The Virtual Public Relations Summit 2020

The Virtual Public Relations Summit

On-Demand & Online Conference
 32 Communication Thought Leaders

The Virtual Public Relations Summit Landing Page Image

With the kind support of:

Join the Virtual Public Relations Summit and discover the latest Global Trends in Internal, External, Digital and Crisis Communications 

Crisis Communication

You will learn how to run Crisis Simulations, ensure transparent communication under stress and prepare for a Reputation Crisis. Know how to use Risk Communication principles and Scientific Insights.

Internal Communication

Discover a strategic approach to Internal Communications and Employee Engagement. See how companies with a real and proven "purpose" make the difference and how others fake it.

External Communication

Learn how to identify and react to Fake News. Plan and execute Stakeholder Management and measure the impact of communications on Corporate Reputation

Digital Communication

From Influencer Relations to using AI in day to day PR operations. Learn the latest about online engagement, Agile PR and Cyber Threats.

Science & PR

Science based public relations. Discover the latest scientific discoveries about communications from the best researchers in the field.

"Glocal" Communication

All communication is local but at the same time we run international campaigns. Learn from colleagues around the globe.

Our Keynote Speakers

Nicolas Georges Trad speaker at the Virtual Public Relations Summit

Nicolas Georges Trad
President of Global Growth and C-Founder of The RepTrak Company

Communicating in the Time of Coronavirus

Sarah Waddington speaker at the Virtual Public Relations Summit

Sarah Waddington
PR and Management Consultant at Astute


PR and Organisational Purpose.
The Role of PR in COVID-19 Recovery

Shel Holtz speaker at the Virtual Public Relations Summit

Shel Holtz
Director of Internal Communications at WEBCOR Builders - Host of the FIR Podcast

A new Model for Employee Communication

Kara Alaimo speaker at the Virtual Public Relations Summit

Kara Alaimo
Associate Professor of Public Relations at Hofstra University

Author of "Pitch, Tweet, or Engage on the Street: How to Practice Global Public Relations and Strategic Communication"

Katie King
Author, Speaker and CEO

How PR professionals & marketers can harness Artificial Intelligence for competitive advantage.

Nkiru Olumide-Ojo
Regional Executive Head, Marketing & Corporate Communication
Standard Bank Group

Reputation Management in the African Banking Sector

Franco Giacomozzi
National Board Delegate at Italy4Blockchain


The impact of Blockchain on Communications & Public Relations

Inge Wallage
Managing Director of the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD)

Role & Responsibility of Communicators in the context of Sustainability & the Climate Crisis

Jo Detavernier
Principal, Detavernier Strategic Communication 

Corporate Activism: are you asking the right questions first?

Amanda Coleman
Crisis Communication Consultant
(Chart.PR) FCIPR, FPRCA

Effective management of a modern day crisis & emergency. Terrorism Case Study

Louis de Schorlemer
Managing Partner, Corporate Diplomat M&A Communications


Stirred, not shaken: about the true Impact on People of Merger and Acquisitions

Ana Adi
Professor of Public Relations, Quadriga University of Applied Sciences

PR2025 - Staying relevant in the Public Relations profession: which business and technical skills should you focus on?

Loth Makuza
President, Public Relations Society of Tanzania (PRST)

Case Study: Vodacom's Tanzania Plc Data Breach Crisis

Adriana Vieira
CEO, InterMídia Comunicação Integrada

PR Best Practices from Brazil - Social Activism, Crisis Management & Reputation Management

Andrew Bruce Smith
Director at Escherman

PR and SEO: how to practically integrate SEO into a mainstream public relations programme

Svetlana Stavreva-Petrushkova
President, International Public Relations Association

The changing face of Public Relations - what will the future bring?

Laura Bielske
Head of Communication Department at EUROVAISTINĖ

Our private social media profiles; a company PR asset or not?

