Employee Communications & Culture Conference
April 9-11, 2025 | Hyatt Regency
- Improve business fluency
- Future-proof your comms strategy
- Measure your success
- Learn AI
- Control crises
- Build a great employee culture
- Create compelling communications
- Lead a culture of transformation
Internal communications has evolved, and comms pros have to change with it. Join us to learn about the breakthrough strategies and tactics you need to create an authentic, powerful employee experience.
Join us April 9-11 in the heart of Chicago for Ragan’s Employee Communications & Culture Conference and come away with practical and innovative ideas to implement back in the office — or in home offices and hybrid workplaces. You’ll walk away with the tools you need to supersize your strategies and elevate your comms, while forging connections and sharing knowledge with industry peers and informed colleagues.
From change communications to interdepartmental collaboration to ways to incorporate AI into your workflow, you’ll leave this conference with the blueprints you need to build a better work environment. Explore sessions on thought leadership, case studies on newsletter statistics, interactive sessions and engaging instruction from experts in the trade. Join us for the ultimate peer-to-peer experience sprinkled with inspirational keynotes, workshops, lively debates and plenty of networking opportunities so you can connect with industry colleagues and forge new friendships.
Register Today to Secure your Spot! Don’t miss this opportunity to:
- Connect with your peers.
- Access exclusive content and resources.
- Get the ideas & tools to stay ahead in today’s rapidly changing world.
AGENDA
Our facilitator joins the stage by reflecting on the biggest challenges internal communicators have faced this quarter—and the key strategies to use to emerge stronger. From sudden policy shifts and evolving regulations to the heightened need for trusted messengers, we’ll unpack the primary threats to corporate stability. We’ll discuss how to measure impact, showcasing the ROI of strategic communication initiatives that bolster leadership buy-in, and real-world case studies that will impact your 2025 strategies.
Facilitator-Led Peer-to-Peer Discussion
Reflect on the major shifts, policy updates, and disruptive events that have emerged. Participants will compare notes and strategies they have used to communicate sudden changes—especially related to executive orders or new regulations—while maintaining credibility and transparency within their organization. You’ll share wins, missteps, and solutions, and learn from your peers under a Chatham House Rules environment.
Sit back and recharge while listening to this candid fireside conversation between a senior-level comms leader and Ragan’s CEO, Diane Schwartz. You’ll learn how they achieved trusted messenger status, balanced expectations from their leadership, and aligned cultural considerations with corporate goals. Gain firsthand insights into soothing workforce anxieties during transitions—plus practical advice for driving engagement and buy-in.
Our speaker will share the practical and tactical frameworks that will keep you one step ahead. Learn how to become proactive in the face of sudden policy shifts or organizational disruptions. These practical methods will help every communicator identify potential resistance points early, insuring you can remain credible and maintain momentum when decisions must be made at breakneck speed. Plus: a discussion on how to prioritize which crises require a response, and which can safely remain off-radar.
In this session, a brand-side comms leader will discuss frameworks for evaluating emerging challenges, guiding you on when to take urgent action, when to observe cautiously, and how to create effective, comms-specific strategies. You'll walk away ready to counsel leadership, protect your workforce, and champion transparency in any regulatory climate. Bring your burning questions: there will be time for Q&A.
We’ll conclude the event with a tabletop exercise. You’ll map out an action plan that solidifies your status as a critical voice at the leadership table, and develop future-ready strategies and milestones for the quarter ahead, ensuring your organization can thrive—and you in it—even amid uncertainty. You’ll learn strategies for building a crisis/reputation management plan, determining reputation protocols, and proactive vs reactive responses. Walk away with confidence, a practical roadmap, and the tools needed to keep your workforce united, engaged, and prepared for what’s next.
Facilitator-Led Peer-to-Peer Discussion
This final roundtable discussion, with our returning facilitator, will focus on quantifying the success of your communications strategies. Discuss best practices for setting KPIs that ladder up to leadership and highlight ROI. Share your real-world experiences, best practices, and tips on continuous improvement.
Want to take your employee comms to the next level with AI? Get your superhero cape and join two Microsoft leaders who’ve been there, done that—and are ready to share their real-world experience. You’ll discover how to move beyond basic AI content generation to create authentic, culture-aligned comms that actually resonate with employees. Plus, they’ll show you how agentic AI can be your behind-the-scenes sidekick in building stronger employee engagement. You’ll learn:
- How to build your AI culture: How to get your team excited about (not scared of) AI—turning potential resistance into “wow, this actually makes our jobs better” moments.
- Your AI toolbox: What to consider when choosing your AI partner for employee comms.
- Power Prompting: Five steps to getting AI to speak your company’s language—and how to generate multimodal content for your comms beyond just copy.
- Agentic AI as your partner: How AI agents can help you spot communication opportunities, spark fresh ideas and free up your team to tackle the big-picture stuff that matters.
- Measurable Results: Practical tips for setting goals and measuring impact—straight from Microsoft’s playbook.
You can write, but can you edit? As we rely more on AI and internal communicators without “communications” in their job titles to generate content, comms pros need to be experts in the art of editing, not just generating text, to shape effective storytelling. In this workshop, we’ll help you hone your editing skills and marry creative problem-solving with business outcomes, focusing on the techniques and strategies to help you create clear, compelling content that drives engagement and builds connection within your workplace. You’ll learn:
- Clarity and engagement: Develop strategies to edit for internal comms, and highlight the voices and verbiages that will resonate with all levels of your organization.
