The Communications Measurement Virtual Conference
11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET
- Measure what matters
- Cut through the data
- Mature your AI strategy
- Unite internal and external
- Let AI do more
- Build KPIs tied to behavior change
- Real-time crisis measurement
Don’t be left behind. Learn the skill of data storytelling.
AI has flooded the field with new tools, data sources and sent C-suite expectations sky-high, forcing you to rethink how you track, report and measure your impact. But when you can’t show how your work aligns with business value, budgets and careers can stall.
More data isn’t the answer: clear storytelling around measurement is.
Join this half-day virtual event on Tuesday, September 15, where you’ll learn a start-to-finish data storytelling framework that cuts through the noise. You’ll learn about how AI has transformed what's measurable, how to cut through data overload to find the signals that actually matter and ensure your KPIs roll up to business objectives your leaders care about.
Whether your role focuses on external, internal or ‘mixternal’ communications, you’ll walk away with integrated practical frameworks, new tools and a roadmap that proves your value. Plus: You'll receive a Ragan Certificate of Completion and 12 months of on-demand access to this conference.
Top reasons to attend:
- You’ll learn from and interact with experts in AI, measurement and communications.
- You'll get essential takeaways you can implement right away.
- You'll get to connect with fellow communicators and share knowledge.
- You'll be able to watch from anywhere.
- You'll receive all presentation slides and toolkit materials.
- You'll earn a Ragan Certificate of Learning.
- You'll get access to the on-demand recording for 12 months.
Agenda
Communications isn’t a cost center, but too many communications teams report as if it were one. Here’s how to demonstrate the value of communications through measurement during a time of disruption and transformation. You’ll learn about the top five challenges facing comms teams, and how each can be reframed for success.
Learn how you can use the fourth iteration of AMEC’s Barcelona Principles in your reporting in this fifteen-minute sprint. Their revised guidelines place more emphasis on the importance of building stakeholders into the heart of all measurement and evaluation programs. You’ll learn:
- Not Just Smart, SMARTER: Learn how to set clear, measurable objectives that will help your communications planning, measurement and evaluation.
- Modern Relevance: What has changed with the principles, including ways to address audience fragmentation and data governance.
- How to Use Them Now: How to apply these to your current measurement plan without restarting or shifting midstream.
Your team is drowning in data and still starving for insight. The C-suite wants proof of your business value and most reporting isn’t delivering it. Building on the principles, you’ll learn how to identify where measurement is falling short and how to build a measurement plan your team can actually use. You'll learn:
- The “So What” Shift: Most Internal Comms teams measure Inputs and Outputs. The strategic value lies in connecting these to Outcomes and Impact.
- Beware the Vanity Metric: How to distinguish between what you do and what you achieve—plus the metrics trap you might miss.
- Setting Strategic Value: Learn how a tiered approach (moving from Reach to Engagement to Outcomes to Business Impact) will help you track your progress.
Most measurement programs tell you what happened after the fact. AI is changing that by helping communicators spot patterns and risks sooner in real time. You'll learn how to use AI, moving from just reporting activity to making stronger, faster decisions including:
- What AI Can Do: See when your story starts changing and understand how it affects how employees feel.
- Detection Advantage: How AI surfaces emerging risks and opportunities in your data before they show up in traditional reporting.
- What You Might Be Missing: How to assess whether your current approach is leaving unique and important warning signs behind.
If your KPIs don’t connect to a business outcome, it’s not serving you or your organization. Most measurement frameworks are built starting with channels instead of goals; this session flips that around and helps you build with your organization’s goals in mind. You'll learn:
- The New KPIs: Why employee actions, not content consumption, have become the clearest measure of communications effectiveness, and how to track them.
- Mapping to Business Objectives: The simple questions to ask to determine how to connect your work to employee behavior and business goals.
- Proving the Connection: Show leaders why the numbers matter to the business.
Internal and external teams are often measuring in separate systems, on separate calendars, telling separate stories to the same leadership team. In this case study, you’ll learn how one organization built a unified framework that gave leadership one story showing what both teams contributed. You'll learn:
- Finding Common Grounds: How to identify the shared data points that make a single, unified framework possible across both functions.