Bill Mew
Digital Ethics Specialist & CEO of The Crisis Team

Why traditional Crisis Management Techniques don't work with Cyber Incidents

Nurul Ashiqin Shamsuri
Founder of Clue to the Zoo
& Project Fearless

Trust the Process: Reforming Society through Communication, Empowerment and Education

Dimitri Schildmeijer
Partner and Senior Trainer, WPNT Communications

Public acceptance and communications: your hardware has to come with soft skills

Mike Klein
Principal at Changing The Terms - Senior Advisor, Smarp Strategic Services

The Changing Game of Internal Communication - and how it changes the PR playing field

Rana Nejem
Founding Director YARNU
The Art of Social Intelligence

The Culturally Intelligent Communicator

Stephen Waddington
Managing Director, Metia Group

6 Critical Areas for your Future Public Relations Career

Patricia Obozuwa
Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer, GE Africa

How are we Communicating about Africa?

Jesse Wynants
CEO and Founder at Prezly

Things I Learned About the PR Industry: A Geek's Point of View
State of the Art Press Rooms

Karen Khaw
Co-Founder of APACD Sustainable Communication programme &
Founder of V-engage

Next in Communications: Sustainable leadership & building a ‘lasting impact’ communication team

Rod Cartwright
Founder of Rod Cartwright Consulting

Plus ça change... 7 Communication Lessons from Before Covid-19 to Inform the New Normal

Robert Pratten
CEO & Founder, Conducttr

Story Wars - The Battle for Minds; train for story supremacy

Richard Bagnall
CEO Europe and USA of CARMA International and Chairman of AMEC

Building a future-fit, award-winning communication evaluation programme for any organisation of any size.

Gaya Gamhewage
Head, Learning and Capacity Development at World Health Organization (WHO)

Preparedness, Learning & Emergency Risk Communication. - how to develop the capacity to face COVID19. 

Richard Benson
Co-founder of Releasd.com

How to help senior executives better understand the power of PR

Russel Goldsmith
Founder, Audere Communications

Power of the Spoken Word - Podcasting for PR & Communications

Top Reasons To Attend
The Virtual Public Relations Summit

FLEXIBLE:
Your Time, Your Agenda
A virtual summit allows you to follow the keynote presentations whenever you choose
within the 48 hours. Have a busy day?
No problem, watch later in the evening, the next day or when you're on the go.
FREE & PREMIUM:
Your Choice, Your Budget
Going to seminars and conferences to learn from all of these top Public Relations professionals would collectively cost thousands of dollars/euros.. not to mention travel & hotel costs. This Thought Leader Summit is completely free or you can upgrade and get unlimited access to all keynotes and exclusive bonus material.
FOCUSED:
Valuable Presentations & Interviews
Every keynote speaker at the Summit is giving her/his best! No boring powerpoint slides. I will interview each speaker personally and ask the right questions so you get the cold hard facts and real, effective best practices!
DIVERSE:
A true representation of the global PR community
I want this virtual summit to be a real representation of our global profession. Gender agnostic, diverse and truly global. 

Two Options to Follow the Virtual Public Relations Summit

FREE - 48h Access Pass

0€

Free Access Pass

  • 30 Keynote Speakers & Presentations
  • 48 hour online access/conference day

VIP - ALL ACCESS PASS

499€*

*Excluding VAT - Discounts for members of several participating PR Associations



  • 30 Keynote Speakers & Presentations
  • Unlimited & On Demand Access (full year)
  • Exclusive bonus material (worksheets, e-books, templates)
  • Access to exclusive discounts on PR services & products (+2000€ value)
  •    - A free 1 hour consultation with an expert from the Reputation Institute
  •    - A free 1 hour consultation with an expert on Corporate Activism
  •    - A free 1 hour consultation with an expert on Monitoring and Evaluation
  •    - A worksheet on modernising and building a PR automation tool stack.
  •    - 3-months free access to the WPNT Communications Resources Centre
  •    - A free 1 hour coaching session with an expert on Public Engagement
  •    - A free 1 hour consultation with an expert on Cyber Crisis PR
  •    - A free digital goodie bag of PR SEO related resources
  •    - A 10% discount on normal half day & full day training rates on PR SEO
  •    - A free half-hour consultation + guide on Employee and Corporate Activism
  •    - A 20% discount on your first year off any Prezly subscription
  •    - A 20% discount on the first 6 months of your Releasd subscription
  •    - A "story wars" workbook to plan your own Crisis Simulation Exercises.
  • Access to the "VIP Only" online community of summit attendees
  • Podcast (audio only) version available to listen on the go
  • Do good! Support the Mobileschool.org non profit
  • Possibility to pay with 4 instalments

"I feel like I am getting 32 well produced, well edited shows... It's like a mini PR Netflix"

Steve O'Keefe
Author, Entrepreneur, Educator

"Loved having access to such great speakers and the opportunity to learn in the virtual world. Thank you!"

