senior leaders will guide participants through two ways of assessing their public affairs in times of uncertainty, including:

• Taking a strategic/process view of public affairs to ensure your organization’s public affairs function is operating effectively
• Using a methodological view of public affairs to evaluate whether you are building for the future in all aspects of public affairs work
• Discussing what current uncertainties mean against these two views – and making suggestions and recommendations

11:45 a.m.       Leadership in the Age of COVID-19

With digital at the forefront, leaders must adapt their management styles to keep their teams on track and thriving. During this important conversation, we will cover: 

• How to manage teams and motivate employees virtually 
• Tactics to improve work from home and reduce “Zoom” fatigue 
• How to be a strong mentor and develop younger public affairs professionals 
• Best practices for virtually managing projects and assessing your own leadership style  

12:30 p.m.       Adjourn

Thursday, October 1

11:00 a.m.        Measuring the Impact of Public Affairs

Demonstrating the power of your public affairs work is more important than ever. It is crucial to use the right metrics to evaluate your government relations and community engagement efforts. This session will cover the tools and best practices for showing your value to senior management, including: 

• The most widely used measurement tactics by corporations and associations 
• How to tailor metrics to your organization’s needs and culture 
• Advice for defining your value proposition 
• Case studies of measurement and benchmarking 
• How to set objectives during uncertain times  

 11:45 a.m.        Interactive Problem-Solving Session

Put your new knowledge to use. Participants will be given real-life public affairs scenarios and will work in small groups to complete an interactive problem-solving exercise. Click here to access the exercise. Groups will address: 

• Adapting public affairs and management strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic  
• Protecting public affairs budgets to maintain an effective department 

• Launching a new political or communications program to address racism and inequality 

12:30 p.m.        Adjourn