CRISISCON

Controlling the Chaos: A Discussion on Crisis Management at CrisisCon 2019

 

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

 

Mastering Crisis Communications @ CrisisCon

 

CrisisCon, the inaugural conference hosted by Greenbrier Partners on all things crisis management, took place in San Francisco’s historic Fort Mason district last Thursday. Over the course of this half-day event, professionals from across the communications and PR ecosystem gathered for an afternoon of insightful conversations by industry experts around the applications of proven crisis practices and management, and real-life stories from the trenches.

The agenda kicked off with a fireside chat between Lane Kasselman, founder of Greenbrier, and Peter Ragone, principal at PWR, LLC, to discuss the nature of a crisis and how to determine if you’re in one.

  • Key Takeaway: A crisis to one person will not be a crisis to another.

Nairi Hourdajian, VP at Canaan, followed their session with an impactful solo talk on “The Art of the Deal: Crisis Style.”

  • Key Takeaway: You can’t spin your way out of a bad story.

Before breaking for cocktails and a networking reception, the afternoon concluded with panels around damage control and recovering from a crisis. Panelists included speakers from companies such as Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, and Strava. Closing the event was an intimate fireside chat between President of the Center for American Progress Action Fund Jennifer Palmieri and The Messina Group CEO Jim Messina.

Looking to learn how to get ahead of a crisis? Get in touch with Greenbrier Partners!