Communications Strategy2009-2010

This presentation outlines a series of communication programmes specifically designed for relevant audiences to gain

maximum awareness of the objectives of the forum so as to ensure wide and continued

international participation

•The Learning and Technology World Forum 2009 successfully attracted over 60 Ministers engaged in educational policy along with participants representing two thirds of the world’s population•The Forum’s objective to be a valuable platform for exchange among key policy makers and practitioners engaged in policy formulation and implementation of technology in education has been achieved but there is considerable scope for expanding its value and participation•Initial feedback from participants is very favourable •Many participants, which includes Government, academia and commerce, favour continued development of the event•Initial feedback from Ministerial sources and wider delegates points to a desire for future events to incorporate a greater degree of interactivity throughout the sessions

“I have appreciated the programme arrangements at the Forum and would very much value more opportunities to interact with colleagues whilst at any future events”

Education Minister, Government of Portugal

“The Forum is a worthwhile event, but I would have appreciated the opportunity for more interactive sessions to avoid too much emphasis on keynote presentations”

Senior Business Manager, Nordic Countries, Intel

“Ministers come to the event not just to listen to others but also to tell others about their own experiences and concerns.”

Adviser, Government of South Africa

“This is the key event of its kind in Europe, so I ensure I attend this.”

Vice-President, Worldwide Education, Adobe Systems

•Below is an outline of the feedback received from participants who attended the forum which provides useful information for consideration when designing the communications strategy and event for next year’s World Forum:

Value Relevance Structure

•Found certain aspects of the forum valuable•As a result of the forum nearly 60% of respondents will establish joint international projects •Around 75% of respondents indicated that they will conduct further research into the area and work with partners internationally, a key objective of the forum•Around 75% will commit to keeping in touch and using the collaborative site for ongoing dialogue and information exchange

•Certain delegates would have preferred to meet with policy makers•Around 25% of respondents did not appreciate being surrounded by vendors and classrooms•Certain aspects irrelevant •Maintain links with people at the conference•Over 25% of respondents considered the forum too classroom centric rather than focusing on system wide issues.

•Accessibility to all aspects ofthe event was favoured•Around 75% of participants thought that a strong two tier impression was given which was very impolite•More interaction favoured •Fewer lectures

•The merits of the objectives of the forum have been welcome by delegates•Clear and effectively outlining the benefits of the aims of the forum through a variety of external communications mechanisms will serve to widen the interest in the event and encourage greater levels of participation•The forum for 2009 could have achieved much wider exposure if elements from the closed session could have been, where appropriate, used for promotion to the media such as availability of senior ministers for media interviews•By carefully assembling a wide range of material relating to the central aims of the event in conjunction with ensuring that key contributors to the forum are on standby for the media, there is a real prospect of there been significantly greater interest in the forum for 2010

•This presentation outlines the proposed strategy for communications activity for maximum awareness of the 2010 Forum•The proposal is designed for the external promotion of an international event which will incorporate policy makers and practitioners engaged in the effective application of technology in education•Whilst there will be closed elements of the event which prevents publicising given the requirement for privacy, the majority of activities undertaken at the event and importantly, the availability of individuals to advance the cause of the forum, constitute worthwhile material for publicity purposes•This presentation designs a comprehensive series of programmes based on a wide range of material accessible for effective publicity of the event and ongoing exposure prior to and during the 2010 event

•The World Forum series is unique as a global platform for information exchange among key policy makers and practitioners •The forum addresses the requirements of the key groups whose primary areas of focus involve the design of policy and implementation of programmes to ensure effective application of technology within education•The forum gains strength from ensuring the widest participation of relevant constituencies and maintaining a strongly international focus and approach to the issues addressed