- Missing Context: What became visible when internal and external metrics were analyzed together.
- Politics of Integration: How the team navigated ownership, data silos and competing priorities to build a dashboard that everyone used.
Most sales materials get built from the communications team out, rather than from the data sales reps need. Both teams rarely talk about it in the same way. Learn how to give sales the tools backed by real data that move deals forward, so you both are chasing the same win. You’ll learn:
- What Sales Needs: How to connect your comms data to the client conversations they’re already having.
- What Gets Used: What materials and formats frontline executives will actually use on their next call.
- Connecting the Dots: Show a direct line between what’s been built for sales and how it helped close the deal.
Crisis reporting often defaults to volume and mentions when leaders need to know whether reputational risk is increasing or the response strategy is working. Learn to build a dashboard that will tell you how to identify an emerging crisis before it gets too big to handle. You'll learn:
- The Crisis KPI Set: What metrics matter most in the first few hours, from how fast sentiment is changing and how quickly the story is spreading.
- Through the AI Window: How AI monitoring tools create extra time to respond before threats surface. Plus: how best to use that time advantage.
- 90-Minutes Into the Crisis: What leadership needs to hear from you when the data is still incomplete and the pressure to respond is already high.
Strong data on page 30 of a 40-slide deck is useless. Learn how to present your data into a one clear slide that tells the story you want told, and how to automate that reporting so execs get it automatically. You'll learn:
- What Leaders Need to Remember: How to identify the one KPI or insight leadership needs to remember, and how to connect that measurement result to business priorities.
- Headline and Visual Decisions: Why the best measurement reports lead with the conclusion, and how to build a visual narrative with charts and graphs.
- Automating the Report: The tools communicators are using to build slides leaders can use without a dedicated design resource.
Your measurement story is only as strong as the words you use to tell it. Learn how to close the gap between comms reports and business decisions without losing the nuance of what communications does. You'll learn:
- Shifting the Vocabulary: How to map your existing metrics to the financial and operational numbers your leaders already use.
- Showing Cause and Effect: What before-and-after data looks like when it's shown in a way leaders can act on rather than communications activity.
- Getting Ahead: Which challenges senior leaders raise most often when teams present data, and how to prepare for them.
You presented the numbers. You answered the questions. Then what? Join this fireside as a senior communications leader explains what happens next when measurement data reaches the C-suite. Learn what gets acted on, what’s ignored and what makes leadership come back and ask for more. You'll learn:
- Perception Gap: What senior leaders say they want from a measurement update and how far most reports fall short.
- P&L Turning Point: What can change when reporting is reframed around your team’s P&L impact rather than how each channel performed.
- Earning a Seat: How consistent measurement discipline shifts how leadership thinks about communications as a team leadership relies on.
Our moderator shares the top takeaways from the conference.
Speakers
INTERESTED IN SPEAKING?
Please reach out to Senior Director of Event Programming
Alyssa Smith.
Top things you’ll learn at this conference:
- Cut Through Data Overload: Practical approaches to auditing your current measurement stack, identifying which sources are informing decisions and establishing clear criteria for the data your team will prioritize.
- Use AI to Mature Your Analytics: Explore the tools moving teams from descriptive reporting to forward-looking insight, including practical ways to analyze qualitative data at scale.
- Learn the Skill of Data Storytelling: How to package your numbers into a tight, one-slide narrative that grabs executive attention.
- Prove Business Impact: Strategies for connecting communications activity to the outcomes leadership tracks and building a measurement approach that can help advance budget conversations.
- Build KPIs Tied to Behavior Change: Learn to work backward from business objectives to identify the behavior changes communications can influence.
- Unite Internal and External Measurement: Discover how to align both sides of the house around shared data points to present one cohesive measurement story.
- Master Real-Time Crisis Monitoring: Learn to monitor sentiment velocity, narrative spread and share of voice shifts in the first 24 hours of a crisis.
| VIP | Regular Rates | |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Conference Registration | $1,399 | $1,699 |
| Nonprofit/Gov/Edu Event Registration | $1,249 | $1,599 |
| Virtual Conference Ragan Insider Member | $1,299 | $1,549 |
Bring your team! Discounted group pricing for 3 or more is available. Contact customer service for more information.