- Storytelling through editing: Learn how to tell impactful stories that build a strong sense of community and culture.
- Capturing top voices: Understand how to edit content to authentically reflect the unique voices of your leaders, asking the right questions to build their platforms, connect with employees and get the results they’re looking for.
- Polishing the final draft: Hands-on editing exercises to ensure your writing is concise, professional, and on-brand – plus, the top concerns for AI-generated content and how to identify key tells.
- Beyond the Written Word: Tips, tools and resources to effectively start editing audio and visual content.
Traditional metrics like open rates and click-through rates no longer suffice to demonstrate the true value of internal communications—you need to speak in ways that MBA’s can understand. This workshop will focus on the new KPIs, why they are critical, and the tools and techniques you can use to effectively measure them. You’ll leave with practical takeaways for creating a metrics-driven comms approach. You’ll discover:
- Identifying key metrics: Learn which KPIs are most significant—such as retention rates, employee engagement scores, and productivity metrics—and how they correlate to business outcomes.
- Behavioral tools for tracking: Explore software and platforms that can help you measure the success of your employee engagement initiatives.
- Demonstrating value to leadership: Strategies to translate complex data into meaningful insights that resonate, highlighting how effective communication contributes to organizational success.
- Linking data to ROI: Methods to quantify the financial impact of your communications initiatives, showing links between improved communication, turnover, and productivity.
- Talk the Talk: How to speak in the language of the C-suite.
- Interactive analysis: Participate in hands-on exercises to build your own measurement framework tailored to your organization’s unique needs.
Join us at the hotel bar as we get to know each other at this casual cash bar meet-up and kick off the conference in style!
Internal communications shape workplace culture, craft company narratives and inform employees on news, policy and business performance. The true measure of success in internal communications is when your employees receive, believe and are motivated to act on your messages. Effective internal communications have a significant positive impact on organizational success, whereas poor execution will waste time, erode employee trust and lower morale.
The fundamental question is: How do you measure the effectiveness of your internal communications program? The answer lies in meaningful metrics.
In this session, you will learn:
- Data-backed best practices for aligning communications with business goals.
- Auditing and targeting your channels to remove dead weight and maximize effectiveness.
- Effectively reporting results to leadership to enact change.
- Turning KPIs into KBIs (Kick Butt Indexes) to determine success or failure.
Take your first steps on an inspiring and entertaining journey to unlock your full potential—both personally and professionally. Through compelling real-life stories and science-backed insights, Joe Huff reveals how cultivating urgency, overcoming fear, and embracing change lead to extraordinary results. This keynote is an interactive experience designed to foster connection and action. Attendees will engage in a simple but powerful exercise: identifying three life-changing actions they’d pursue if they had just one year to live. Then, they’ll take the first step—right there in the room—by committing to a small but meaningful action and enlisting an accountability partner. This shared experience not only turns inspiration into momentum but also strengthens relationships, ensuring attendees leave with new insights, new commitments, and new connections.
Our facilitator will lead the discussion of this peer-to-peer session with a short exercise connected to the keynote. You'll collaborate closely with fellow communication professionals at your table to explore your someday moment, whether it's professional or personal. Get ready to participate in a roleplaying session where you’ll shape the energy of conversations to drive meaningful change in your organizations.
Stepping into a new role is exhilarating and daunting, no matter your title or experience. It’s your chance to establish yourself as a leader and lay the groundwork for long-term success. This is especially true in your first 100 days with an organization. In this session, you’ll receive both inspiration and practical advice from a seasoned expert in reputation management and communications who spent the first 15 years of his career in PR before first taking the helm of an internal comms team. He’ll share his experience bridging the external-internal divide (the “mixternal” approach), quickly earning trust, and delivering results that capture the attention of employees and execs alike. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up, these insights will help you make your mark right away, and for years to come. He'll cover:
- The Runway: How to shape your pre-leadership career path for success—and navigate the transition into a leadership role.
- Strategic Alignment: Techniques to quickly grasp organizational vision and become an indispensable “ear to the ground” for leadership.
- Quick Wins: How to map key stakeholders, establish meaningful connections and notch quick wins that build momentum and credibility.
- Team Development: Strategies for evaluating team strengths, identifying skill gaps and fostering a collaborative culture when you’re new to a team.
- Data-Driven Decision-Making: Why being data-fluent matters to the C-suite—and how to present insights that establish you as a strategic advisor.
- The Power of “Mixternal” Comms: Why internal comms has grown increasingly vital—and how external knowhow can enhance employee engagement.
Organizations frequently undergo significant transformations—from layoffs and mergers to technological shifts and cultural overhauls. Effective communication during these times is critical to maintain trust, engagement, and productivity among employees. This session will delve into the four stages of change—Disruption, Exploration, Rebuilding, and Transformation—and provide you with strategies to navigate each phase successfully. Learn about:
- Disruption Management: Techniques for communicating transparently, consistently, and at the correct times during the initial phase of change to minimize uncertainty and anxiety – including the implementation of rapid communication channels like live Q&A sessions, manager support toolkits and talking points, and how to align messaging externally and internally.