Senior Policy Makers at national and supra-

national level

Practitioners engaged in the delivery of policy in different environments

The wider public in order to continually improve

people’s understanding of the issues addressed

by the forum Indirect influencers of

the policy debate including politicians, the media, and think-thanks

Constituencies directly affected by technology in

education policies including parents,

academia and commerce

•To ensure maximum exposure for the 2010 event it is recommended that a series of communications programmes be implemented •It is vital in the spirit of the aims of the forum that the communications programmes are international in focus •These programme will seek to leverage online platforms to gain active participation of interested parties prior to the 2010 event•By fine tuning the messages and approach to different parties, such as emphasising the thought leader potential of the forum to policy makers through to the rich information project management potential of the collaborative website to practitioners will greatly widen the forum’s appeal•Effective communications programmes will open up new relationships with key constituencies allowing the promotion of related activities to the forum directly or indirectly supporting the forum including the Learning and Technology Network

•The following structure provides an outline of the framework for communications activity•These key messages will be emphasised in all communication with senior policy makers and practitioners, related influential constituencies including Government and academia, and the media and the wider public

•The key components for successful promotion of the event are as follows:

• Personnel: Senior BECTA and partner executives to be on standby to respond rapidly to media requests and act as Ambassadors both to their respective organisations and the overall aims of this event

• Content : Press Releases, content for feature placements, and biographical profiles of key spokespeople to be to be readily available once media and wider public interest is generated, unique content from the activity of participants using online communications will further add variety, relevance, and interest

• Brand: The uniqueness of this event presents an opportunity to position BECTA and partners as leading innovators in the implementation of technology for learning; although it is likely that continued success of the event series would open up opportunities for new areas of focus, it is vital that the central focus remains the promotion of global best practice in the design of policy and the effective application of technology in education; so long as the brand is associated with this focus its recognition will be strong and wide reaching

•The forum should increase its profile considerably with constituencies with which senior policy makers operate including Government structures that support policy makers, think tanks that inform research which impacts on the decision making process during policy design, and established academic organisations •In view of this it is recommended that some public affairs activity be conducted to support the forum•A series of informal briefings in the run up to the 2010 event with selected target groups could assist greatly in the wider “word of mouth” promotion of the event among senior circles engaged in education and technology•Possible awareness exercises could include issuing a series of newsletters providing case studies of effective use of technology in education, updates on the collaborative site’s activities, updates on the confirmed attendees for the forthcoming world forum, and informing them of the Learning and Technology Network and related initiatives•Targets for approaching would be international, wide-ranging, and relevant to the objectives of the forum, such as the European Institute of Innovation and Technology , American Educational Research Association, and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation; this would be in addition to supra-national, national and regional political figures

•In order to firmly position the forum as a leading edge centre of gravity that will add value to the work of senior policy makers and practitioners, it is recommended that a thought leadership programme be established•An effective programme with wide acknowledgement and participation will prove the forum’s intellectual leadership in the design and implementation of technology in education and its capacity to attract the best individuals to contribute to the debate •The programme would benefit with the establishment of roundtables where selected individuals from education, academia, government, and commerce could engage in useful dialogue (this would complement the Annual event by being held in between the annual gatherings and being more regional in character)•Material derived from these meetings could lead to the development of white papers, and the identification of suitable opportunities to work with think tanks through speaking opportunities and the contribution of content

•The Learning and Technology World Forum for 2010 will require a media relations programme that is well designed and rich in content so as to ensure maximum publicity•It is recommended that , whilst respecting the confidentiality of certain meetings, high interest aspects of the closed strand of the forum should be considered for engaging with the media; this could include, for instance, securing agreement from an attending Minister to speak with the media concerning his areas of interest and concern relating to the conference•Not only at the Forum but throughout the year, relevant and detailed content , including cases studies should be available for the media online and more directly given to them whenever face to face meetings with senior personnel •The main forum website and online collaborative site will be primary sources of data, offering a dedicated registration facility for journalists•The media relations programme should not only be solely focused on the annual event but also on the rich information and relationships that will be derived from the all-year round activity that participants are involved in, such as online collaboration and the proposed roundtable activities

