Professional Development Session: Crisis Planning and Communications

Join PRSA Richmond and Brian Ellis, executive vice president and crisis lead at Padilla, for the professional development session "Crisis Planning and Communications," Thursday, April 6 at Padilla. Coffee/bagels and networking begins at 7:30 a.m. and the workshop will be held 8 to 10 a.m.

Sit back, close your eyes and imagine yourself in the position of companies that have faced some of the most well-known crises in history. Picture the chaos and scrambling of the crisis “war room,” and think about how hard they worked to reduce the media scrutiny and calm stakeholders.

Some of these organizations were prepared and their images were hardly tarnished. Others failed to prepare and train, so when the going got tough, the tough got frantic, and the media made the rules. In our 24/7 media landscape, that happens all too often.

Brian Ellis, executive vice president and crisis lead at Padilla and his team are going to put you in the hot seat of a simulated drill to see if you can take the lessons learned and identify the key steps you would take to get ahead of the crisis.

About the Speaker

Brian has been on the front lines of crisis management for more than a quarter century, helping companies and organizations protect their reputations. Brian serves as the strategic leader of Padilla’s crisis management and executive training consultancy. As a former broadcast journalist, Brian offers a unique perspective on how the media operates in a crisis, and how to better control the media’s coverage of a breaking event. Brian has counseled clients all over the country including CarMax, Coppertone, Bridgestone, The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Girl Scouts of the USA, and Pfizer. Brian’s media training students are no strangers to national news outlets such as NBC’s “Nightly News,” Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, ABC’s “20/20,” CBS’s “The Early Show,” MSNBC and New York Times.

Brian has been invited to speak at numerous national conferences and universities on a variety of topics including crisis management in a digital world, dealing with the media in trying times, and protecting a brand in crisis through internal communication.

Registration

Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration costs are $25 for PRSA members and $35 for non-members. Prior registration online is required - on-site registration the morning of the event will not be available. No check payments will be accepted at the door for prior registrations - please pay via credit card when you register online. If you register, please plan to attend - refunds are not available.

Event Contact

Rosalie Morton, special events/workshops chair, at Rosalie.Morton@PadillaCo.com.