- Exploration Strategies: Approaches to engage employees, including implementation of surveys, interactive workshops, town halls and discussion panels. Plus: how to use storytelling to communicate the organization's vision and how each employee will play a role, including highlighting training programs and career development paths that arise from the change.
- Rebuilding Processes: Steps to restore trust and cohesion within the organization post-disruption, starting with reaffirming the company's mission and core values to realign and motivate employees. Plus: how to establish the new normal with collaborative workflows and team expectations.
- Transformation Execution: Best practices for embedding change into the organizational culture, including continuous communication, leadership visibility, and implementation of feedback channels for employee input to refine processes and practices.
- Case Studies and Real-World Insights: Learning from organizations that have successfully navigated transformational change.
Change is inevitable, but effectively managing it remains a significant challenge for many organizations. In this interactive tabletop session, participants will engage in real-world scenarios to explore the complexities of change management. You’ll work in teams to develop strategies to navigate change, overcome resistance, and lead your teams successfully through transitions.
- Strategy Development: Learn to create plan tailored to your organization's needs, starting with assessing organizational readiness, setting clear, measurable goals aligned with the organizational vision; resource planning around budget, personnel, and tech; timelines with milestones and deliverables; and a thorough risk assessment.
- Effective Communication: Learn how to tailor your messaging to meet the needs of various groups, from managers to execs to staff; choose the most effective mediums (meetings, emails, intranet, social media); and how to establish channels for receiving and addressing questions and concerns.
- Real-World Case Studies: Examine real-life examples involving mergers, restructuring, technological adoption, or cultural shifts. We’ll share examples of success stories and those that needed a strategy shift halfway through.
- Let’s Get Interactive: Apply these principles in real time as you work with peers to revamp a problematic change management strategy, with group critique and refinement. You’ll tackle a challenging change scenario, identify flaws in the existing approach and develop improved strategies, and then present your group's plan.
Internal communications and HR leaders face unprecedented pressure to ensure their organizations remain agile. In this fireside, you’ll hear from DeLonzo Rhodes, VP, Talent Development and DEI at Dotdash Meredith, on how creating a culture of continuous learning can help employees stay resilient, motivated, and innovative—even when resources are stretched thin. We’ll explore insights on structuring learning and development initiatives that go beyond traditional training, highlighting creative ways to make every individual feel invested in the company’s success.
As the communications landscape rapidly evolves, senior-level professionals face the challenge of staying relevant. With 85% of organizations actively accelerating the implementation of new technologies, it’s critical for communicators to proactively prove they can adapt to future trends and be agile problem-solvers. This panel will explore how to position yourself as a key player in strategic conversations, future-proof your career by balancing hard and soft skills, and stay ahead in the industries implementing AI. You’ll learn:
- The seat at the table: Learn how to become an indispensable part of high-level discussions, including how to highlight the impact of your work by sharing successful outcomes, metrics, and more.
- Building relationships with leadership: How to proactively engage with senior leaders through meetings, presentations, and informal interactions to build trust.
- Embrace continuous learning and innovation: Discover the essential hard and soft skills needed for future success, from digital analytics to leadership abilities, and how to develop them effectively.
- Networking excellence: Gain insights into building a powerful professional network that can open doors and create opportunities for advancement – plus, the difference between a mentor and a sponsor.
Authentic thought leadership is no longer optional—it’s essential. But how do you transform execs from figureheads to thought leaders while managing and mitigating risk? This session unveils the secrets of crafting and amplifying authentic executive voices that resonate across stakeholders. Discover how to position your C-suite leaders as trusted voices while staying true to your company’s mission and protecting its reputation. We’ll explore:
- Authenticity amplifiers: Strategies to maintain your exec’s genuine voice through storytelling and creative content strategies.
- Crisis compasses: Tools for navigating sensitive topics, including sentiment analysis, benchmarking and decision frameworks.
- Measurement maestros: KPIs to gauge thought leadership impact and evidence the value of your executive’s voice and your work.
- Artificial Intelligence: How AI is transforming executive communications and how to harness these tools to optimize your performance.
Over 50% of communication professionals have indicated that legal and regulatory challenges significantly impact their communication strategies, whether it’s a crisis comms framework, a financial report, or just a press release. How can you effectively convey your message while jumping over legal hurdles? This panel, featuring seasoned lawyers and communication experts, will equip you with the tools and EQ needed to navigate legal complexities without compromising your communication goals. We’ll cover:
- Proactive collaboration: Discover how early engagement with legal teams can streamline approvals and prevent last-minute roadblocks.
- Decoding legal constraints: Learn to interpret legal guidelines and translate them into actionable communication strategies that keeps your messaging on point.
- Crisis communication compliance: Explore tactics for delivering timely and transparent messages during crises without exposing your organization to legal risks.
- Engaging with legal on union discussions: How to partner effectively with HR, union reps, and legal to align communication strategies proactively to address potential issues.
- Navigating regulatory landscapes: Understand the impact of regulations like GDPR and HIPAA on your communication efforts, and how to adapt accordingly.
