Now in its 12th year, the Communications Directors’ Forum (CDF) has changed tack for its 2011 outing. The event has moved from its traditional early-summer slot to the autumn, coinciding with the Marketing Forum, but will still provide senior communications professionals with three days of discussion and debate covering issues across internal and external communications.

The event takes place on board the cruise ship Aurora, which will sail around Guernsey from 12-15 October while communications professionals and suppliers swap expertise and network. Delegates – decision makers from across internal and external communications – can set up one-to-one meetings with suppliers, as well as exploring issues in seminars, workshops and think tanks.

As for suppliers, they can position themselves as leaders, and use information provided by delegates on their current comms needs to develop business links. So it’s unsurprising that many of them are advocates for the Forum. The PRCA takes advantage of the CDF as a regular slot to speak to its existing members, but also sees it as an introduction to prospective new members.

“As a direct result of the connections we made at last year’s event, we signed up a number of new members,” says Steve Miller, membership manager at PRCA. “We also find ourselves bumping into a number of existing Consultancy members at the Forum, as well as a number of service companies, suppliers and friends whom we have met over previous years. With all the breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings alongside the planned schedule, it makes for an intense, arduous, but ultimately rewarding three days.”

 Evolution Live has a very different focus to the PRCA, but finds the CDF to be equally beneficial. “It creates real opportunities for us,” says Andi Swain, CEO of the events company, who believes that the forum opens doors for Evolution Live to reach communications directors who might otherwise be out of reach.#

 The event provides valuable face time with your audience, crucial for suppliers who don’t have a  physical product so much as a concept to offer. For  The Phoenix Partners, this is the CDF’s real attraction  – and Joanne Fahey says that the 2010 event was so  successful that she signed up for 2011 before even  reaching dry land. “We sell a service, a concept,  a solution,” she says. “It’s so much easier to talk  face to face so that we can clearly demonstrate our  capabilities and establish a basis on which to proceed.”

  This opportunity for face-to-face contact is also  a draw for communication solutions company the  drpgroup. “We find it valuable to demonstrate  what we have achieved when managing internal  communications strategies,” says managing director  Dale Parmenter, “and we can share knowledge drawn  from a wide range of industries each year.”

 Attending for the seventh time this year  will be MTM Communication Skills Training.  “Communication directors are our key  commissioners,” says managing director Warwick  Partington. “The CDF is an excellent opportunity  to meet board level communication directors and  discuss the communication coaching needs of their  executives. We’ve attended the event for the last 6  years, and have seen our business grow as a result of  the relationships that we have built over that time.” 

The event provides opportunities for suppliers to  interact with potential clients in multiple ways to best  demonstrate their capabilities. Employee engagement  consultancy invigor8, building on two previous  successful years, will emphasise the importance of  “glued together” (in the words of director Peter  Gannon) internal communications. “This year, we’ll  be able to showcase a number of bespoke client  interventions and brainstorm with communication  directors how different approaches might work  for their organisation,” says Gannon. “It’s a great  opportunity to network with fellow directors and to  meet potential suppliers in a friendly and professional  environment.”

 Three days of networking and intensive discussions  on the state of the communications industry  leads, almost inevitably, to the mutual exchange of  experiences and lessons learnt. Alan Cooper, director  of digital marketing communications agency Freestyle  Interactive, says this is a major benefit. “It’s a great  place to be able to share genuine insight from the  delegate’s perspective too: what we learn about  delegates’ communications challenges helps ensure we  can meet their changing requirements.”

 Freestyle has attended the CDF for the past  three years, and has seen a growing trend of comms  directors becoming keen to develop their insight  into work across all marketing communications  channels, including of course social media. Digital  PR specialists TVC Group will also be on board –  and commercial director Adam Clyne argues that  the environment promotes successful connections  between suppliers and practitioners: “It allows  us to meet new people, share insights with PR  communication directors and find out about the  challenges they face.” 

Communications directors who need to connect  with journalists will also be on board the Aurora.  Daryl Willcox Publishing helps comms professionals  do just that, and will be taking advantage of the CDF  to connect with communicators from across a range  of industries. “To be able to meet so many influential  comms directors is a great opportunity for us to learn  about their requirements, current challenges and  visions,” says Ashish Jethwa, who’ll be on board as  part of the DWPub team.

  The forum brings together exhibitors and comms  practitioners who wouldn’t otherwise encounter  each other. On Screen Productions is attending for  the fourth time, and producer Richard Cobourne  says, “The CDF works for both sides – it is a unique  opportunity to meet with pre-qualified serious players  who have a proven desire to expand their horizons.”  Asked whether he thought it worthwhile, Cobourne  points to his company’s repeated attendance: “We  have met people we simply would not have met any  other way.” 

News aggregator Moreover Technologies has  tracked the changing world of media, having been in  operation since 1998. Mark Denn values the “ideal  audience” in place at the CDF, and the packed nature  of the trip.

  “It’s so helpful to be able to answer questions  in-depth, and in a way that speaks most effectively  to questioners’ focused needs,” he says. “It’s critical  for us to have a forum like this that permits detailed  explanation of all the moving parts that we provide –  and that’s exactly what the Communication Directors’  Forum is.”