CorpComms Magazine

With what promises to be one of the most fascinating party conference seasons ever witnessed looming on the horizon, now is an opportune moment to consider what this year's series of events may bring and how to get the most out of attending - or perhaps more pertinently, whether attending these exhausting, expensive, and frankly somewhat surreal annual gatherings is worth the effort at all.

So, what to expect? It is fair to say that this year's conferences will be especially busy and imbued with a certain sense of excitement, as is always the case with those that fall post-general election (particularly of course, when a new government has taken the reins - never mind an entirely new style of government). Crucially, this September will also provide an intriguing insight into how the dynamics of the coalition government are playing out - with the prospect of the two governing parties having to simultaneously support one another and appease disquiet from the activists and campaigners within their own ranks.

Jon McLeod, chairman of corporate communications and public affairs at Weber Shandwick, believes 'the party conference is the opportunity for the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives to reassert their identities as individual parties and there is a delicate balancing act both for Clegg and Cameron regarding the extent to which they choose to do that. I think that they have to reassert their party identities, but they won't be able to do it too much - otherwise they will risk rifts in the coalition.'

It is also conceivable that there may be some serious internal ruptures for the Liberal Democrats to deal with. Chris Whitehouse, managing director at The Whitehouse Consultancy, suggests that, 'there is a very real prospect of civil war breaking out within the party if Nick Clegg, Vince Cable, and Simon Hughes cannot hold together the Westminster party and the grassroots - who, generally speaking, are pursuing, (or hold to) two different paradigms of what liberalism is. I think that they are in for a rocky conference.'

As for the Conservatives, the jubilation brought about by David Cameron taking office will almost certainly be tempered by a post-mortem on why a more definitive victory eluded the party in what appeared to many to be optimal conditions for a resounding Tory majority.

However, one thing is for certain. After finding themselves in government for the first time, the Liberal Democrats can look forward to unprecedented levels of interest from both business and the media, as well as a huge surge in attendance levels. Previously overlooked in favour of the Conservative and Labour events, there can be no doubt that the Lib Dem conference has now assumed a much greater significance in the public affairs calendar. A more pertinent question this year, however, might be to ask whether the Labour party conference is a justifiable use of time and expense for communicators.

This year, Labour will be dusting themselves down and attempting to articulate a much needed new direction for the party - precipitated of course by the announcement of the results of the leadership contest on the eve of their conference in Manchester.

To go or not to go?

John Lehal, director at Insight Public Affairs, is sceptical regarding the value of attending the Labour Conference for those in public affairs. 'You go to a party conference because you get to see ministers and shadow ministers without their minders and you have a great level of access,' he says. 'Given that Labour will just be selecting their leader so they won't even have a Shadow Cabinet - we're expecting it to be very quiet this year...from a lobbying perspective, our advice to clients generally is to stay well away.'

Despite the fact that this year's conference will understandably be a rather more introspective and party-focused affair, Labour still has 258 seats - meaning a good deal of MPs with which to make contact and have discussions. Equally, Labour will remain an important force in parliament in an opposition capacity and, of course, at local level for the foreseeable future. Consequently, public affairs experts warn that it may be short-sighted to rule out attending the Labour conference altogether this year - particularly as it is by no means a forgone conclusion that the coalition will last the full five-year parliament.

For those attending the Liberal Democrat conference for the first time, there are various key points to bear in mind. Iain Anderson, director at Cicero Consulting, says: 'The Lib Dem conference is, quite literally, still the most democratic of all the conferences. It is the supreme policymaking body of the party, in the way that the Labour conference used to be. So when you see the party voting on issues, they're actually voting to create Liberal Democrat policy - which is something to look out for.'

Traditionally, the event has also tended to be considerably less formal than the other two conferences, with less security, more open debate, and rather less control from the leadership than its counterparts, though this may change following the party's new status. Indeed, the conference may become more stage managed and rally-like than in previous years, and there will certainly be a higher degree of security in evidence. Clegg and his team may also take measures to ensure that they are not left exposed to embarrassing challenges from unruly delegates.

The party conference season provides a fantastic opportunity to meet a diverse range of potential contacts, network, and make countless introductions - but expectations over what can (and cannot), be achieved during the conferences should be kept in check. Fiona Mason, managing director of public affairs at Mandate Communications, suggests that the conferences provide a perfect opportunity to make initial contact but arrangements to continue discussions more meaningfully at a later date should be made. 'You cannot expect to have really detailed policy discussions with ministers or other politicians because frankly, you may get a 15 minute conversation, but it's much more informal than it would be back in Westminster or Whitehall,' she says. 'So use it as a way of touching base with people but don't expect great significant developments, or for people to give way on policy, because that just won't happen.'

Tim Carr, managing director of public affairs at Madano, believes advance research is vital. 'It is absolutely crucial that you know what you want to say. It is not good enough to say Hi, I represent this organisation, aren't we great? That will bore them. They want to know what contribution you are going to make the formation of public policy, and consequently, whether they are interested enough to pursue it.'

Cicero Consulting's Anderson agrees. 'You're going to see a lot of backbenchers; you're going to see a lot of ordinary party members from individual constituencies, so really think about how what you are saying to them impacts them in their individual constituency at a local level,' he says. 'But also, try and answer the question: how does what you're telling them help them to do their job? If they are a minister or an MP, or if they're just an ordinary party member - how does what you're telling them help them be more effective?'

Careful planning is key

Whilst the informal environment of conference can allow for productive chance meetings, arriving at events in the vague hope that it will be possible to bump into a cabinet minister in the hotel lobby will likely lead to a frustrating, and ultimately fruitless, trip. As Whitehouse puts it: 'Organisation wins campaigns. If you are going to go to party conferences, plan every hour of every day so that you know exactly what you want to achieve or you won't achieve it.' Whether this involves organising oneto- one meetings in advance of the conferences or attending relevant fringe events to get a sense of the direction of a particular policy, establishing realistic goals and scheduling time diligently can make party conference season an efficient and cost effective way of getting round a wide variety of people with a relevant interest.

On a more practical note, budgeting for the events properly is crucial, as the costs of passes, accommodation, travel and food will quickly mount. Indeed, for smaller organisations, charities, or simply those on a tighter budget, it may even be worth considering attending for the day rather than the entire conference to keep costs down. Rod Cartwright, managing director, corporate and public affairs at Ketchum Pleon, suggests that when making the decision of whether the party conferences will prove valuable for an organisation, certain questions should be considered. 'Is it strategically the right thing to do? Are the audiences that you want to talk to actually going to be there and available? Could you do what you are going to do at the conferences more efficiently elsewhere - everybody is going to be very busy, so will you achieve more doing things at conference than you would if you stayed in London?

'Finally, it is worth thinking about whether you are going simply because you always have done and everybody else does, because those are bad reasons to attend. On the basis of these questions, is attending the conferences the right thing to do and is it time well spent? For a lot of organisations, it may not be.'

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