The return-to-office saga has more plot twists than a bestseller. From Amazon’s ping-ponging policies to Dell’s pushback-prone plans, internal comms teams are the unsung heroes shaping these narratives. This eye-opening case study reveals how one comms team turned potential RTO turmoil into an engagement triumph. Learn to transcend your role as a mere messenger and become the strategic advisor your C-suite craves in these turbulent times. Discover how to gather employee sentiment, craft compelling narratives and measure success in the new world of work. We’ll cover:
- Sentiment sleuths: Tools to gauge employee feelings about RTO, including pulse surveys (via platforms like Qualtrics) and AI-powered sentiment analysis of internal chat channels.
- Message maestros: Techniques for crafting compelling RTO narratives that resonate, using storytelling frameworks like “The Hero’s Journey” adapted for organizational change.
- Feedback funnel: Strategies for presenting employee sentiment to leadership, such as data visualization dashboards and executive-friendly insight reports.
- Channel champions: Methods for leveraging multiple comms channels effectively, from branded Slack campaigns to immersive virtual office tours via platforms like Matterport.
- Metric mavens: KPIs to measure the success of your RTO comms strategy, including office attendance rates, productivity metrics and employee satisfaction scores.
In this facilitated peer-to-peer session, you’ll engage with your tablemates to share experiences, showcase successes, and tackle challenges together. Come prepared to network with your peers on two topics, intranets and organizational charts, in this collaborative "show and tell," where everyone's input drives the discussion.
Join us for a networking reception to share what you learned with new friends and enjoy some refreshments and light hors d'oeuvres!
You’ve launched an intranet, but do you have a clear strategy for driving engagement? Whether working with a new platform or optimizing an existing one, creating an engaging employee experience requires more than great technology — it takes a thoughtful approach. Join Ruth Neighbors as she explores best practices, real-life examples and essential steps to foster meaningful interactions, align goals and ensure your intranet delivers real value to your organization. This session will cover:
- Effective programs for engagement: Build initiatives that foster an interactive online employee experience.
- Real-life success stories: Learn how companies use intranets effectively to connect and empower employees.
- Clear goals & objectives: Define your platform’s purpose, scope and role in company culture.
- Measuring success: Set benchmarks, track engagement and continuously optimize based on business needs.
Join our emcee and host for a refresher and get ready for a day of learning.
Learn top findings from the 2025 Ragan Communications Benchmark Report, which gauges what’s working, what’s not and what’s ahead for communicators in this exclusive research project for the Communications Leadership Council. Explore the must-have skills and competencies for modern communicators, with learning journeys mapped via The Ragan Framework SM.
Understanding the influence of culture on human behavior and organizational dynamics is a critical factor to better leadership. This keynote will share insights on how cultural currents can revolutionize your communication strategies, whether you’re crafting high-impact campaigns or steering complex corporate narratives. Discover practical tactics to read, interpret, and leverage the cultural forces at play—both inside and outside your organization—and learn how to inspire and unify employees around shared values, creating environments where innovation thrives and a sense of common purpose fuels success. Using real-world examples and his own proven framework, Dr. Marcus Collins will provide a blueprint for tapping into cultural nuance, building authentic connections, and leading from a place of empathy and awareness. Walk away equipped with fresh perspectives and the tools to guide your messaging—and ultimately, your organization—toward lasting impact.
In organizations with diverse departments, a robust tech stack, and varying reporting structures, maintaining a consistent brand voice internally can be a significant challenge. This session will delve into effective strategies for calculating the effectiveness of your entire tech stack, obtaining champions for their usage, and discuss how to harmonize your brand voice across all internal communication channels, regardless of complex org charts or departmental divisions. Learn:
- Integrated platforms: Ways to leverage internal communication tools, intranets, and social media platforms like Teams or Slack to disseminate cohesive messages effectively.
- Tech stack breakdown: Why it’s critical to audit and assess your existing tech stack—including intranets, productivity software, and social media platforms—annually, and how best to determine when one needs to be added.
- Leadership alignment: The importance of getting buy-in from leaders at all levels to champion and model usage of the tech stack.
- Measuring impact: How to calculate the effectiveness of your unified communication strategy through employee feedback and engagement metrics.
- Customized communication: Explore techniques for tailoring messages to different departments and employee personas.
- Consistent messaging: How to develop and implement brand guidelines that promote a consistent voice across all internal channels and teams.
With 6,700 employees across the globe — half of them in the U.S. — Genesys needed a centralized, intuitive platform to unify internal communications and engage employees in a remote-first world. Four years after launching a new intranet, the company has successfully driven alignment across departments, empowered communicators at all levels, and increased adoption — peaking at 86% monthly usage. However, the journey is far from over with new challenges, such as managing 170 active sites and improving engagement across different employee groups.
In this session, Geoffrey Miller, who leads internal and executive communications at Genesys, will share:
- How Genesys built an effective newsletters strategy that supports the company-wide, departmental and employee resource group (ERG) levels.
- The search transformation that reduced failed searches from 20% to just 1.8% since launch.
- How its vendor has helped amplify major initiatives, from external sales events to benefits communications, leading to a 99% increase in viewership and seamless employee experiences.
- Strategies for improving monthly adoption rates, with a focus on targeted engagement across different business regions and roles.