•The online environment represents an opportunity to address the feedback wanting greater interactivity, especially during the months between the annual meetings •The main site and the collaborative site will act in specific and mutually supportive ways for the benefit of the forum’s objectives and participants •The effective use of both the primary and the collaborative sites given their potential as rich content sources with genuine interactivity represents additional long term opportunities for the forum’s objectives

•The forum’s site will operate in the following key ways: •Raise further awareness of the forum and its objectives for 2010 and beyond and to stimulate interest in participation in 2010•Provide an overview of the key highlights of the 2009 forum, including the range of workshops that took place, along with textual, video and photographical content•Acting as a data gathering platform through which to gain detailed feedback from participants, such as the post-event evaluation online questionnaire•As a long term project, to operate along with latwf.getideas.org, as content and communication threads populate the two sites, as a global knowledge database concerning effective application of technology in education

Raise awareness of future event including schedule, programme,

registration logisticsAdvise of the benefits of

maintain contact and divert traffic to

latwf.getideas.org

Act as an intelligence gathering platform

Overview of past event, including highlights and content generated from

event

Work for long term in association with

www.latwf.getideas.org on Learning and

Technology Network and global knowledge database project

www.latwf.org

•The role of the collaborative site will be:•Acting as a primary interactive platform for past and potential future participants to build and strengthen relationships and to assist policy makers and practitioners in the exchange of information and policy design and implementation•Locality will not be a factor thus increasing the appeal of this site as an effective global communications platform•As the site will not only be an effective source of information but an actual virtual working tool, it has the potential to become the workspace of choice for participants wishing to collaborate on specific issues •As a long term project, to act along with www.latwf.org, as content and communication threads populate the two sites, as a global knowledge database concerning effective application of technology in education

Virtual Work-Space Zone to act as a primary

working tool for participants

Raise awareness of future events including schedule, programme,

registration logistics through latwf.org

Act as an evaluation tool for the benefit of the

community evaluating communication and

project threads

Provide highlights of past event, including

summary of activities, blogs, and other

interactive activity

Work for long term in association with

www.latwf.org on Learning and

Technology Network and global knowledge database project

•The target list for the Public Affairs, Thought Leadership, and Media Relations programmes should be completed by end of Q1 2009•During Q2 2009 the select briefings to the target audiences for the programmes will begin along with the first roundtable•Q3 2009 will build upon the success of the previous quarter’s activities and begin preparations for the 2010 event•It is vital in preparation for next year’s forum that relevant, informative, and where necessary highly detailed content be produced and made available for distribution to the target constituencies, including prospective participants and the media to heighten awareness and interest•Upon a successful first series of briefings with key policy makers and practitioners, a productive roundtable session, and having cultivated strong interest among the media through a targeted approach, the 2010 Forum will be in a much stronger position to attract much wider participation and interest•As a result this will ensure an increased desire by participants for future similar events in focus and scope

•It is recommended that latwf.getideas.org be the platform to operate as the virtual work-space of choice for participants wishing to collaborate on specific issues •It is recommended that the site be upgraded to enhance its data sharing functionality in order to achieve this•This can achieved by structuring the site in order to maximise the software platform’s ability to allow users to exchange and update data files, such as documents, video, and photographical materials •This virtual work-space zone will allow real time interaction for data generation and management of global projects and crucially at a global level • Registered participants will be entitled to preferential data access and communities thus widening the site’s appeal•The www.latwf.org site will act as a source of reference concerning the past event and will resume a greater degree of activity in Q4 2009 in preparation for the 2010 event

•As a direct result of the significant amount of valuable data that will amassed from online activity through the two sites, it is recommended that a global knowledge database, The Learning and Technology Network, be established , to record, utilise, and refine the data with the active participation of the community •The intention is for this gateway to be a premier source of information related to all topics concerning learning and technology•The Learning and Technology Network (LTN) which will comprise both sites and other communications platforms supporting the objectives of the forum and the requirements of participants engaged in collaboration, will act as a focal point for policy makers and practitioners wanting data, and, through its collaboration component in the form of latwf.getideas.org, provide interactive options • Project and communication threads from the collaborative site will determine the shape of the LTN thus ensuring that the data is structured and presented in terms of relevance, topicality, and importance as judged by the wider community •The LTN will underpin the high level data requirements of participants engaged in data intensive collaboration through latwf.getideas.org providing a secure and robust global source of data

