Last Thursday, Greenbrier hosted its second annual CrisisCon at Fort Mason’s Cowell Theater in San Francisco. From managing the nitty gritty logistics to on-site execution, our event management team was lucky enough to be a part of it all.

The conference’s agenda was jam-packed with incredible speakers from leading companies⁠—Zillow, Eaze, Lime, Franklin Square Group, and former Obama administration staff, just to name a few⁠—with backgrounds in public affairs, politics, crisis management, and communications. Experts discussed some of the biggest crises to hit the news and provided insight on preventing, managing, and recovering from a reputational crisis—tackling topics about responding to public and employee critique, communicating with reporters, resolving false information in the media, and recovering from tarnished brand identity.  

Andrew Vontz, head of communications at Strava, reflected on how he and members of his team managed public critique after the platform was blamed for exposing military bases and patrol routes. Public affairs expert Peter Ragone discussed the PG&E outages that recently affected thousands of homeowners across California.

New York Times Justice Department Reporter Katie Benner moderated the event’s keynote fireside chat between Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of Pod Save America and former Obama senior advisor, and Jim Messina, president & CEO of The Messina Group. The panel shared their experiences navigating crisis in the White House. Katie relayed burning questions from the audience, while Dan and Jim offered their insights on remaining calm during concerning moments of chaos. 

Following the captivating content at the event, attendees enjoyed a networking reception overlooking the iconic Golden Gate Bridge amidst beautiful panoramic views of the sunset.  

Interested in hosting an event like CrisisCon? Connect with us at events@credpr.com.