Whether you're looking to optimize your intranet, boost adoption, or refine your search and content strategy, this session will offer data-driven insights and practical tactics to take your internal communications to the next level.
Over 80% of the global workforce are considered deskless workers, in fields such as agriculture, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and healthcare. Keeping these employees engaged, educated, and invested in newsletters is a significant challenge. This case study features the results of a one-year study the Goddard School rolled out that increased interaction with their weekly newsletters and monthly surveys by nearly 30%. You’ll learn:
- Data revelations: Exclusive findings from a one-year study that reveals the steps this organization took to engage their deskless workforce.
- TikTok transformations: How embedding videos within newsletters captured eyes among mobile employees, including incorporating TikTok trends like “I’m in IT, of course I…” that made content relatable and engaging.
- Easter egg incentives: Creative ways to incentivize newsletter readership through hidden rewards that encourage employees to fully engage with your content.
- Reaching the unreachable: Strategies for effectively connecting with deskless employees who lack constant access to traditional communication channels.
- Implementing innovation: Clear takeaways you can incorporate into your existing communication strategy – plus, the measurement metrics that really move the needle.
When crisis strikes, employees are both your most vulnerable stakeholders—and your most powerful advocates. Misaligned internal and external communications can create confusion, erode trust, and hinder engagement. In this candid panel, comms vets will share their frameworks and best practices for managing crisis communications across all channels—from apps and intranets to internal comms and manager cascades to external comms and media response. You’ll hear battle-tested strategies for protecting your brand by safeguarding trust and ensuring real-time, transparent communication to keep your workforce informed. What you’ll learn:
- Employee-first messaging: Real examples of targeted notifications and comms that instantly inform employees at every level about weather events, office closures, and more that can keep employees informed and secure, ensuring no one is left in the dark.
- First-response frameworks: How our panelists structure their crisis response checklists and design tabletop exercises for scenarios from cyberattacks to layoffs.
- Cross-channel coordination: How to use technology to align messaging across internal platforms —featuring tools and workflows that kept communication consistent during high-pressure situations.
- Real-time feedback loops: Monitor employee sentiment through comments and engagement metrics to refine messaging on the fly and keep your workforce connected and reassured.
- Deskless and hybrid workers: How best to contact and communicate with mobile-first teams that are dispersed in times of crisis or urgency.
- Team activation: Tested approaches for rapidly mobilizing cross-functional crisis teams, with specific guidance on engaging HR, legal, communications and leadership.
For many communicators, the path to becoming a trusted advisor for top execs can seem out of reach. Yet one exec has proven that a nontraditional comms background can be the very foundation for driving high-level business impact. Her personal journey—spanning agencies, global consumer brands and now a seat at the table as a chief of staff—demonstrates how mastering storytelling, business fluency and executive alignment can unlock potential, both for your career and the organizations you serve.
Our final facilitated peer-to-peer session will have you work in teams to create a hands-on town hall makeover. You’ll transform a lackluster town hall agenda into a dynamic plan with guidance from our facilitator on the four-part framework (examining format and flow, speaker selection, features for digital blinders and interactivity, and more) for town hall success. You’ll leave with practical strategies to revolutionize your next company-wide gathering.
Growth is good but it can also be a danger to what made your organization special in the first place. This case study focuses on a workplace that has faced a 40% increase in workforce over six years, and the innovative strategies that this company incorporated to maintain their core values and employee culture. You’ll learn how they balanced the human touch in a transforming environment, including:
- Personal touchpoints: Discover how CEO-hosted lunches with small groups fostered intimate connections, encouraged open dialogue, and reinforced company culture.
- Engaging experiences: Get inspired by creative event ideas like cultural festivals, innovation days, and wellness retreats that brought employees together across departments – and how ERGs made them happen. Plus: how event feedback was collected and analyzed to continuously improve initiatives.
- Open dialogues: Why a clear, practical, consistently scheduled town hall strategy was critical to transparency, addressing concerns promptly, and helps to keep employees aligned with organizational goals – plus, how interactive and live Q&As and polls increased employee participation and engagement.
- Hybrid, deskless, and remote harmony: How to tailor messages across platforms like email, instant messaging, and mobile apps to reach different employee groups effectively, incorporate flexible scheduling strategies for events and meetings, and the importance of in-person touchpoints.
Smart Brevity is a communication strategy that is transforming the way 700+ organizations operate. Come join a Smart Brevity trainer for an overview of the strategy and a few tips you can apply to your communications today to break through. He'll discuss how it can:
- Evolve your strategy: Setting you up to send the right comms to the right people at the right time.
- Optimize your comms: Positioning you to serve your audience the mix of content, length, order and elements that they need for your message to stick.
- Expand your impact: Delivering information to be clear, engaging and memorable — regardless of channel or medium.
- And much more.
In today’s hybrid work landscape, manager comms is the vital link between strategy and execution. A study by The Workforce Institute at UKG reveals 74% of employees would be more effective if they had better communication with their manager. This session shows you how to SHARE the communication load, transforming managers into skilled message amplifiers who foster open dialogue and drive engagement. Join to discover how to build a collaborative cascade that turns your internal comms into a powerful force for organizational alignment and employee empowerment. You’ll learn:
- Strategic toolkits: How to equip managers with customizable FAQ sheets, quick-reference guides and talking point templates.
