M8 / Leveraging cooperation and communication to revitalize an industry

Date: Monday, 27 June
Time: 10:30 – 11:45 am
Track: Strategy & Counsel

British Columbia’s coastal forest industry was in a crisis that demanded collaborative action by industry, labor and government. A new consensus with labor would not be easily achieved, so industry knew that it must proactively communicate causes of the crisis and how it affected all B.C. citizens, as well as their vision of the future. Through an intensive communication campaign, three competing companies came together in an unprecedented way to create and present a vision to revitalize an industry in crisis and achieve labor peace.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• The importance of research in developing effective strategy, tactics and messaging, and in measuring results
• How to reach diverse audiences in a limited amount of time
• Ways to actively seek and use input from key internal and external stakeholders to create a foundation of support

Presenters / Virginia Aulin / British Columbia, Canada, is vice-president of public affairs and government relations for TimberWest Forest Corp. She has 12 years of strategic communication and public affairs experience with companies including Weyerhaeuser, MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. and Burson-Marsteller Public Affairs. She has received four IABC Gold Quill Awards and the Business Issue Award.

Steve Crombie / British Columbia, Canada, is director of public affairs and communications for International Forest Products Limited (Interfor). He has more than 20 years of journalism, public affairs and strategic communication experience including serving as supervising editor of Broadcast News (The Canadian Press) and director of public affairs for the University of British Columbia. He has received two IABC Gold Quill Awards as well as several Canadian journalism and communication awards.