It’s that time of year again: The time of year where all our favorite PR and communications organizations and event planners are frantically preparing for this year’s conference season.
(Or in the case of a few events that have already taken place in 2024, they’re perhaps taking a well-deserved break and evaluating their success).
Either way, summarizing some of this year’s most influential and worthwhile PR and communications conferences and events has become something of a tradition here at Fullintel – so we’re doing it again this year!
BTW: One of the best ways to engage with Fullintel is to meet with us in person. If you’re planning on hitting some events and would like to meet up, just let us know.
With that in mind, here are some conferences we’ve already attended or will attend later in 2024. We hope to see you at one or more of these fine events.
1. The Conference Board: Corporate Communications, Getting the Job Done
2024 Location: New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City
2024 Date: March 6-7
Website: https://www.conference-board.org/events/corpcomms
Fullintel CEO Andrew Koeck attended The Conference Board’s Corporate Communications event in New York City, which focused on how corporate communicators can best leverage strategy, technology, data, and story to be more effective in a climate of near-constant crisis.
The event featured a lineup of high-octane corporate speakers such as:
- Sally Susman (EVP and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Pfizer)
- Catherine Frymark (EVP Corporate Comms, Mattel)
- Cristal Downing (EVP and Chief Comms & Public Affairs Officer, Merck)
- Jano Cabrera (Chief Comms Officer, General Mills)
- Jennifer Skyler (Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, American Express)
- Torod Neptune (SVP and Chief Comms Officer, Medtronic)
2. International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC)
2024 Location: Doubletree by Hilton, Orlando, FL
2024 Date: March 7-9
Website: https://www.iprrc.org/
Another event that recently took place, IPRRC connects PR and communications research with real-world practice.
This year’s event featured presenters such as University of South Florida PR Professor Kelli Burns, the University of Jyväskylä’s (Finland) Jesse Tuominen, and the University of Colorado Boulder’s Emily Kinsey.
This year’s version of IPRRC also featured Fullintel’s own Head of Insights Angela Dwyer, who along with co-researchers Tyler Page (UConn) and Wenqi Wu won the 2024 Arthur W. Page Center Benchmarking Award for their research study on building brand trust in the pharmaceutical industry.
Dwyer and Page also won the same award last year for their paper on brand trust for consumer businesses.
3. Institute for Public Relations (IPR) Bridge
2024 Location: Georgetown University, Washington, DC
2024 Date: April 10-11
Website: https://instituteforpr.org/event/2023-bridge-conference/
While IPRRC is almost all about research, IPR Bridge is a chance for researchers in the PR and communications space to talk shop with day-to-day practitioners. As its name implies, IPR Bridge is designed to bridge the gap between PR and corporate communications practitioners and academics.
“The IPR Bridge Conference connects academics and practitioners to discuss and share research that matters most to our industry and society as a whole,” explains IPR President and CEO Tina McCorkindale. “We bring together the brightest minds to discuss research-based insights that are most critical to our industry. This year’s conference is focused on topics such as generative AI, disinformation in the election cycle, diversity, and employee engagement, among others.”
Planned presentations at this year’s IPR Bridge include:
- Whitney Eichinger (SVP and Chief Comms Officer, Southwest Airlines) – Elevating the employee experience
- Steve Ryan (Assistant Professor of Instruction, Temple University) and Gregg Feistman (Assistant Chair for Public Relations, Temple University) – Navigate the generative AI revolution in public relations
- Luke Capizzo (Assistant Professor, University of Missouri) and Tyler Page (Assistant Professor, University of Connecticut) – Rethinking stakeholder engagement and segmentation in PR
The event will also feature several presenters from the U.S. military. It’s coming up in just a couple of weeks, so register today so you don’t miss out.
4. Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Tri-State District
2024 Location: New York City
2024 Date: May 2
Website: https://prsatristate.org/category/conference/
Fullintel Head of Insights Angela Dwyer will moderate a panel on how to build and maintain consumer trust through PR and communications at this year’s PRSA Tri-State District conference, but the event’s full list of speakers is not yet available.
Last year’s event featured a fireside chat keynote with Sally Susman, EVP and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer. The 2023 conference centered around redefining and refreshing PR practices, including the importance of building stronger relationships with media/influencers, audiences, employees, and even ourselves.