- High-tech solutions: Way to incorporate digital platforms like Beekeeper and Staffbase to streamline manager-employee communication.
- Adaptive messaging: How to create clear, concise messaging guides that resonate across various team structures
- Responsive feedback systems: How to establish more effective two-way communication channels through pulse surveys and manager roundtables.
- Evaluation metrics: Ways to measure cascade effectiveness using KPIs like message penetration and employee comprehension rates.
Understanding your organization's unique cultural DNA is essential for fostering a thriving work environment and guiding its evolution. By examining your mission, vision, values, and purpose, you can uncover the core elements that make your workplace unique and determine how your organization can evolve over time. In this highly interactive workshop, you'll work in teams to delve deep into your organization's "cultural thumbprint" and explore the tools and levers you can use to influence and improve your company's culture.
- Defining Cultural DNA: Learn how each of the core components (mission, vision, values, and purpose) help inform the beliefs and behaviors of employees, and how it contributes to a unique identity that differentiates your organization from its competitors – plus, a case study on how companies have changed and adapted over time.
- Going global: Discover how a geographically dispersed team can introduce new perspectives, traditions, and communication styles that enrich your organization’s cultural tapestry – plus, best practices for integrating remote voices into decision-making and how to use your tech stack to foster cohesion and unity.
- Building connections: Identify the narrative that connects all stakeholders to your purpose, who belongs to your organizational system and what it takes to belong.
- Assessment Techniques: Surveys, focus groups, polls, oh my: Methods to assess how well your organization aligns with its cultural DNA, the role of effective communication in transmitting and reinforcing cultural values, and the success factors of a strategic launch.
- Stakeholder Engagement: How to include employees, customers, and partners in the cultural narrative, how collective experiences and rituals strengthen organizational culture, and growth strategies to enhance vitality, foster continuous improvement, and drive evolution and growth.
- Let's get interactive: Working in teams, you will create a cultural map of a fictional organization’s DNA, pinpoint areas to influence and improve, and develop an action plan to enhancing cultural alignment, vitality, and stakeholder connections. You’ll share your findings and plans with the larger group for feedback, inspiration, and collective learning.
What does it take to foster genuine enjoyment, purpose, and satisfaction in your workplace? This panel brings together communications professionals from companies recognized as the Best Places to Work to share their winning strategies. We'll dive into the metrics they use to measure employee satisfaction and explore actionable insights that can transform your organization's culture and productivity. Learn about:
- Measuring happiness: Learn about the key metrics and tools these top companies use to assess employee enjoyment, purpose, and satisfaction effectively – and why it’s critical to never rest on your success.
- Cultivating purpose: Discover how aligning individual roles with the company's mission can enhance fulfillment and drive higher performance among employees.
- Engagement initiatives: Real-world examples of successful programs and activities that have boosted employee morale and created a vibrant, engaging workplace culture.
- Communication's role: Why internal communications are critical in promoting transparency, recognition, and a sense of community within the organization.
When a company undergoes a merger or acquisition, a typical scenario can see losses of nearly 30% of impacted employees due to increased uncertainty and change. Remarkably, by implementing targeted strategies and strategic communications, one organization limited this subsequent loss of talent to just 5% in a transaction involving more than 5,000 people. This case study will share the creative measures this healthcare leader took to retain employees and integrate company culture during a multi-faceted transaction involving both an acquisition and the establishment of a long-term partnership. The discussion will cover the value of and need for:
- Planned and proactive communications: Learn how regular communication, open dialogues and clear messaging minimized uncertainty and built trust.
- Open forums, Q&A sessions, and more: Why consistent scheduling and a 360-degree approach to communication (from town halls, webinars and live chats to emails, newsletters, and intranet posts) kept employees informed and reduced rumors and speculation.
- Retention incentives & clarity on the future: How post-merger opportunities, including clear career advancement paths, a stronger sense of belonging and improved benefits helped to retain key employees.
- Accessible, unified leadership: How an open-door policy, one-on-one meetings, and small group discussions personalized the communications process and made employees feel valued and heard.
With nearly 40,000 mostly frontline employees across 42 states, Love’s Travel Stops faced a challenge: how to unite its workforce, streamline communication and enhance engagement across different employee groups. Enter The Heartbeat: a dynamic, mobile-friendly intranet that has revolutionized how Love’s team members connect, collaborate and access critical resources. In this session, we’ll share how The Heartbeat:
- Has driven 94% adoption.
- Improved retention by 11.7%.
- Become an essential tool for community and business growth.
Discover how a well-designed intranet can be a game-changer for employee experience and operational success.
VMA Group’s latest research reveals a stark reality: 63% of internal communicators say measuring and demonstrating ROI is their biggest challenge. But those who master measurement are transforming this hurdle into leadership opp. Break free from being “just a messenger” and discover how to turn employee comms data into strategic influence. Join us as seasoned internal comms leaders share their battle-tested measurement frameworks and ROI tactics that earned them a seat at the table, equipping you with tools to showcase your value and accelerate your leadership journey. You’ll learn:
- Measurement mastery: How to build a framework based on AMEC’s Barcelona Principles—plus, the exact KPIs our panelists use to demonstrate employee comms ROI to leadership.
