Key takeaways from the CIPR Annual Conference 2022

The first in-person conference since the pandemic was no small feat, and the National Gallery, in the heart of London, was perhaps the perfect host venue to capture this. 

CIPR’s theme for this year’s gathering was ‘Influencing the Future’ and for us working at international PR agency BlueSky Education, we prepared to bring home some key lessons that we could use to help our university and business school partners implement in their own PR strategies.

‘Influencing the Future’: how PR will impact an evolving world, but also how it will change PR. Quite the significant theme, in quite the big venue, with powerful speakers to match.  

“We must PR the solutions” was the takeaway message from Futerra’s co-founder Soli Townsend, speaking on how PR is the key to reaching global development and sustainability goals. PR is not just the ‘spin doctor’ but can also be as a force for concrete change.

Change was another ongoing theme throughout the conference, notably highlighted by TikToker and journalist Sophia Smith Galer (pictured at the top of the page). Influencers can get hundreds of thousands, often millions, of views on their own platforms, and yet when confronted with this the audience fell silent when considering their own use of the platform and its stars. 

The afternoon bought us a thrilling talk from Nina Schick, which was a real stand out to us. Nina is an author, advisor and speaker specializing in how AI will change the framework of humanity.

Nina discussed both the risks and the opportunities AI will not only bring to the PR industry, but how it will impact all aspects of business and society. Having advised governments and several top AI and technology companies, Nina shared with us the importance of not only keeping up-to-date with this technology, but how we shouldn’t be afraid of it.
 

Nina explained that one of the many benefits of AI in PR is that professionals now have the opportunity to use relevant AI software to reduce monotonous work practices, giving us more time to focus on other important tasks. New AI software is being developed all the time. Nina told us that when combining our own PR skills with AI, such software has the potential to be hugely beneficial. For example, platforms such as Jasper.ai are a great overall tool which helps support PR professionals when producing long-form content. 

Will AI enhance the PR industry? Only if we embrace it, Nina said.

The conference closed with the fantastic story of Rise at Seven, told by its CEO and founder Carrie Rose. The growth and expansion of such a young company is unpresented, and Carrie took us on a candid journey of her highs and lows during its progress, as well as her vision for search-first PR. 

So, common themes ran through the talks: PR’s role in the future; the changing influence of tech; and new mediums and modes from which professionals like us can take advantage of. 

But another theme stood out to us, one unstated but just as important. Powerful speakers, all also powerful women, leading the PR world.

Digital passes to the conference are still available, providing on-demand access to all the conference content until 8 December. More information here.