Risk Communication Workshop with NZBIO and CFRCANZ

Fear sells media—countering the climate of fear with risk communication

Society has become extremely risk averse, where fear sells news. The consequence of this is increasing media attention towards perceived risks associated with novel technologies in food, agriculture, health and the environment. Every science-intensive organisation has to manage risk. There is a need to build trust and engage with stakeholders, reduce concern and communicate benefits to end-users, as well as manage the organisation’s reputation in order to bring potentially controversial new products or technologies to market. 

Leadership Strategies towards countering the Climate of Fear

NZBIO has partnered with Asia BioBusiness and CFRCANZ to bring you a specialist 2-day workshop to help your organisation manage and communicate risk. The focus of the workshop is strategic risk management, and the topics covered will include:

  • Controversy management
  • Strategic risk communication
  • Risk communication policy & training

Specialist Workshop Focus

In addition, the specialist advisors from Asia BioBusiness will tailor the event to support attendees across the following areas:

  • Stakeholder mapping
  • Social media advocacy
  • Trust building
  • Public meetings design
  • Activism strategies
  • Media training

Who should attend?

All bioscience-based organisations need to be able to understand, manage and communicate risk. This workshop is for leadership and senior management in bioscience organisations, as well as those team members whose focus is risk management. Examples of organisations with science and technology risk include:

  • Companies reliant on New Zealand’s GBR1 disease-free status
  • Organisations undertaking clinical trials at any phase
  • Companies developing novel human health products/technologies
  • Agricultural biotechnology companies developing novel seeds/traits
  • Research organisations using cutting edge scientific methods (including GM, nantotechnology, stem cells)
  • Natural health companies that leverage New Zealand’s “clean green” brand and could be affected by natural disaster or disease outbreak
  • Government organisations that deal with risk management and/or biosecurity

Benefits of Attending

Specialist risk training for the bioscience sector has never been offered in New Zealand before, so this is a one-off opportunity to attend such a workshop without travelling offshore. In addition to the specialist focus of this 2-day workshop, NZBIO has negotiated that each attending organisation will receive bespoke one-on-one follow up after the event to assist with your unique challenges.

Workshop Format

The workshop will give industry leaders a practical overview of the theory and practice of risk communication. Participants will return to their organisations with strategies and skills to be able to begin a process of implementation. The interactive workshop approach will lay the foundations for direct application of the science in a practical and pragmatic fashion. Through ABB’s KnowledgePl+s mentoring programme, follow up conference calls with participants will build a foundation for development of risk communication programmes and roll out strategies.

Registration Fees

NZBIO is delighted to be able to offer this event in New Zealand for the first time, at a special rate for members:

  • Members $ 1200 + GST
  • Non-members $ 1500 + GST
  • Affiliated Industry Association Members $ 1350 + GST
  • Group rate (Corporate members only) $ 1100pp + GST for 3 or more participants.

Register online here…