Public Affairs Programme Thought Leadership Programme Media Relations Programme

Q12009

Identify relevant top tier policy figures, including leading political figures, civil servants, and supra-national decision makers

Identify suitable organisations, including think tanks and international organisations involved in wider educational policy for participation

Compile media target list, including top tier business and educational titles (international, national, and regional), trade and online publications

Q2 2009

Develop content for distribution to the target list and to act as reference talking points during briefings with key policy makers

Develop proposals for the development of content, including through working with thinktanks; explore international dimension

Develop content, including case studies designed for the targeted media briefings,

Q3 2009

Initiate first meetings with target audiences, including briefings to political committees, governmental organisation specialists, and political figures

First roundtable session at end of Q3 to be set up; case studies and policy ideas and recommendations produced for appropriate distribution

Targeted briefing, low key; distribution to selected interested media case study content derived from thought leadership programme plus additional relevant information

Q4 2009

Forum build up, draw upon content derived from online collaboration and recent thought leadership roundtable activity; encourage strong interest in 2010 event, send invitation

Final content from roundtable and related activities produced for distribution to interested parties and to support publicity of 2010 event; participants invited to 2010 event

Set up exclusives with relevant top-tier journalists, begin preparations for producing content for 2010 event ; pre Forum News release issued; invitation to key relevant media

Q1 2010

Ensure interested individuals are provided with all necessary information for participation at the event

Ensure interested individuals are provided with all necessary information for participation at the event

Forum news release issued on the first day of forum; set up dedicated interview opportunities between high profile contributors and attendees to the 2010 event and interested media

Forum Website

http://www.latwf.org

Colloborative Portal

http://latwf.getideas.org

Q1 2009 Site structure altered providing highlights of the 2009 forum, and textual, video, and photographical content

Site is updated with content from the forum and registered participants are issued with email notification of the site’s functionality and offering

Q2 2009 The site continues to act as a source of information concerning the 2009 Forum and diverting those who have registered or attended to the collaboration website

Design and development of a virtual workspace zone for the site to extend the site’s functionalityThe site which by now has substantial communication threads, begins building up a substantial mass of registered users

Q3 2009 Site undergoes next phase of alteration in preparation for 2010 event, notifying people visiting the site of the dates and location of the 2010 event

Virtual workspace goes live and begins to act as a central working tool for participants to design and enhance project collaboratively at a global level

Q4 2009 Pre-event 2010 activity begins, with site functionality becoming more active with the intention of attracting maximum traffic and interest for participation at 2010 event

Design and development of a global knowledge gateway based on project and communication threads from collaborative site, other related external activity; pre-event for 2010 activity begins

Q1 2010 2010 event preparations and management, content uploads, intelligence gathering and post event evaluation

Collaborative site continues to expand in the run up to 2010 event, acting as a key tool before, during, and the event; data provided for knowledge gateway which continues to grow in functionality and application

•The communications programmes, properly implemented, will ensure there is maximum awareness and understanding of the potential of the forum, thus assisting to ensure the forum is in a position to continually succeed •Wider awareness of the forum will ensure its recognition as a invaluable strategic virtual partner of international proportions •In all communications activities emphasis should be made on illustrating the genuine value of the forum to policy makers and practitioners ; among the forum’s unique characteristics that will attract substantial interest are its role as a premier source of content and as a unique relationship building platform•The data collected, managed, refined, and used as a result of communications activities at the forum, outside of the event, and online, and the relationships that will arise internationally as a result of the above, will add significant value to the global policy debate and priorities concerning the effective application of technology in education , for the benefit of individuals and educational, social and commercial structures

Erick LamotheLearning and Technology World ForumFebruary 2009