All attendees will receive the recording of the event.
Download this letter to convince your boss you should attend The Communications Measurement Virtual Conference.
Group Discounts
Would you and your team like to attend? Group rates are available for 3 or more - contact customer service for details.
RAGAN COUNCIL MEMBER DISCOUNTS
Membership includes free registration passes. Contact Shallon Blackburn for more information on becoming a member.
RAGAN INSIDER DISCOUNTS
Insiders save on all Ragan events. Not a Ragan Insider? You can become one during registration for this event!
Phone registrations: Please contact our customer service team at 800-878-5331 or [email protected].
Register to secure your spot today! Don’t miss this opportunity to:
- Access exclusive content and resources.
- Connect with your peers.
- Get the ideas & tools to stay ahead in today’s rapidly changing world.
Register today. Once registered, you’ll be able to join the private LinkedIn group right away.
- Checklist: The AI Writing Prompt Flowchart
- The Clear and Concise Technical Writing Guide
- Strunk & White’s Timeless Secrets for Rocket-Powered Writing
- Why and How to Create an In-House Style Guide
- Bias-Free Writing: What’s Preferred and What’s Problematic
- The Art of Storytelling (A Practical Guide)
Sponsors & Partners
Want to become a sponsor? Get in touch with our team to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
Who Should Attend?
This virtual conference experience is ideal for business leaders and professionals involved in:
- Communications Measurement & Analytics
- Internal Communications
- Corporate Communications
- Employee Communications
- Public Relations
- Media Relations
- Reputation Management
- Executive Communications
- External Communications
- Corporate Affairs
- Brand Communications
- Social Media Strategy & Analytics
- Content Strategy & Performance Measurement
- Employee Engagement & Culture
- Crisis Communications
- Marketing Communications
- Data & Insights
- Business Intelligence
- Research & Audience Insights
- Digital Communications
- AI Strategy & Governance
- Communications Technology (CommTech)
Who Attends
Communications professionals from these organizations have attended Ragan events:
Get Recognized!
Each registration comes with a personalized "The Communications Measurement Virtual Conference" Certificate of Completion for attending.
WONDERING IF YOU SHOULD ATTEND?
Here’s what past attendees are saying about Ragan and PR Daily Events!
Ragan continues to provide top-notch, professional content that is beneficial to a wide range of employees, senior leaders and executives.
I always make an effort to attend Ragan events and webinars because I know they will be worth the money and time.
For communications professionals seeking tangible, actionable takeaways, Ragan events are the gold standard.
Great speakers and great ideas throughout the conference. From start to finish, the sessions were insightful and efficient - I have added a few tips and tricks to add to my communications toolbox!
This was an informative, fast-paced, fun conference full of timely topics and great speakers. I haven't stopped telling my team about all the insights I learned.
Attending this conference rejuvenated and energized me about the field of communications. The knowledge I walked away with equipped me to go back to my firm and my team with strategic plans for the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should attend The Communications Measurement Virtual Conference?
This virtual communications measurement conference is designed for communications, public relations, marketing, corporate affairs, internal communications and employee communications professionals who need to measure performance, demonstrate ROI and prove the business impact of their work.
It's ideal for professionals responsible for:
- Communications strategy
- Communications measurement and analytics
- Public relations
- Media relations
- Internal communications
- Employee communications
- Executive communications
- Corporate affairs
- Reputation management
- Brand communications
- Marketing communications
- Change communications
- Employee engagement
- Executive reporting
Whether you're building your first communications measurement framework or modernizing an existing analytics program with AI, you'll leave with practical strategies you can immediately apply within your organization.
What is The Communications Measurement Virtual Conference?
The Communications Measurement Virtual Conference is Ragan's premier virtual conference for communications professionals who want to improve how they measure, analyze and communicate the impact of their work.
Designed for internal communications, public relations, corporate communications, executive communications, marketing and employee communications professionals, the conference explores modern communications measurement, AI-powered analytics, communications KPIs, executive dashboards, data storytelling and strategies for connecting communications to measurable business outcomes.
