Join us for an energizing gathering of communications leaders at the 2025 Page Up Annual Conference—where strategy meets surf, and leadership meets learning.
This year’s theme invites you to adopt the surfer’s mindset: bold, resilient, agile, and attuned to fast-changing conditions. In a world increasingly fragmented by shifting tides of geopolitics, culture, and technology, senior communications leaders must chart a course that connects across borders and breaks through noise. As organizations expand their global reach amid waves of disruption, innovation, and stakeholder pressure, communicators must read the currents and respond with clarity, speed, and purpose.
The conference opens with a Welcome Reception & Dinner on October 28, followed by two days of keynotes, peer-driven discussions, and three curated content tracks designed to help you sharpen your strategic edge and strengthen your impact.
Benchmarking Workshop
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
In this workshop, we’ll dive into Page Navigator — a new, three-part resource built to help members retool their function, meet emerging demands, and elevate the value communications brings to the enterprise. Drawing on insights from Page’s latest benchmark study, we’ll explore how the accompanying affinity groups and transformation framework can help leaders turn data into action and accelerate change within their organizations.
Download the report.
Registration
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Networking Reception & Dinner
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Registration
7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Breakfast
7:45 – 8:45 a.m.
New Member Breakfast
7:45 – 8:45 a.m.
Welcome & Opening Interaction
8:45 – 9:20 a.m.
The Swell Ahead: Signals From a Shifting World
9:20 - 10:05 a.m.
We're witnessing the rebirth of a corporate affairs function we haven’t seen in years. The tide is turning from a calm, cooperative global business environment to choppier waters, where governments, institutions, and stakeholder groups often find themselves at odds. Communicators are being pulled into a more regionally fragmented world, requiring a new model to weather the tides. This moment calls for an updated playbook, along with the skillsets needed to stay balanced and agile in shifting currents.
Accelerating Forward: Rethinking Reputation in Choppy Waters
10:05 – 10:55 a.m.
In a landscape where headlines shift like tides and stakeholder expectations swell and recede, reputation management demands precision, resilience, and a clear view of the horizon. This session offers a current snapshot of the reputational climate, drawing on insights from the Axios Harris Poll 100, the longest-running study of corporate reputation in the U.S., to chart the forces disrupting the market and reshaping public perception.
We’ll explore how communicators can activate reputation-building programs with intention, using paid, earned, and social channels to steer the trajectory of business outcomes. You’ll gain guideposts for identifying the small
...Surfside Conversations & Connections
10:55 – 11:35 a.m.
Mingle, share insights, and spark new connections with fellow attendees in this interactive networking session.
Turning the Tide: How Communications is Powering Intel’s Reinvention
11:35 – 12:20 p.m.
In an AI-driven world where semiconductors are foundational to national security and global competitiveness, Intel is navigating a high-profile turnaround - confidently rewriting its story with the customer at the center amid geopolitical challenges and strategic reinvention. Cory Pforzheimer, Intel’s VP of Corporate & Product Communications, will share how evolving communications strategies are balancing legacy, trust, and innovation to build credibility and drive transformation during this pivotal moment.
Networking Lunch
12:20 – 1:20 p.m.
Catching the AI Wave: A CCO’s Guide from Concept to Practice
1:20 – 2:05 p.m.
AI is transforming the communications function, but how do you move from ideas to impact? Amgen Head of Corporate Affairs Susie Tappouni will share a candid, inside look at how her team is adopting AI: from strategy and structure to tools, budgeting, and lessons learned. Walk away with practical insights you can put into action right away.
CONCURRENT SESSIONS: AI
2:05 – 3:05 p.m.
Through real-world examples and peer insights, you’ll leave with a strategic roadmap to ride the AI wave with confidence—and avoid the wipeouts that come with rushing in unprepared. Pick from one of three options:
OPTION 1: AI Personas in Action: Problem Solving, Risk Mitigation, and Employee Engagement
What if you could rehearse your toughest communication challenges against a realistic persona before the stakes were high? In this interactive session, a panel of communications leaders will explore how AI-driven personas can help organizations prepare for crises, pressure-test strategies, and engage employees more effectively.
...Afternoon Break
3:05 – 3:35 p.m.
Business Meeting
3:35 – 4:20 p.m.
Navigating Institutional Tensions in Changing Political Currents
4:20 – 5:05 p.m.
As the tides of political leadership shift, so do the dynamics between governments, institutions, and stakeholder groups. In this Chatham House Rules session, the Chief Communications Officers from General Mills and the University of Southern California will join a moderated discussion to explore how communications leaders can respond strategically when these entities find themselves at odds. From navigating policy pressures to aligning internal messaging with external realities, panelists will share how they’ve adapted their strategies to maintain clarity, build trust, and support long-term organizational success in an increasingly complex environment.
Closing Remarks
5:05 – 5:15 p.m.
