CommsCon conference schedule revealed
The draft programme for next 
month’s PR and communications conference CommsCom has today been published.
The Sydney event – organised by Mumbrella’s parent company Focal Attractions – takes place on March 14.
The deadline for a discounted early bird booking expires tomorrow.
As Mumbrella has previously reported, key sessions include a debate run by The Communications Council’s new body The PR Council on the future of public relations. The session will feature Communications Council CEO Margaret Zabel, Edelman Australia CEO Michelle Hutton, One Green Bean executive creative director Kat Thomas and Claire Salvetti, MD of PR agency Mango.
Call me a cynic, but with at least 4 speakers in the line up who are board members of the newly formed “Comms Council” this talkfest smells like a self serving branding exercise. The PR arm of Comms Council was founded last year by a dozen or consumer PR agencies who apparently felt the PRIA “ wasn’t stepping up to the mark” (what ever that means). So the new group was formed, and good luck to them. Not being a member of PRIA I have no opinion either way.
But I know of at least 5 “PR conferences” that are held each year in Sydney, and most of them are crap, featuring the usual roll call of spruikers on social, crisis management etc. This one doesn’t sound much different I’m afraid. At least it will be a nice marketing exercise for the Comms Council Board members who will present.
@PR Pro
Sorry you feel that way. I’d suggest that with over 30 speakers, having 4 from the PRC is too small a percentage to be anything approaching a “self serving branding exercise”.
We did invite content submissions and contributions from our readers and the industry, and the program has been built around those suggestions.
We think that makes it unique – why not come along and see for yourself?
Cathie – Mumbrella
I am still not buying “Comms Con”
Other than that I think it is great that you have asked the market what they woudl want to see at a conference.
“The Conversation” would have been a great name im’humble’o 😉
would*