Event details ABTA’s popular Crisis Communications in Travel event delivers practical guidance from PR professionals, industry peers, journalists and ABTA to help you plan and update your crisis communications strategy so that you are ready should a crisis occur.About the event Whilst no industry is immune to dealing with crises, the travel industry faces increased risks and crisis scenarios. Recent years have proven that the travel industry is susceptible to crises in many forms from political tensions, terrorism and natural disasters to health outbreaks and safety concerns, all highlighting the need for travel companies to be able to respond quickly and communicate effectively during a crisis. When disaster strikes customers expect a rapid and honest response.Attend this practical seminar to support your planning process and ensure you are prepared. Explore how best to communicate with your stakeholders in the event of a crisis including staff, customers, concerned family members and the media. You will get guidance on how to ensure a well-structured response framework is in place including clear plans on roles and responsibilities, communication channels and contact information. During the seminar you will take part in practical exercises on how to manage the media plus top tips on how to prepare to speak on camera and balance what the media want with what the PR team can say.Hear from a journalist on exactly what they want from you when a crisis occurs. You will get top tips on building relationships and working with journalists before, during and after a crisis.Understand how to effectively manage and monitor your social media accounts, ensure empathy and transparency and maintain your online reputation and get advice on post-crisis communications to protect your brand.Moderated by ABTA, get guidance from communication experts, and hear case studies from travel businesses. Sessions Preparing and planning for a crisisTop tips for preparing your spokespeople: identifying and allocating rolesManaging the immediate response when a crisis hits: what information to share and whenBuilding relationships and working with journalists before, during and after a crisisPractical exercise: producing an effective media messageUsing social media as part of your wider communications responseMaintaining communication during a crisis and post-crisis recovery Speakers Moderator: Graeme Buck, Director of Communications, ABTA Graeme leads ABTA’s external and internal communications, including PR and media relations, marketing communications and brand stewardship. Joining ABTA in 2020, he was previously Head of Communications for Waitrose & Partners. He brings to the role more than 25 years’ experience of working with major organisations. Speakers include: Lorraine Bryant, Senior PR Manager, TUI Lorraine Bryant With a robust track record in strategic communications and media relations, Lorraine currently serves as Senior PR Manager at TUI, where she leads crisis communications with precision and clarity. Her career spans over 15 years in the travel and tourism sector, including senior roles at Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises, and leading agencies, giving her a deep understanding of brand reputation management in complex, high-profile environments. Sophie Hunt, Director, Insignia Claire Irvin, Head of travel, The Times and the Sunday Times Claire Irvin Claire Irvin leads the award-winning travel team at The Times and The Sunday Times. She has been a travel editor for more than ten years, during which time she has won awards not just for inspiring readers through quality journalism but for leading them through the pandemic and beyond. Previously, she was editor-in-chief of magazines including She, Company, Elle Girl and Sugar and editor-at-large of Grazia. Claire frequently appears on TV and radio including weekly on Sky News Breakfast, BBC, ITV, Times Radio and LBC. Lorna O'Neill, Communications Consultant, On the Beach Lorna O'Neill With 20+ year career in public relations, Lorna has held senior leadership positions in travel businesses including Marriott, Hilton and Trainline. She was former Head of Communications at Thomas Cook Airlines and a core member of the corporate affairs team that managed the intense media and stakeholder scrutiny when the iconic British travel brand collapsed in 2019. Lorna founded her independent communications consultancy, Surge Communications in 2019, and has been retained by On the Beach since 2020 to lead corporate, issues and crisis communications for the Manchester-headquartered online travel company. Jane Peverley, Group Head of Communications, Hays Travel Jane Peverley Jane Peverley joined Hays Travel in 2023 and leads the group’s internal and external communications strategies. She provides expertise on incident response - serving as a member of the incident management team – and is a strong advocate for ethics and inclusion. Jane is a Chartered PR practitioner with over 30 years of experience in communications and public affairs, gained across public, private, and higher education sectors. She is also a member of CIPR’s Equality and Diversity Committee and its Diversity and Inclusion Network. Hannah Smith, Senior Press Officer, Heathrow Sean Tipton, Media Relations Manager, ABTA Sean Tipton Sean is one of the main spokespeople for ABTA with years of experience. Over the years he has made many national and local TV and radio appearances including BBC Breakfast, BBC News Channel, Watchdog, Good Morning Britain, ITV News, the Tonight Programme, Sky News, Channel 4 News, Channel 5 News, Radio 4 Today programme, You &Yours, Moneybox Live, Sky News radio, LBC and Talk Radio. Travel is an incredibly varied industry and subjects he has covered have included natural disasters, failed airlines and tour operators, terrorist attacks, general consumer advice and phone ins. Favourite interviewer, Sky’s Kay Burley, least favourite, Piers Morgan. Benefits Benefits of attendingGain expert guidance on putting in place a crisis communications planDiscover how to build a crisis communications teamGain practical insights into managing social media and the immediate response to a crisisLearn how to build and maintain good relationships with the mediaTake part in a practical exercise to produce an effective media message and prepare to speak on cameraHear first-hand experience from travel companies how they communicated throughout a crisisEnsuring you continue to communicate effectively following the crisis to protect your brand and reputationNetwork with industry colleagues and explore how to work in partnership with key stakeholders across the travel industry Who should attend?This training day is designed for anyone involved in crisis planning, crisis communications and marketing from both large and small companies, including:Heads of communicationsHeads of external affairsMedia and PR officersMarketing managersSocial media and digital marketing managersEmergency planning and crisis management teamsHead of operationsIncident managersPublicity co-ordinators I found the event very useful, my role is very operational and this gave me extra insight into the areas we need to be considering in our overall plan. Denise Partchouse, Superbreak Prices ABTA member/partner Early Bird member rate - £269 Standard member rate - £299Early bird rates will expire on 9 January.This includes lunch and refreshments throughout the day, all delegate materials, presentations and an attendee certificate.Make payment by credit or debit card.View our booking terms and conditions here.*To qualify for the ABTA Member/Partner discount you must have a current ABTA Member/Partner number or your application must be in progress when the event takes place. Register now Non-member Early Bird member rate - £419 Standard member rate - £449Early bird rates will expire on 9 January.This includes lunch and refreshments throughout the day, all delegate materials, presentations and an attendee certificate.Make payment by credit or debit card.View our booking terms and conditions here. Register now Discounts Book three places and get 50% off the third place.(This discount will be automatically applied when you book online.)If you are looking to book for a larger group please contact events@abta.co.uk for a bespoke discount. Register now
I found the event very useful, my role is very operational and this gave me extra insight into the areas we need to be considering in our overall plan. Denise Partchouse, Superbreak
