November 17, 2009 | 8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m. | NYC

8:30 - 8:45 a.m.

Breakfast and Opening Remarks

8:45 - 9:45 a.m.

How to Stand Out as an Account Leader
As budgets and staffs shrink, differentiating your account team's (and your own) talent is invaluable. This panel of experts will teach you what you need to bring to the table to wow clients, create compelling campaigns, divide and conquer challenging client demands and, in turn, enhance the value to your agency's--and your client's--brand, reputation and bottom line. From time-management techniques to the nuts and bolts of the pitch process and RFPs, this session will fill your toolbox with everything you need to succeed.

Specific takeaways to include:

• 10 unexpected ideas for adding value to your account team—and your client
• Tricks for finding out—and then telling—your client something they don't already know
• Reading between the lines to determine what your client wants but isn't articulating
• Strategies for prioritizing client needs based on their budget
• Best practices for meeting demanding timetables
• Tips for managing clients' social media expectations and identifying their universe of influencers
• Nuts & bolts of the pitch process, including what goes into finding, choosing and responding to RFPs
• How to determine where you fit in to the pitch process, and how you can maximize your contributions

Speaker:

9:45 a.m. - 10:45 p.m.

Ready, Train, Fire: Media Training Overview for the 24-Second News Cycle
The speed with which information travels in today's business environment requires every agency professional to know the basics of media training, in the context of both traditional and digital outlets. After all, you never know when your client—or you—will get an unexpected call from a blogger or journalist, and the time to respond will always be the same: Now or never.

This panel of experts will teach you:

• Dos and don'ts of media interviews
• Types of questions to expect and prepare for (softball v. hardball v. assumptive)
• Bridging techniques for navigating tough questions—the art of the sound bite
• Strategies for handling tough questions without saying "no comment"
• Quick tips for prepping your client for an unexpected interview
• Techniques for handling questions from bloggers online platforms versus those from traditional news outlets
• The best way to prepare for different types of media interviews, including television, radio and social media

Speakers:

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Sneak Attack: Handling Unexpected Client Crises
Not every agency bills itself as a crisis communications specialist, but no client is immune to unexpected hits to their brand and reputation. Given this reality, your team will be on speed dial with unexpected turbulence occurs. Learn what it takes to be the go-to resource when a crisis hits, and discover how to build a crisis response plan that can be put into place at a moment's notice--not only in your clients' organizations, but in your own agency as well.

Specific takeaways include:

• Basic building blocks of a crisis plan
• How to conduct a risk assessment for your organization or your client
• Basic strategies for handling media calls in the critical moments after a crisis hits
• Techniques for regaining stakeholders’ trust in the wake of a crisis
• Tips for differentiating between types of crises (sudden, smoldering, etc.)
• How to determine when a negative blog comment or news story requires a response, and when it’s better to say nothing
• How to assess negative conversations in social media, and how to choose the best approaches to responding (and the best channels in which to do so)

Speakers:

	Chris Tennyson Senior Vice President/Director North American Issues & Crisis Management, Fleishman
	Howard Opinsky EVP Weber Shandwick
	Chris Nelson Senior Vice President/Director, North American Issues & Crisis Management Network Ketchum

12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Luncheon and Keynote
Dr. Jerry V. Teplitz, Jerry Teplitz Enterprises, Inc.

"Increasing Your Client Leadership Power to New Levels of Excellence"

Have you ever had a negative day as a leader?  How did you feel at the end of it?  Tired, drained...  Now, have you ever had a positive day as a leader?  How did you feel at the end of it? Energized. What if you could create every day to be a great day for yourself? What would that do to your abilities and successes in working and relating with clients? In this highly interactive program,well‑known author and top‑rated speaker Dr. Jerry V. Teplitz will show you how to make every day that way through actual tools and techniques that will increase your energy levels resulting in more effective leadership and relationship capabilities.

1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

How to Sell Social Media to Clients
Social media is a must-have in any communications initiative, but many organizations are still hesitant to leverage its power to engage the masses. On the other hand, some clients are so enthusiastic about social media, they are inclined to throw everything but the proverbial kitchen sink into their communications efforts. This panel of experts will teach you techniques for advising their social media use wisely, and for incorporating digital strategies into specific initiatives to create fully integrated campaigns.

Specific takeaways include:

• Transitioning social media from an add-on offering to an integrated piece of all campaigns
• Tools for listening to online discussions, identifying influencers and monitoring conversations
• Tips for integrating social media components into traditional news releases to get more ink for your clients
• Strategies for using social media tools to enhance your own brand, and to market your agency
• Tips for choosing the BEST tool for campaigns
• Strategies for developing simple measurement solutions using social media platforms' built-in metrics and applciations

Speaker:

2:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Financial Disclosure Training
Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg FD) is perhaps the most important regulatory decision to ever have affected the PR industry, yet the majority of communications professionals wrongly believe that the responsibility for understanding Reg FD's ins and outs rests with the legal team. This session will give you the information you need to know to successfully navigate Reg FD and, in turn, to protect your/your client's organization from potential infractions.

Specifically, you will learn:

• What Reg FD is, and how it affects YOU and your work
• What types of messages and communications are covered by Reg FD, and which are immune
• How to tell if a statement made by a client (or a colleague) is in breach of Reg FD, and what to do if it is
• What a quiet period is, and what it means for communications campaigns
• How social media tools fit into disclosure requirements
• How to develop a social media policy for yourself/your client that is in line with regulations, and that protects against potential breaches

Speakers:

3:45 - 4:45 p.m.

What Clients Really Want

This no-holds-barred discussion puts client representatives in the spotlight, giving you the opportunity to find out what keeps them up at night, and what you can do to help. The moderator will introduce the panelists and throw out the opening questions, and then turn the conversation over to you. Ask them for their biggest agency pet peeves, their biggest challenges, their toughests lessons learned--no topic is off limits.

Speakers:

4:45 - 5:15 p.m.

Reception