IABC conference comes to Switzerland

 

 

The IABC Europe and Middle East Region annual conference will take place in Lugano, Switzerland, from 9-10 February 2009. The conference brings together 150 communication professionals from the private, public and NGO sectors throughout Europe and the Middle East. It will be held at the Università della Svizzera italiana and the speakers will include outstanding communications professionals from UNHCR, Google, Nestlé and other leading organisations and universities.

CSR and sustainability – the business benefits

Join an IABC teleseminar that reveals how to turn “corporate social responsibility” from mere buzzwords into a real conversation. The one-hour seminar is on 13 March and is open to members and non-members.

ABOUT THE TELESEMINAR
For many organizations, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability are concepts that have not entered the mainstream business of the organization. Al Gore’s work with An Inconvenient Truth has helped put climate change on business agendas around the world. Communicators are increasingly becoming involved in driving CSR initiatives and shaping how an organization develops and implements sustainability strategies. This case study from Zurich Financial Services Australia will help you support your organization in translating its aspirations into business plans that benefit the business, shareholders, society and the environment.

Among the presenters is Meryl David, ABC, of Zurich Financial Services. Meryl has more than 20 years of communication experience, including public relations, media relations, corporate communication, developing leadership skills and internal communication and has recently been awarded tha IABC Chairman’s Award.

This is just one of the teleseminars in the IABC Professional Development program.

SPEEDNETWORKING EVENING

Join the IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) in Geneva at 18.30 on 24 September 2007 for a speednetworking evening. Members and non-members are welcome.

Speednetworking is THE way to get to know people with similar interests to you. PLUS you get to discuss three subjects of professional interest. It’s fast and furious, and one of the most popular types of event within the IABC.

How does it work? First, you exchange business cards with everybody else attending. Each couple has two minutes to introduce themselves to each other. A bell rings, and you move on to the next person for another two minutes, and so on. Then you choose one of three round tables where different subjects are discussed. After 15 minutes, the bell rings, the conversation stops and you move on to the next table. It’s a great way of advancing your knowledge and exchanging views in a very short time.

WHERE AND WHEN?

Monday 24 September, 18.30 to 21.00, Hotel Bristol, 10, rue du Mont-Blanc, 1201 Geneva

Speednetworking starts 18.45

Fee payable at door (cash only): CHF 25 for IABC members, CHF 35 for non-members

For more information: email marcus@ferrar.ch. It would be helpful if you RSVP. If you have an idea for a discussion subject, let Marcus know. COMING NEXT: Monday 22 October 2007, 18.30: Personal Branding: Bernadette Martin, Brand Strategist

Monday 26 November 2007, 18.30: Professional Development/Networking: speaker to be announced.

And in 2008, events in Basel and/or Zurich.

NEWS: M&A event creates a buzz

The Swiss IABC chapter held its third networking and professional development evening in Geneva on June 25, generating positive feedback about the value of such events for communicators.

The evening began with an hour’s networking over drinks. Djan Yagtug then give an inspirational talk on the challenges of mergers and acquisitions for communicators, in particular when the outcome is that one’s own job disappears. Djan was until recently Head of Communications at pharmaceutical company Serono, which was taken over by Merck.

Djan talked about how to spot when an M&A is imminent for your company, how to deal with the inevitable long period of instability, and how to cope with the outcome. He also touched on the satisfactions of being in a senior communications role at a challenging time. Djan is now going on to set up his own company, Red Bench. The audience, which included IABC members and non-members, participated in the discussion through questions and offering their own experiences.

The Swiss chapter is now working on a programme of events for the autumn and welcomes suggestions.  Post a comment here or email marcus at ferrar dot ch or lizwilson at imcp dot ch.

FEATURE: Connecting across Europe and the Middle East and thoughts on strategic planning

Tonight I’m off to Slovenia for IABC’s annual European Leadership Institute.  At sixty euros, this is one of the best deals possible for networking with top communicators from across our region …

read Kristen Sukalac on the many good reasons for attending IABC’s European Leadership Institute …

NEW EVENT: How do you handle an M & A?

NETWORKING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EVENING

Mergers & Acquisitions are hot news. Every day there is another. How does a business communicator working for one of the companies involved tackle the challenge of communicating the deal? And how do you handle it if your own job gets “merged” out? How robust is the corporate market for communicators, and what are the pros and cons of going independent?

SPEAKER: Djan Yagtug, former Head of Corporate Communications for Serono, now Merck-Serono. Djan is today Managing Partner of Red Bench, specializing in people development, communications and issues management.

M & As may be coming your way. Learn from Djan how you deal with them.

Monday 25 June, 18.30 to 21.00 , Hotel Bristol, 10, rue du Mont-Blanc, 1201 Geneva.

Drinks and networking 18.30: Presentation 19.15. Fee payable at door: CHF 25 for IABC members, CHF 35 for non-members.

For more information: email marcus@ferrar.ch. It would be helpful if you RSVP, but if you’re too busy, just come anyway! Looking forward to seeing you there!Marcus Ferrar, IABC co-President, Switzerland

NEWS: networking and Web 2.0

 

IABC members  and other communicators met in Geneva on May 15 to network and talk about the implications of Web 2.0. Alexander Osterwalder, PhD, of the Geneva-based consultancy Arvetica led discussions about Second Life and other social networking platforms and how these might impact professional communicators.

See Alex’s presentations at www.slideshare.net.

• Web2.0 for Communicators:
  http://www.slideshare.net/Alex.Osterwalder/social-media-for-communicators-web20-iabc/
• Second Life for Businesses:
  http://www.slideshare.net/Alex.Osterwalder/arvetica-second-life-for-businesses-introduction
• Web2.0 Business Readiness Self Assessment:
  http://www.slideshare.net/Alex.Osterwalder/web20-business-readiness-self-assessment

And view more photos at Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/8419513@N04/

More events are planned and ideas for content are welcome. If you’d like more information or have an idea for a particular theme please contact Marcus Ferrar, co-President, at marcus@ferrar.ch.

About IABC

The International Association of Business Communicators www.iabc.com links more than 14,000 business communication professionals in over 70 countries in a global network that inspires, establishes and supports the highest professional standards of quality and innovation in organizational communication.