Automotive Communicators Discuss Preparing for and Dealing With Crisis

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., April 14 -- Dealing with Crisis is the focus of the Spring Conference of the Automotive Public Relations Council (APRC), which will be held Wednesday, April 21, 2004 at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, Mich. This event will provide insight on how automotive public relations professionals should plan and execute successful crisis communications strategies.

A number of industry experts will discuss their views on real life crisis situations, crisis management and how crisis can put even the best communicators to the test. Presenters include:

-- How to Prevent Crisis And What to Do When You Can't - Jonathan Bernstein, president, Bernstein Crisis Management, LLC.

-- Case Study: Firestone-Ford - What we Learned - Richard S. Levick, president, Levick Strategic Communications.

-- The Role of the e-Newsroom in a Crisis - Ibrey Woodall, TEKgroup International Inc.

-- Dissemination of News During a Crisis - Mike Isopi, PR Newswire

-- Case Study: Crisis Communications at JCI - Bill Dawson, vice president communications, Automotive Group of Johnson Controls, Inc.

The event will also include a media panel: Bill Hampton, publisher of Hampton Publications; Ed Garsten, automotive reporter with The Detroit News; and Bill Visnic, senior technical editor of Ward's Communications.

The winners in the 2004 Excellence in Automotive PR Awards competition will be announced at a special cocktail reception following the conference activities.

Information about the meeting and registration materials are available from APRC at 919-549-4800, ext. 872, or by sending an e-mail to jdowd@mema.org . The conference brochure can also be downloaded from the events page on www.autopr.org .

The APRC is a professional peer group of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association.