Based in the UK?
Exactly how will your company be affected by the result of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU—whichever way it goes?
This is going to be a big issue over the next year or so, depending on when the date of the vote is set to be. It may even be this summer, according to comment over the weekend, which means less time to prepare than you might think… Communications professionals will need to set aside their own personal views on this topic, and think through what the stakeholders of the businesses they work for need to know—and we’ll need to plan for either future, whether it is In or Out.
Not every business will want to take a public position on this; but some might. And whether or not they want to take a position, CEOs are bound to be asked probing questions by journalists on this topic, and so will need to be prepared.
Investors will want clarification on key issues and risks (financial and operational); and the volatility leading up to the decision (and afterwards, if the decision is to be Out) is certainly a risk.
There’ll be internal communications to consider too: if the decision is to be Out, then this could have significant implications for employment law. Employees will want reassurance that their jobs will be safe, and their employment contracts still workable—and no doubt this could affect your employer brand too.
There’s a lot to think about, so Communicate have organised a conference to help senior communications professionals develop their strategy for the EU referendum. It will give people the opportunity to talk to their peers in confidence and to hear expert advice and relevant case studies.
There’s a great lineup of speakers, including a session with communications professionals who helped their clients through recent referenda in Greece and Scotland (remember those? That should be fascinating…)
Called Referendum Ready?, it will be in London on 26 January – find out more on the Communicate events page.
Lucy is Editor at Corporate Eye