Networking Reception & Dinner
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
This year’s Page Up theme, adopting the surfer’s mindset , challenges senior communications leaders to be bold, resilient, agile, and attuned to fast-changing conditions. As the waves of disruption, innovation, and stakeholder pressure continue to surge, communicators must read the landscape and respond with clarity, speed, and agility.
The evening will kick off with a lively networking reception and dinner at the Intuit Dome, an opportunity to connect with peers, exchange ideas, and experience one of Los Angeles’s most exciting new venues. Guests will then gather for a fireside chat with J.J. Carter, CEO
...Networking Breakfast
7:45 – 8:30 a.m.
Opening Remarks
8:30 – 8:35 a.m.
Charting Your Own Course: The Art of Strategic Career Design for Communications Leaders
8:35 – 9:25 a.m.
The modern communications career isn't a ladder—it's a portfolio of experiences, skills, and impact that you actively design. Today's most fulfilled leaders are those who've embraced non-linear paths, moving fluidly between agency life, corporate communications, academia, consulting, and entrepreneurial ventures to create careers that evolve with their values and ambitions.
This inspiring panel celebrates the power of intentional career crafting, featuring accomplished communicators who've successfully designed their own professional journeys. You'll hear from leaders who've transitioned from agencies to build internal communications empires, corporate executives who've found their calling in academia, and seasoned practitioners who've created thriving independent
...Managing for Tomorrow Award
9:25 – 9:40 a.m.
Concurrent Track Sessions
9:40 – 10:30 a.m.
Option 1: Point Break or Breaking Point? Employees Surf the Transformational Tsunami
Change no longer comes in isolated waves—it’s an endless swell communicators must read, ride, and redirect. Marketers and PR pros are shifting focus from external audiences to the most powerful constituents -- those within their organization. When transformational change hits, employees either catch the wave—or get caught in the undertow. For communicators, the difference comes down to how well we help our teams read the surf, find balance, and stay connected to the larger journey.
In this session, participants will chart their own “Change
...Morning Break
10:30 – 11:00 a.m.
The Undertow of Influence: Understanding Today's Media Ocean
11:00 - 11:45 a.m.
The media landscape has transformed into a vast digital ocean, where social platforms have overtaken TV as the key news source and powerful algorithmic currents shape what people consume. YouTube influencers and podcasters are increasingly becoming news providers, and traditional new organizations are changing course. Join us as we discuss the tsunami-like shift and what communicators need to think about with today's modern media.
Stories with Depth: Gelles & Kenna in Conversation
11:45 – 12:30 p.m.
Patagonia’s Corley Kenna, with journalist and author David Gelles, will close the 2025 Page Up Annual Conference with a powerful look at purpose in practice — how companies can stay true to their values when the waves get rough. Moderated by Stacey Bailey, the discussion will go beyond Patagonia’s story to explore how any organization, regardless of size or sector, can align values with action.
Closing Remarks
12:30 – 12:35 p.m.
Closing Lunch
12:35 – 1:35 p.m.
The registration fee breakdown is tiered based on your membership type. Register on or before August 23 for the early bird rate.
Italicized numbers indicate the raised rate after August 23.
Corporate, Agency, Executive Search: $2,140 | $2,240
Non-Profit, Government, Retiree: $1,520 | $1,640
Educator: $980 | $1,080
Complimentary: $0
Our policy is to refund 50% of the conference fee if canceled 31 days in advance of the scheduled start of the event. There will be no refunds, in whole or in part, for cancellations received within 30 days of the event. Registration fees are non-transferable. All other cancellations will follow our standard cancellation policy.
To foster a culture of trust and peer support, members shall not engage in any unsolicited communication—verbal, written, or digital—primarily intended to promote or sell a product, service, or professional offering to another Page or Page Up member. This includes cold pitches, post-event follow-ups intended to generate business, or asking for meetings for business development purposes. While business connections are a natural outcome of relationship building, Page activities (virtual and in-person) are not intended to be sales environments. All Page programs are peer-to-peer, and contact information for members of the community should not be used for solicitation. Violations of this policy may result in direct intervention by Page leadership, with repeated offenses leading to limitations on participation in Page activities or removal from the membership.
We trust members to use good judgment and to help us keep the focus on the community. Though failures to observe Page’s non-solicitation policy are rare, they have a disproportionately negative impact on peer engagement. If you experience unwelcome solicitation through the Page network, please privately inform Page’s CEO, Rochelle Ford at rford@page.org. Thank you for your effort in helping to uphold the integrity of our community by ensuring interactions remain focused on learning, collaboration, and the collective advancement of the profession.
Page’s Non-Solicitation Policy: 3 Key Points
Do not use Page relationships or events to promote products or services, including cold pitches, follow-ups aimed at generating business, or meeting requests for business development.
Page is a trusted space for shared learning and furthering the profession. Member contact info is for connection, not solicitation.
Page staff will intervene if this policy is violated. Repeated offenses may result in limited participation or loss of membership, at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.
To support an upcoming program or event, or to explore our recognition opportunities, email Sloane Signal.