Cultural PR Conference 2013

Thursday 14 February 2013 9:15am to 6pm Meet the journalists at the Tower of London 09.15 09.40 Tour of the Tower of London HRP have kindly offered a private morning tour of the Tower of London before the conference by the Chief Yeoman Warder (aka the head Beefeater). Hear tales of traitors, beheadings and lost princes, as well as meet some of the Towers famous raven residents. The tour will start at 9.15am at the Middle Drawbridge and will last for approximately 25 minutes. It will end outside the conference facilities, giving enough time to sign in and grab a coffee before we start. Most of the Tower complex is outdoors and cobbled, therefore a warm coat and comfortable footwear are essential! 9:30-10:00 Arrival and registration Refreshments 10:00-10:15 Welcome 10:15 11:30 Journalists Panel: Meet the NEWS journalists Top news journalists covering cultural stories share their views, experiences and give you the inside scoop on what they look for and how best to pitch to them. You will also have a chance to ask the questions that will help you develop strategies to increase coverage of your organisation in the news media. Chair: Tracy Jones / National Gallery Will Gompertz / BBC Arts Editor Lucy Cotter / Sky News Arts & Entertainment Correspondent Jonathan Derbyshire / New Statesman Culture Editor Nick Clark / The Independent Arts Correspondent Jack Malvern / The Times Arts Correspondent 11:30 11:50 Tea & coffee break 11:50 12:50 Breakout Session 1: A choice of: International media engagement Do you have international stakeholders? Could your project or venue benefit from reaching out to audiences oversees? Ever wondered how? At a time when the government is looking to turbo boost tourism to the UK with the countrys cultural offer at the centre of their policy this might be a prime moment for arts PRs to re-focus on international media. Whether it is a channel with a global reach or an outlet with a targeted focus in one region, building in an international element to campaigns doesnt need to be ambitious or complicated. This session will introduce delegates to UK based speakers representing a range of outlets who report on arts stories for an international audience. This is your opportunity to learn about the international media landscape and how it is changing with increasing focus on digital content, how to pitch, what they are looking for and why you should consider engaging with International media in the first place. Chair: Margot Senior / Freelance PR Richard Holledge / Freelance writer Paul Levy / Wall Street Journal Art Critic Paul Rasmussen / BBC Corporate Communications Manager for Global News Alexander Menden / Sddeutsche Zeitung Arts Correspondent

What I'd tell my younger PR self... Take the fast track with this insiders guide to press relations. Join a knowledgeable panel as they offer examples of ways of working that are not always included in the effective communications text books. The speakers are all at different points in their career but have a multitude of examples, tried and tested by their own experience that will help you unpick what can be an initially bewildering role. This session is aimed at the communications practitioner who is new to the position or for the employee who doesnt just focus on PR in their day to day job. Chair: Catharine Braithwaite / Freelance PR Roberta Doyle / National Theatre of Scotland Andrew Marcus / Museum of London Amy Riley / Arts Council 12:50 2:00 Lunch 2:00 3:00 Breakout Session 2: A choice of: Keeping up with social media Practical tips, inspiring insights and useful case studies of successful social media use by cultural organisations. Historic Royal Palaces' Tim Powell @TCP1980 (chairing) on how to make social media tell your organisation's stories; the National Theatre's Lena Zimmer @Lena214 on how integrating social media can really reach new audiences; digital social activist Mar Dixon @MarDixon on how to stop making excuses and start making an impact on social media (regardless of resources); and Headstream's Tom Chapman @TomChapman on the lessons to learn from the two cultural brands to feature in their Social Brands 100 Report. Chair: Tim Powell / Historic Royal Palaces Lena Zimmer / The National Theatre Tom Chapman / Headstream Mar Dixon / Digital Social Activist/Trouble Maker

How to make a media partnership work for you A media partnership can be a great way to guarantee some profile for your event or venue while building a solid relationship with a key media outlet. But how do you go about setting one up and what are the dos and donts? This informative session looks at partnerships from both sides of the equation with honest, straightforward advice and illuminating case studies from those in the know. Chair: Tracy Jones / National Gallery Jane Ellison / BBC Richard J. Thompson / Guardian Jamie Crawford / Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) Sarah Watson / Glasgow International Comedy Festival Kate Rosser Frost / British Academy 3:00 3:30 Tea & coffee break 3:30 4:45 Journalists Panel: Meet the COMMISSIONING EDITORS An in-depth, well placed feature can do wonders for your profile and visitors, but where to start and how to make it happen? A selection of commissioning editors talk about lead times, content and exclusivity and answer your questions about how to secure that double page spread. Chair: Tracy Jones / National Gallery Ria Higgins / Sunday Times Magazine Ossian Ward / Time Out Matthew Dodd / BBC Radio 3 Nancy Groves / Guardian Culture Professionals Network 4:45 5:00 Wrap up by Tracy Jones 5:00 6:00 Drinks and bonding for those with stamina/short commutes!