Angela Balakrishnan, executive director of strategic communications and Public Affairs at the Information Commissioner’s Office explores the ICO’s approach to AI, data and communication strategy.

The key takeaway will be that data is about people —and how understanding this principle shapes the ICO’s approach to regulation, policy, and communication.

Using the Ripple Effect campaign as a case study, Ange will demonstrate how the ICO used data-driven insights and measurement centred around people to change behaviours after a data breach.
Attendees will gain practical takeaways on how to use data responsibly in communications, ensuring that transparency, trust, and most of importantly, people are prioritised in every message.

The pub and hospitality market contributes more than £20bn to the UK economy but has been challenged in the last three years by the cost-of-living crisis, salary increases and changing consumer habits.
Wadds Inc. worked with hospitality marketing agency, Brew to build a unique dataset called Pints and Pubs for pub and hospitality market of consumer insight, social media and web analytics to understand the digital journey to a bar.

A trip to the pub is increasingly a planned occasion, so customer reviews matter. Most customers now research before visiting, making a digital social presence as significant as the experience at the bar. The pub has a unique place in British life at the heart of the community. Special events such as music, quizzes and sports nights are a big draw.

Pints and Pubs is a unique research project that shows the power of data to inform business planning.

A dynamic exchange of ideas and perspectives. Engage with industry leaders and fellow attendees in interactive sessions designed to foster deep insights and meaningful conversations on all areas of data communications.

Data Malarkey is the podcast about using data, smarter. Hosted by Master Data Storyteller Sam Knowles, it features insights from top marketers, researchers, political pollsters, forensic scientists, and more—revealing common themes in how data drives smarter decisions.
For the first time at DataComms Live, Sam will interview a leading data-driven communicator live on stage, with the episode released the next day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Past guests include some elite data communications experts with the likes of Sorin Patilinet (Mars), Mark Montgomery (Novartis), forensic scientist Angela Gallop CBE and Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker.
So stay tuned as we’ll be revealing the special guest joining Sam in the hot seat!

A dynamic exchange of ideas and perspectives. Engage with industry leaders and fellow attendees in interactive sessions designed to foster deep insights and meaningful conversations on all areas of data communications.

Flourish, the data visualisation arm of Canva, takes the stage to explore the power of data storytelling. A leading platform for transforming complex information into clear, interactive narratives—without coding—Flourish empowers corporate communications and marketing teams with an intuitive interface and a rich library of professional templates.

Stay tuned for more details on this session and Flourish’s special guest.

A dynamic exchange of ideas and perspectives. Engage with industry leaders and fellow attendees in interactive sessions designed to foster deep insights and meaningful conversations on all areas of data communications.

For the final session of the day, Communicate magazine welcomes the brilliant Natalia Talkowska. In the world of data and communications, the challenge isn’t just collecting and analysing information—it’s making it resonate. This session unpacks the neuroscience behind storytelling, revealing how the brain processes narratives and why data alone isn’t enough to drive action.

Learn how to transform complex insights into compelling stories that engage, persuade, and stick.
• Decode how the brain processes data vs. stories for maximum engagement
• Craft narratives that make complex information clear, memorable, and actionable
• Use storytelling techniques to drive influence, trust, and decision-making in data comms.

Walk away with practical tools to turn raw data into powerful, persuasive communication that moves people.