Welcome to the 2010 Government Marketing and Communications Conference

Last year we presented "The Black Swan - Communicating in an Unpredictable World" and if there was one lesson we took away it was that now is normal and today is tomorrow's "good old days". While you've been following the news and the trends, you will have noticed we have all become a bit more cautious, a bit more family focused and dare I say a bit more conservative in our thinking.

So what does this mean to government marketing and communication professionals – more innovation? more creativity? more community engagement? And what do we mean by 'innovative', 'creative' and 'community engagement'? - or more is the point, what are our audiences looking for? This 2010 Conference shines the spotlight on Innovation, Creativity and Community Engagement with best practice examples from national and international peer organisations.

Like Australia, the social media train has hit Washington, DC and organisations across the city have discovered you either jump on board, or risk being run over. Organisations across the United States, including the Department of Defense, are increasingly looking online as a place to tell their story and communicate with key audiences. This year we are very pleased to have Lindy Kyzer join us from the US to share her experience in spearheading the Army's entrance into the social media space.

Mark McCrindle will explore the changing times and changing trends in the Australian audience while one of Australia's foremost marketers, Graeme Chipp will deliver a thought provoking session that will challenge you to re-think how you can deliver a 'citizen-centred approach'. Other speakers will show you how you can generate great ideas on a tiny budget; examine the media and the art of taking part; and give you strategies to balance stakeholder interests with government objectives.

Don't miss the pre-conference workshop on social networking. The workshop is being led by George Patterson Y&R's National Digital Director, Rob Hudson, along with our US guest, Lindy Kyzer.
I look forward to meeting you at the conference in September.

Graham Wright
Chair, 2010 Government Marketing and Communications Conference