Host presentation: The Czech Nuclear Programme
Room: Bohemia II+III

Keynote speakers:

Ales John, Deputy Director, Division of Production, Cez Group

Lucie Steinerová, Communications Manager, Czech Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (RAWRA)

Zdenek Kriz, Scientific Secretary, Nuclear Research Institute (NRI Rez plc)

Marie Dufková, PR Specialist, CEZ Group

True to tradition, this PIME session will be dedicated to an appraisal of the situation in the host country. With the Dukovany NPP having recently celebrated 30 years of providing electricity for Czech consumers and the Temelin NPP having been connected to the grid for 5 years, the main focus of this session will be on how to communicate effectively with the general public on a range of key issues. These include the heritage and contribution of the Czech nuclear industry, the safe and efficient storage of radioactive waste, the benefits of new build and state-of-the-art Czech nuclear research that will not only provide continuity for today but also a technological springboard for the nuclear industry of tomorrow.

PARALLEL WORKSHOPS WITH MODERATORS

WORKSHOP 1: Internal communications
Room: Bohemia II+III

Moderator: Piluca Nuñez, Communication Manager, Spanish nuclear forum (FINE)

With a contribution from:

Xavier Layrac, Head of Communications, EDF, Tricastin NPP

Rizea Lavinia, Public Relations Officer, SN Nuclearelectrica SA

Ales John, Senior Vice President, CEZ Group

Keeping everyone in the organisation well-informed and seeking their input instils a sense of belonging; of being an essential part of the whole. Informed and involved employees can express with conviction an organisation’s core values and enhance its external image. One of those core values that empowered employees are better able to articulate is a strong culture of safety and security. This workshop focuses on how effective internal communications can help achieve both internal and external objectives.

WORKSHOP 2: New tools (Young Generation Network)
Room: Bohemia I

Moderator: M. Manuel Fernandez Ordoñez, Webmaster, Spanish Young Generation (Jovenes Nucleares)

With contributions from:

Scott Peterson, Vice President Communications, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)

Nathalie Sarkic-Todd, Managing Director, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

Susan Brissette, Change Leadership, Bruce Powerand Presindent WIN, Canada

New communications tools are evolving very quickly. A few years ago creating ones own corporate website or generating press coverage for a nuclear event was enough to keep people satisfied. Nowadays websites are outdated and public opinion is not only influenced by the media. We’ve entered a new era, where people are now empowered to generate their own news by creating blogs, podcasting, sharing videos or sound tracks on You Tube, circulating them by email and inventing a new life on “Second Life.” These new tools can influence the results of an election (French Presidential election), inform people about a political uprising that is taking place at the other end of the world (Burma) etc… Nuclear communicators can no longer ignore this fact. Fueled by concrete examples this workshop will help you make the most of all these new tools.

WORKSHOP 3: Where others have succeeded and we have failed
Room: Hluboka I

Moderator: Juliëtte Van der Laan, Communication Manager, Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG)

With contributions from:

Henri Monceau, Consultant, European Wind Energy Association (EWEA)

Ales Ondruj, Marketing Director, Czech Railways

Other industries face similar challenges to ours when it comes to communicating about waste and their low-carbon status. Some have been more successful than us in getting the right messages across and in pre-empting or countering the arguments of their opponents. This session focuses on how other industries have succeeded where perhaps we have failed. What is the secret of their communications success? How can we learn from their experiences and adapt their strategy to suit our situation?