- Content that converts: What others are doing to conduct content audits that identify engagement gaps and optimize employee comms cascades with measurable results
- Data that delivers: Proven methods for connecting comms metrics to business outcomes, from productivity gains to retention rates, with real case examples.
- Business intelligence: Tips to help you transform your comms data into business insights that matter to the C-suite, featuring actual examples of metrics that secured bigger budgets
- Dashboard design: How to create executive-ready data visualizations that consistently win leadership support—based on tested templates and calculation methods.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives face increasing scrutiny, and communicators must find ways to uphold the values important to their organization’s purpose against external pressures. The majority of the 50 largest US companies have deemphasized ESG reports and sustainability efforts, or buried their DEI reporting. This session explores strategies to champion DEI initiatives, drawing insights from companies navigating these turbulent waters and case studies of organizations that faced online backlash:
- Resilience in adversity: Learn how to integrate principles into the organization’s core business strategy and decision-making process, rather than treating commitments as peripheral initiatives.
- Leadership under fire: Gain insights into leading teams and promoting company values when facing skepticism or opposition from stakeholders.
- Cultivating inclusivity: How to empower leaders at all levels by providing low- or no-cost training and resources, which maintains momentum on key initiatives without investment.
- Communicating impact: Learn how to measure and articulate the positive effects of your DEI and ESG initiatives to both internal and external audiences.
Trust is increasingly becoming a critical cornerstone for a thriving workplace in today’s competitive talent landscape. According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer, 69% of employees trust their employer—making it the most trusted institution. But how do you nurture that trust across the entire employee journey? This deep-dive conversation with practical takeaways uncovers strategies to build and maintain trust at every stage, from recruitment and onboarding to retention and even alumni relations. Join us to hear how to create a cohesive, trust-driven experience that boosts engagement, retention and your employer brand. We’ll cover:
- Talent acquisition: Infusing trust into your recruitment and onboarding processes through transparent job descriptions, realistic job previews and 30-60-90 day check-ins.
- Retention strategies: Building loyalty through transparent communication and growth opportunities, including regular “stay interviews” and personalized development plans.
- Understanding needs: Leveraging surveys and feedback loops to address employee concerns at each stage.
- Succession planning: Fostering trust through clear career pathing and leadership development programs, such as mentorship initiatives and rotation assignments.
- Transition management: Maintaining positive relationships with departing employees and alumni via structured exit interviews, alumni networks and “boomerang” employee programs.
As organizations move faster than ever to change their strategy, structure, and systems, internal communications functions must have the right infrastructure to support the business effectively. During this session, we’ll dive into the four things that matter most to help you build a best-in-class internal communications function, including:
- Driving a clear, consistent, and memorable audience-focused message throughout the organization.
- Knowing what’s happening across the business so you can put the right systems in place to better plan and sequence communications.
- Modernizing and simplifying your channel set to maximize reach and impact.
- Measuring what matters most so your work is directly linked to business impact.
- Practical strategies for communicators to cultivate a culture of listening that drives transparency, boosts morale and enhances productivity.
According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, employees are more than reputation spectators—they’re shaping employer brands for better or worse every day. Yet most organizations struggle to harness these authentic voices effectively. In this PR-meets-Internal Comms session, you’ll learn how Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages puts their employees first in advertising and by doing so shares their company culture in an organic and authentic way. You’ll leave inspired by a discussion on how to tap into your number one resource—employees—and transform them into brand champions who help attract top talent. What you’ll experience:
- Under the Cap case study: How promoting employees in a behind-the-scenes series of humorous, heartwarming and inspiring videos helped increase applications to the bottling facility.
- Program architecture: The four pillars of successful advocacy programs—from ambassador selection and training to content creation and measurement.
- Content strategy: How to blend employer brand messaging with employee-generated content across platforms, including specific guidelines for LinkedIn.
- Ambassador activation: How to recruit, train and motivate ambassadors using recognition programs, content calendars and engagement metrics to sustain momentum.
- Measurement frameworks: Specific KPIs for tracking advocacy impact, from social reach and engagement to recruitment cost savings and offer acceptance rates.
AI may not actually turn out to be the job killer everyone fears (although it may replace new headcount). But as more basic and administrative tasks shift to AI, there will be less room for comms tacticians and more need for comms strategists. In this forward-looking panel, industry execs will share their roadmap for staying relevant and leading in the AI era, including how they are upscaling their (human) teams in skillset and mindset. We’ll cover:
- Tomorrow, Today: The role of AI today and in the near future, including the outputs already shifting to AI.
- Future Focus: The new opportunities AI is creating for human communicators—along with what this means for time and budget.
- Upscaling the Team: How comms leaders are empowering their reports to better understand the business and execute against making the business better.
- Case Studies: Examples of new projects that have resulted—and how they’ve paid off for both the business and elevating the comms team.
- How AI Can Bridge Generational Gaps: Creating more personalized and inclusive communication strategies that resonate across age groups.
SPEAKERS
INTERESTED IN SPEAKING?
Please reach out to Director of Event Programming
Alyssa Smith.
