What to expect during Ragan’s Communications Week

Running Nov. 12-15, #CommsWeek is the can’t-miss series of in-person and virtual events this fall, a series designed to amplify, celebrate and accelerate the role of the communicator through education, inspiration, mentorship, technology showcases, networking opportunities and more.

Keep your eyes on this space for a continually updated list of all the week’s happenings.

Forecasting the future of communications

Central to the week is our Future of Communications Conference, in Austin, Texas. Tailored for internal communicators, PR professionals and marketing experts, the Future of Communications Conference will fortify you with well-rounded tactics and skills to navigate what lies ahead for communicators in 2025 and beyond.

We’ll learn from colleagues at companies like Wells Fargo, United Airlines, Merck, Pinterest, Cisco, Scouting America, the United States Department of Defense and many more.

Delivering our opening keynote on Nov. 14 is Leah Johns, founder and leader of the Global Consumer Lab at consumer insight and foresight think tank Bain.

Leah Johns, Founder and Leader of Bain’s Global Consumer Lab.

Johns’ research on creating sustainable consumer behaviors informs her advice on how communicators can best navigate societal shifts to better serve the needs of employees, customers and the public—while boosting the influence of the comms role in the process.

Later that afternoon during a fireside conversation, Dan Thomas, CCO of the United Nations Global Compact, will share insights into how

communicators can meet the needs of an ever-expanding global community.

Dan Thomas, CCO, United Nations Global Compact

In addition to sharing his firsthand experience leading communications for the UN General Assembly, Thomas will offer perspective on how communicators can navigate the potential impacts of this year’s worldwide elections to foster progress and stability.

Thomas’ fireside will unearth insights at the intersection of communication, innovation and global policy with a focus on uniting disparate stakeholders to fulfill shared goals.

This focus on driving behavior and engaging global stakeholders will future-proof your comms, helping you align functional objectives with stakeholder expectations to meet larger business goals.

But the importance of staying engaged in social conversations about your brand or organization cannot be understated, either. As relationships between brands and creators continue to evolve, a special keynote fireside with Nicole Dye-Anderson, SVP, head of media relations, experiential and influencer strategy at Wells Fargo will delve into her strategies for influencing the future in a new social media landscape.

Nicole Dye-Anderson, SVP, head of media relations, experiential and influencer strategy, Wells Fargo

Dye-Anderson will offer her industry-leading perspective into the changing role of media influencers and what it means to redefine KPIs to measure success in today’s digital landscape. She’ll also offer pragmatic advice for establishing goal-focused partnerships with a diverse array of creators while mitigating backlash.

Of course, these keynotes are just the BBQ sauce on top of a Texas-sized #CommsWeek feast. The Future of Communications Conference also includes one-of-a-kind experiences such as Ragan’s interactive AI Prompt Slam, when attendees will practice prompt generation challenges with each other in real-time.

The conference will also feature Ragan’s Vanguard Awards, a prestigious ceremony honoring the legendary, luminary leaders driving our function forward.

A week packed with virtual and in-person programs

Though CommsWeek officially runs November 12-15, programming kicks off the week prior as we’ve got a lot to cover!

Partner highlights include:

• The free webinar, “Hit Send on Email Success: Data-Driven Strategies to Overcome Overload”  in partnership with PoliteMail  on Thursday, November 7
• The free webinar, “The PR Toolkit: Setting Up for 2025 Success” in partnership with Notified on Thursday, November 7
• The free webinar, “Finalizing Your Communications Plan for 2025 – The Key Elements” in partnership with Lumapps on Tuesday, November 12
• The free webinar, “Beyond the Intranet: Build a Thriving Digital Community Your Employees Will Actually Use” in partnership with Appspace on Tuesday, November 12
• On-campus events at the University of Rhode Island and the University of Maryland Global Campus on Tuesday, November 12
• On-campus speed mentoring sessions at New York University and the University of Florida on Wednesday, November 13
• An on-campus event at the University of Tampa on Wednesday, November 13
• An NYC Communicators meetup at the Pr Museum on Thursday, November 14
• An on-campus event at Quinnipac University on Friday, November 15

These are just some of the events announced so far. Be sure to check the main Communications Week hub for more updates on additional #CommsWeek events in the weeks ahead.

Register for the Future of Communications Conference today!