Attendees leave with practical frameworks, reporting templates and measurement strategies they can immediately implement within their organizations.
What is communications measurement?
Communications measurement is the process of evaluating whether communications activities are achieving meaningful business outcomes.
Modern communications measurement goes beyond tracking email opens, media impressions or website traffic. It measures how communications influence employee understanding, stakeholder trust, reputation, behavior, organizational change and business performance.
This conference teaches communications professionals how to build measurement programs that demonstrate strategic value rather than simply reporting activity.
What is communications analytics?
Communications analytics is the practice of collecting, analyzing and interpreting communications data to improve decision-making.
Communications analytics can include media measurement, internal communications metrics, employee engagement data, executive communications reporting, reputation monitoring, sentiment analysis and AI-powered insights that help organizations understand what's working and where improvements can be made.
What will I learn at The Communications Measurement Virtual Conference?
You'll learn how to build a modern communications measurement strategy that demonstrates business value and supports executive decision-making.
Topics include:
- Communications measurement frameworks
- Communications KPIs that matter
- Measuring internal communications
- Measuring PR and media relations
- Executive communications measurement
- AI-powered communications analytics
- Executive dashboards and reporting
- Data storytelling
- Reputation and sentiment measurement
- Employee engagement measurement
- Crisis communications measurement
- Behavioral measurement
- Communications ROI
- Connecting communications metrics to business outcomes
- Using AI to automate reporting and uncover actionable insights
You'll leave with practical templates, measurement frameworks and reporting strategies you can immediately implement.
Why is communications measurement more important than ever?
Communications measurement helps organizations understand whether communications are influencing employee behavior, strengthening reputation, supporting organizational goals and creating measurable business value.
Today's communications leaders are increasingly expected to demonstrate ROI, build executive-ready dashboards and connect communications initiatives to business outcomes. This conference teaches practical frameworks for measuring communications effectively and communicating results that executives can use to make informed decisions.
How is AI changing communications measurement?
Yes. Artificial intelligence is transforming how communications professionals collect, analyze and report data. AI can help teams identify trends, automate reporting, uncover meaningful insights and measure communications more efficiently.
You'll learn practical ways to incorporate AI into your communications measurement strategy while maintaining sound analytics practices and human oversight.
Is the Communications Measurement Virtual Conference only for communications measurement specialists?
No. This conference is designed for communications professionals at every level, not just analysts or measurement experts.
If you're responsible for communications strategy, public relations, internal communications, executive communications, employee engagement or reporting results to leadership, you'll gain practical frameworks that can immediately improve how you measure success.
Is the Communications Measurement Virtual Conference technical?
No. This is a business-focused communications measurement conference created specifically for communications professionals.
You won't need experience with coding, statistics or data science. Instead, you'll learn practical measurement strategies, reporting frameworks, AI applications and executive communication techniques that you can immediately apply in your role.
How is the Communications Measurement Virtual Conference different from other communications analytics conferences?
Many measurement conferences focus primarily on dashboards, software platforms or marketing analytics.
The Communications Measurement Virtual Conference focuses on helping communications professionals connect measurement to business outcomes. You'll learn how to build meaningful KPIs, create executive dashboards, communicate insights through data storytelling, leverage AI responsibly and demonstrate the strategic value of communications across your organization.
What communications KPIs should organizations measure?
The right communications KPIs depend on your organization's objectives, but today's communications leaders should measure much more than email opens or page views.
Effective measurement includes employee engagement, message comprehension, executive visibility, media impact, reputation, stakeholder trust, behavioral change, organizational alignment and business outcomes.
This conference will help you identify the metrics that matter most and build a measurement strategy aligned with organizational goals.
How do you measure communications ROI?
Communications ROI goes far beyond impressions, clicks and engagement rates.
Measuring return on investment means connecting communications initiatives to outcomes such as employee engagement, productivity, reputation, customer trust, organizational change, crisis preparedness and strategic business objectives.
You'll learn practical frameworks for demonstrating the value communications delivers to executives and senior leadership.
How do you prove the value of internal communications?