Charlotte Diamond
Director of storytelling at Sidekick PR

"The summit was very insightful. The speakers are truly thought leaders. Thank you for hosting the summit!"

Wanjiru Kangara
Head, Communication & Marketing

Our Sponsors & Partners

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Virtual Summit?


Virtual summits are video interviews of experts on a given topic (in this case Public Relations), which viewers opt-in to watch. These are free for 48 hours.

Subscribers can choose to purchase an "All Access Pass" for unlimited viewing later + extra bonus material such as worksheets, templates, discounts on PR services and products and much more.

What kind of technical set up do I need to follow the summit?

The tools you already use; an internet connection, a desktop or mobile device (smartphone or tablet) and - if you wish, your headphones.

We recommend the Chrome browser to access the content. You can download it for free.

What is included in the
All Access Pass option?

With the "All Access Pass" you will receive unlimited access to all the content of the virtual summit. This will allow you to review all presentations whenever and wherever you want for as long as you want.

You will also have access to exclusive bonus material like templates, worksheets and discounts on PR services and tools representing a value of more than 2000€...

Do you have discount codes for the All Access Pass?

Yes we have! If you are a current active member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD), European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA), the African Public Relations Association (AFPRA), the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) you can request a secret discount code of -20% from your association and add it at check out.

What is included in the free option?

The Summit is free by default.

However, you'll have a limited time to view the online keynotes. As from the published date and time of a given keynote you will have 48 hours to watch the content.

After this time the presentation(s) will not be accessible anymore. You will not have access to exclusive bonus material like templates, worksheets and discounts on PR services and tools.

What happens when I register with the FREE option?

As soon as you claim your free ticket, you will receive your access information to the summit platform and will receive the links to all keynotes of that day over a period of 5 days as from the launch of the summit.

You can watch the panels and interviews from any computer or mobile device for 48 hours.


What happens when I register for the All Access Pass option?


As soon as you purchase your All Access Pass, you will receive access information to the summit platform and will receive links to all broadcasts and interviews of that day.

You can watch the panels and interviews from any computer or mobile device for an unlimited time, at your own pace. You will have direct access to all bonus material and exclusive discounts to PR services and tools.

What if I can't attend/view all the presentations?


Each presentation will be available for 48 hours after it goes live during the Summit. Watch them at your convenience during that time frame for free, or you can purchase the All Access Pass to get ALL the interviews and bonus materials forever.

You will have the opportunity to switch to an All Access Pass before & during the summit.

Language - Timezones - Payments


All keynote presentations, communications and additional bonus content (for All Access Pass members) of the Virtual Public Relations Summit 2020 will be available in English. Dates and times indicated are Lisbon Time Zone (GMT+1).

Payment happens through our secured platform based on Stripe and we accept all major credit cards. If you add your company details on check out you will receive a dully formatted invoice.

Claim your Virtual Public Relations Summit Ticket

"Philippe is usually way ahead of his time in his business. He talked about online PR and transparency when those were still scary concepts for most of his peers. He introduced online monitoring long before it became an industry and started using the social web to complement press releases when everyone else was still in paper mode."

Sam Versluys — Digital Manager at Ingenico ePayments

About your Host & Conference Moderator

Philippe Borremans is an independent public relations consultant & certified trainer specialising in crisis & risk communications. He helps private & public organisations with communication activities across the world. 

Before moving from his native Belgium to Morocco and later to Portugal, he was Chief Social Media Officer and CSR coordinator at Van Marcke Trading Group. 

Between 1999 and 2009 he held several communications positions at IBM, including corporate and online communications on a national and EMEA level. He started his public relations career at Porter Novelli International in Brussels in 1994. 

Philippe is a regular guest lecturer at the International University of Casablanca, the ISCAE & emlyon Business Schools and several universities across Europe. He is volunteering for the second year as Member of the Board of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA).