Key Trends for Discussion at the Page Spring Seminar in Paris

On March 20-22, Page and Page Up members will be convening for our Spring Seminar, which will take place in Paris this year. The theme is International Leadership & The Expanding Remit of the CCO, and sessions look to cover everything from geopolitics to boardroom politics, along with the rapidly-evolving expectations of stakeholder groups. We have taken care to develop a rich and solid agenda to explore the most pressing issues for our industry. Here are a just few of the reasons I’m excited to meet with you all in the city of love.

Page’s First International Spring Seminar 
Hosting Page’s Spring Seminar in Europe is a testament to Page’s focus on broadening its perspectives and becoming a truly global organization. Just by meeting in Paris, we are changing the context and conversation. Over half of our attendees will be from outside of the U.S., discussing our industry’s challenges and using their unique global lens to examine everything from how diversity is defined to discussing sustainability without the political stigma. 

The Shifting Geopolitical Environment
Over half of the world’s population is taking part in a democratic election this year — and the implications have already started to reverberate across the globe. Our opening Keynote is Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former President of Poland, who will dive deep into how shifting geopolitics will impact east-west relations moving forward. Many other sessions will look at geopolitics through regional prisms, including China and the Middle East.

AI and Corporate Responsibility
Every industry is currently grappling with how AI will transform their business, and communicators will play a crucial role in untangling the stakeholder considerations surrounding the technology. Former Page chairs Aedhmar Hynes and Jon Iwata will be joined by AI expert Saira Jesani from Data & Trust Alliance, and Francesco Marconi from Applied XL. Also, this topic is certain to arise during our revamped Hot Topics Exchange session, which is designed to maximize group learning and peer discussion. Speaking of, take a minute to share your thoughts on what topics should be discussed in that session. 

New Tools for CCO Leadership
After lunch on Thursday, Page President Roger Bolton and VP of Strategy and Content Eliot Mizrachi will dive deep into new Page research, the upcoming report titled The Next-Gen CCO: Multistakeholder Leadership in a Fragmented and Turbulent World. The report details how CCOs can leverage their 360 multistakeholder view to align mission, strategy, business model and operations. 

Disinformation in the Eye of the Beholder
The multi-stakeholder mindset Communications leaders possess is also crucial in the fight against disinformation, a battle that is sure to intensify with the elections this year, with AI acting as an accelerant. Page member Bob Pearson will be discussing this with UN Special Rapporteur Irene Kahn, who said in a recent report “Multi-faceted, multi-stakeholder responses, grounded in international human rights law, are the most effective way of building resilience against disinformation.”

The CCO is at an inflection point, the dawn of a new era of essential leadership in a multi-stakeholder world. I hope to see you at the 2024 Page Spring Seminar in Paris, an international city whose history and culture will be an ideal backdrop for a global agenda.