Strong internal communications improve employee engagement, support organizational change, strengthen leadership communication and build trust throughout the workforce.
At this conference, you'll learn how to measure internal communications using meaningful metrics that demonstrate employee understanding, message adoption, behavioral change, leadership effectiveness and business impact rather than relying solely on email or intranet analytics.
Will I learn how to measure PR and external communications?
Yes. You'll explore modern approaches for measuring media relations, earned media, corporate reputation, crisis communications, brand perception, sentiment, share of voice and stakeholder engagement.
Sessions also examine how AI can enhance PR measurement by helping communications teams analyze data more efficiently and uncover deeper insights.
What metrics should PR professionals report to executives?
Executive leaders don't want activity reports. They want insights that support business decisions.
You'll learn how to build executive dashboards that measure media impact, reputation, stakeholder trust, brand visibility, sentiment, crisis response and business outcomes while communicating results in a way executives can quickly understand and act upon.
What is an executive communications dashboard?
An executive communications dashboard is a concise report that highlights the communications metrics most important to organizational leadership.
Rather than presenting dozens of statistics, an executive dashboard focuses on business outcomes, employee behavior, reputation, stakeholder trust and communications performance in a format executives can quickly understand and use for decision-making.
What is data storytelling?
Data storytelling is the practice of turning communications data into clear, compelling narratives that explain what happened, why it matters and what actions leaders should take.
Instead of presenting spreadsheets or dashboards filled with numbers, effective data storytelling helps executives quickly understand communications performance and make informed business decisions.
How do you build an executive communications dashboard?
An effective executive dashboard highlights the metrics leadership cares about most instead of overwhelming stakeholders with data.
You'll learn how to organize communications metrics into clear, actionable reports that demonstrate business value, support strategic priorities and help executives make informed decisions.
What is data storytelling in communications?
Data storytelling is the practice of transforming communications metrics into compelling narratives that explain what happened, why it matters and what leaders should do next.
Rather than presenting spreadsheets filled with numbers, you'll learn how to communicate insights that demonstrate the strategic impact of communications and drive better business decisions.
How do you connect communications metrics to business outcomes?
One of the biggest challenges communications professionals face is proving how their work contributes to organizational success.
This conference teaches practical frameworks for aligning communications metrics with business objectives such as employee engagement, organizational change, reputation, customer trust, productivity and strategic growth so you can clearly demonstrate communications' value to leadership.
Why should communications professionals learn communications measurement?
As communications becomes increasingly strategic, organizations expect communications leaders to demonstrate measurable business value rather than simply report activity.
Developing strong communications measurement skills helps professionals make better decisions, improve communications strategies, demonstrate ROI, communicate effectively with executives and strengthen their influence within the organization.
Can I apply what I learn immediately?
Yes. Every session is designed around practical implementation rather than theory. You'll leave with measurement frameworks, reporting templates, communications KPIs, executive dashboard examples and AI-powered analytics strategies that you can immediately begin using within your organization.
Will I receive presentation slides and bonus resources?
Yes. All attendees receive access to the presentation slides and bonus resources shared during the conference, making it easy to revisit key concepts and implement what you've learned after the event.
Will the conference be recorded?
Yes. Every registered attendee receives on-demand access to the conference recordings for 12 months. If you miss a live session or want to revisit a presentation later, you'll be able to watch the sessions at your convenience.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. All attendees receive a Ragan Certificate of Completion recognizing their participation in The Communications Measurement Virtual Conference.
Can my team attend together?
Absolutely. Many organizations send communications, public relations, internal communications and marketing teams together so everyone learns the same measurement frameworks, reporting strategies and best practices.
Discounted group pricing is available for teams of three or more, making it easy to build measurement capabilities across your entire communications function.
Who do I contact with questions?
For registration, sponsorship or speaker questions about Ragan's Communications Measurement Virtual Conference, please contact the appropriate member of our team:
Registration contact: Shallon Blackburn, Director of Client Services
Sponsorship opportunities: Hannah Lavelle, Executive Director of Sales
Programming and speaking inquiries: Alyssa Smith, Senior Director of Event Programming
How do I register?
Register directly at the event registration link.
