Cutting-Edge Strategies for Successful Community Engagement & Outreach
Singapore, [April 11, 2014] –( ASIA TODAY )–With brand reputation on the line, organisations now realise that there is a need to actively engage their stakeholders and community in dialogue in order to improve decision making and accountability. Should their efforts be half-hearted or superficial, they will only alienate those with whom they are trying to build a rapport with.
Mr Simeon Mellalieu, Partner & General Manager, Ketchum Hong Kong, says that “community engagement used to be a differentiator for corporate positioning, but now it is table stakes in giving companies permission to do business, particularly for foreign multinationals.” Realising that communities affect and in turn gets affected by business operations, companies spend millions and hours on corporate engagement activities. However, successful community engagement doesn’t come by easily. Every initiative requires a well thought-out plan with clear and measurable objectives.
To achieve this, Patricia Gallardo, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability, Shangri-La International Hotel Management commented that companies have to “move away from philanthropy to more strategic community engagement with the end goal of improving the lives and environments where we work.” “Engagement builds trust – through the workforce, their families and neighbours – and trust builds profits. Engaging successfully requires careful consideration in a world where cheap publicity stunts will cause a backlash,” added Mr Simeon Mellalieu. Businesses therefore need a strategic engagement plan aligned to business objectives that would help it to maintain good relationships and enable communities, companies and industries to thrive in the long-term.
To equip community engagement professionals with effective approaches to community building and outreach, Pacific Conferences is organising a 2-day “Best Practices in Community Engagement” conference, to be held on 21-22 April 2014 in Singapore and on 24-25 April 2014 at the Regal Hongkong Hotel, during which case studies and insights on strategy formulation, community asset mapping, engagement programme development, partnerships and collaboration and more will be shared.
This conference will bring together leading industry professionals to network and address issues related to community engagement. Experts sharing include Clair Deevy from Microsoft, Kerri-Ann Mower from Aviva, Tara Hammond from Shangri-La, Mok Chee Hong from Fuji Xerox, Callum Douglas from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Christen Chen from National Volunteer and Philanthropy Center and Georgie Passalaris from Diageo among many others.
Participants will hear case studies from Banking & Finance, Travel, Hospitality, Transportation, Logistics, Utilities and Retail Industries among others, on how they can be equipped with effective approaches to community engagement.
Conference Details:
Title: Best Practices in Community Engagement Conference
Date & Venue:
21 – 22 April 2014, Singapore
24 – 25 April 2014, Regal Hongkong Hotel, Hong Kong
Organiser: Pacific Conferences
Contact Person: Daphne Poon (Ms)
Tel: (65) 6592 7366
Email: daphne@conferences.com.sg and quote “ATCSR1”
Attachment: Full Programme
Full programme can also be found at: http://www.conferences.com.sg/csr-asiatoday.htm
About Pacific Conferences
Pacific Conferences (www.conferences.com.sg) specialises in organising business conferences aimed at providing interactive, insightful information and analysis about issues facing businesses in Asia-Pacific. Catered to middle and upper level executives, its events are usually case studies driven with emphasis on providing in-depth and unbiased practical knowledge.