TOP THINGS YOU’LL LEARN
- Future-Proof Your Comms Strategy: Uncover the latest in commtech, including Gen AI, that will keep your workforce informed and engaged.
- Measure Trust and Impact: Learn the art of creating a communications measurement and evaluation strategy – and how to interpret those statistics for c-suite and leadership.
- Manager Comms that Work: Master strategies that pair with tech, toolkits and team training that will boost efficiency and reduce burnout.
- Conquering Change and Crisis Comms: Find out how to nurture an employee culture that adapts to change — and how to prepare for the unexpected.
- Eliminate Legal Roadblocks: The latest in AI governance, DE&I guidelines, cybersecurity, and social media compliance – plus, how to eliminate miscommunication.
- Strategic and Authentic Storytelling: Discover writing tactics for clear, concise, compelling and fun content in your newsletters, on your intranet and on social.
- Content Creation Strategy: Deliver more with less — without burning out or missing a deadline — by focusing on quality, marquis content.
- Build Your Purpose: How to develop a framework that illuminates your organization’s mission, culture and values – and turn your employees into brand ambassadors.
PRICING
Join us for the Employee Communications & Culture Conference:
| ADVANCED Until 1/17/2025 |
EARLY BIRD Until 2/14/2025 |
VIP Until 3/14/2025 |
REGULAR RATE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference All-Access Passincludes the Pre-Conference Workshops | ||||
| Standard | $3,495 | $3,595 | $3,695 | $3,795 |
| Nonprofit/Gov | $3,395 | $3,495 | $3,595 | $3,695 |
| Ragan Insider | $3,345 | $3,445 | $3,545 | $3,645 |
| Conference Registration - Individual | ||||
| Standard | $3,095 | $3,195 | $3,295 | $3,395 |
| Nonprofit/Gov/Edu | $2,995 | $3,095 | $3,195 | $3,295 |
| Ragan Insider | $2,945 | $3,045 | $3,145 | $3,245 |
| Conference Recording On Demand | ||||
| Includes pre-conference workshops and conference sessions | $1999 | $1999 | $1999 | $1999 |
For those who can’t attend the conference live, an on-demand option of the conference recordings is available during the registration process. The recordings will be delivered 10 business days after the conference ends.
Group Discounts
Would you and your team like to attend? Group pricing for 3 or more is available when going through the registration process!
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!
Hyatt Regency Chicago
151 E Wacker Dr,
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 565-1234
Visitor Info
Extend your stay in Chicago and explore all that the Windy City has to offer:
- 70+ museums including the Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum
- 500+ monuments and memorials including the Millennium Monument and the Abraham Lincoln Monument
- 600+ parks including the famous Lincoln Park
- Grab a slice of the famous deep dish pizza or a Chicago-style hot dog at one of the 7,000+ restaurants
- How to Include AI and ChatGPT in Your Comms Strategy
- Guide to Building a Better Business Case For Internal Communications Software
- Tools to Boost the Employee Experience
- Guide to Change Communications During Mergers and Acquisitions
- Presentation Skills for a Hybrid World
SPONSORS & PARTNERS
Titanium
Premium
Want to become a sponsor? Get in touch with our team to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
You can’t afford to miss this if you work in:
- Human Resources
- Employee Engagement
- Corporate Communication
- Employee Communications
- Internal Communications
- Executive Communications
- Culture
- Total Rewards
- Public Relations
- Change Management
- Employee Experience
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
GET RECOGNIZED!
Each registration comes with a personalized "Employee Communications & Culture Conference" Certificate of Completion for attending.
Lawrence Ragan Communications, Inc is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
This program is valid for 17 PDCs.
WONDERING IF YOU SHOULD ATTEND?
Here’s what past attendees are saying about Ragan and PR Daily Events!
An excellent conference, replete with helpful advice information, and networking opportunities.
— Glenn Murphy, Director of Communications, Tune Therapeutics.
It was refreshing to know that we are not alone within the Communications Community.
— Jacquie Collins, COUNTRY Financial
The Ragan employee communications and culture conference supercharged my love of communications, connected me with "my people", included incredible speakers, presenters, and panelists, and was top-notch from start to finish -- from the venue and location to friendly Ragan staff and great food and coffee!
— Kat van Lammeren, Senior manager global communications Christie Digital
Whether you're an experienced communicator or a novice, I highly recommend Ragan's Employee Communications & Culture Conference. They thoughtfully curate relevant and timely topics that any communicator, regardless of what industry they're in, will find valuable for their work. It's a great venue to gain fresh insights and new perspectives, and to expand your professional network.
— IT Communication Specialist, University of California, Riverside
This was an incredible example of the power of connection: to new ideas, to colleagues, to our core objectives. What a gift to have time to learn and reflect on how we can better engage and inspire our teams and audiences!
— Amanda Munoz; Director, Global HR Communications; Cargill
This conference was incredible. It was done excellently, we were well fed, the staff was delightful and the speakers and topics were excellent.
Reflecting on my experience at the Ragan Communications and PR Daily's Employee Communications & Culture Conference, I'm inspired by the power of effective communication. It truly is the glue that binds strategy and results together.
— Lexi Barringer, MSC Cruises.
KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST!
The conference fun doesn’t start and stop at the event! Follow us on socials and sign-up for update emails.
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