5. IABC World Conference
2024 Location: Hyatt Regency, Chicago
2024 Date: June 23-26
Website: https://wc.iabc.com/
Fullintel will attend this year’s IABC World Conference in Chicago – one of the world’s greatest conference cities if you ask me – whose tagline this year is “Communication Creates”.
“World Conference is your opportunity to connect with communication professionals from around the globe, hear from industry experts and gain knowledge that helps you to adapt to the modern workplace,” explains IABC. “With in-depth master classes, keynote addresses and collaborative breakout sessions covering topics like generative AI, communication strategy, strategic implementation of DEIB practices and more, these four days in Chicago are ones you don’t want to miss.”
The event will include speakers, spotlight sessions, master classes, breakout sessions, and other engaging sessions. Speakers at the 2024 event are set to include:
- Oscar Munoz (former CEO and Chair of United Airlines) – Leadership is an act of extended storytelling
- Kim Clark (Founder, Kim Clark Communications) – Pain pushes into vision pulls: The communicator’s callings
- Paul Ichilcik (Expert in strategic and change communications, McKinsey & Co.) – Executive storytelling that leads to action: A best practice approach
IABC World will also feature regional receptions and its can’t-miss Dine Around event, where attendees visit several local restaurants.
6. Fierce Pharma PR & Communications Summit East
2024 Location: The Westin, Jersey City, NJ
2024 Date: July 8-9
Website: https://www.pharmaprsummit.com/
Fullintel Head of Insights Angela Dwyer will moderate a panel on trust in the pharmaceutical industry during the 20th annual PR & Communications Summit East, a senior decision-maker and VP-heavy event set for early July.
While the full speaker lineup isn’t finalized just yet, event organizer Michelle Benz says this year’s PR & Communications Summit East will have even more options for learning than previous iterations of the event. This year’s conference will feature multiple learning tracks, with more tailored content around:
- This year’s election cycle in the U.S. and how communicators can prepare
- Internal communications
- Executive communications
- Patient Advocacy
- Mastering the media mix: Earned vs. paid vs. organic media strategies
Tracked content will be presented alongside main stage sessions – which will touch on topics such as AI in communications, drug pricing, crisis communications, and change management – along with roundtable discussions and areas for collaboration and ideation among attendees.
“One thing we heard from our participants last year is that everything was great, but they wanted more options. They wanted more topics,” explains Benz. “We know we can’t take them out of the office for an additional third day, so we decided to add tracks to offer more tailored content. So attendees can choose either track and switch between them throughout the event.”
The event will also feature a headshot lounge, where attendees can network while getting a new headshot taken, along with a professional note taker. Its sister event, the Pharma PR & Communications Summit West, takes place May 14-15 in Newport Beach, Calif.
7. PRSA Icon
2024 Location: Anaheim Marriott, Anaheim, Calif.
2024 Date: Oct. 15-17
Website: https://www.prsa.org/conferences-and-awards/icon-2024
One of the most anticipated and largest events on the PR and communications conference calendar, PRSA Icon’s 2024 edition features the award-winning host of “Good Morning America” Saturday and Sunday, Gio Benitez. The conference will be co-located alongside the Health Academic Section Conference.
PRSA Icon typically features around 100 speakers and 1,500 attendees and offers a strong mix of networking, professional development, and vendor access via the event’s exhibit hall.
Although this year’s speaker roster is not yet finalized, last year’s event featured keynote speakers Michele Norris (Washington Post opinion columnist) and David Epstein (New York Times bestselling author and science writer).
8. Global Summit Canada 9 (P World)
2024 Location: Toronto, Ontario
2024 Date: November 28-29
Website: https://www.thepworld.com/event/global-pr-summit-canada-9
While the speaker lineup of Global Summit Canada 9 by P World later this year hasn’t been finalized, it promises a thought-provoking journey through several of the hottest PR and communications trends and strategies. Its agenda includes deep dives into:
- How AI is changing the PR world
- Reputation management in an era of perma-crisis
- What’s next in social media and PR
- ESG and purpose PR
- DEI in PR
- Internal communications
- PR measurement
The event also offers a 15 percent discount on registration fees if you sign up today. So what are you waiting for?
