Victoria Airport Crisis Communications & Social Media

Transcription

1 Victoria Airport Crisis Communications & Social Media September 29, 2017

2 Quick Facts Victoria Airport Authority established 1997 Not-for-profit capital corporation responsible for operating, safety, environmental, financial and development aspects of the 1198 acre aerodrome. Over $34 million in revenue aeronautical fees, non-aviation and AIF 1.85 million passengers in 2016

3 Why have a Crisis Communication Plan in the first place?

4 The Crisis Communications Plan is designed to help prepare for and manage the Victoria Airport Authority s (VAA) communications response in a crisis. The development and execution of an effective crisis communications plan will reinforce the VAA s public image as a competent, caring and responsible member of the community.

5 What fundamental components does a good plan contain? This Crisis Communications Plan is organized to identify the key contacts and communication tools to support the VAA s public response to emergencies. It provides a guideline to define the roles of the team and to ensure that the core responsibilities of each role are clear.

6 Expect the unexpected! A plan is only as good as the people you have available to perform each function and is not a replacement for competent leadership or reasonable decision making.

7 VAA s Crisis Communication Plan Core Components Identification of the accountable team members, both with a primary and alternate for each identified role. A basic organizational chart showing the teams structure A more in depth role by role description for what each team member is to do to support effective communications. Some helpful information for how to write and what to do to compose a media release along with some basic worksheets and examples. A list of relevant media contacts from the airlines.

8 There is no right and wrong when it comes to having a plan and it needs to be right sized for your organization.

9 VAA s Plan in Depth:

10 Roles in the Crisis Communication Plan: The VAA has 2 primary roles, with 2 secondary support roles identified in the plan.

11 Primary Role #1 (CEO or Airport Manager) Makes initial statement; communicates honestly and openly and expresses regret if there are injuries or casualties. The executive is also in the best position to make strategic communication decisions, which ultimately affects public perception of the VAA.

12 Primary Role #2 (Public & Media Coordinator) The Public & Media Coordinator acts as the Chief Executive s designated spokesperson in his absence and acts as the liaison for all media contacts. All messages to the media are approved by the CEO. He coordinates news conferences, news releases, media interviews and site tours. He evaluates the crisis and develops communications strategies with the Crisis Communications Team to enhance the reputation of the VAA.

13 Most smaller issues or mini-crisis can be dealt with by one or both of these individuals and does not require a larger team. In most airports, this would be considered the front line media team. For larger issues, or ones that anticipate a more significant impact to the airport, we would draw on additional resources.

14 Secondary Role #1 (Communications Coordinator) Works with the Public & Media Coordinator to post approved message(s). Acts as the central point of internal communication and disseminates this to the VAA team.

15 Secondary Role #2 (Administrative Coordinator) Provides administrative support to the Crisis Communications team. Coordinates phone support team to manage inbound public calls and relay information to the Public & Media Coordinator. Assists with any clerical support, supplies and logistical arrangements.

16 If we anticipate that a situation would warrant a great deal of inbound phone calls, we would coordinate all available administrative staff to attend the airport phones and use the templates contained in the plan to record information and relay the approved key message.

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18 With the exception of the Airport CEO/Manger, each role must have a clearly defined scope in the plan and consider assigning both a primary and alternate person who understands the role s duties and expectations.

19 The world has changed, media communications is not just about talking on the phone or setting up a news conference any more. It s instant, it s always on it s..

20 Social Media!

21 Why I used to HATE Social Media but now I don t!

22 Why I thought I hated Social Media No time? Who is going to do it? What s a tweet and who cares? I have a website, isn t that enough? What is wrong with good old fashioned or telephone? What s the point of all this and don t my staff have better things to do?

23 Had I only known better

24 I REALLY wish I had known better

25 NOT the way to enter the world of Social Media: A Case Study Reactively pushed into Social Media Little time to plan Higher cost of entry Required a great deal of outside support on short notice Took focus off other projects in a very unexpected way

26 And most importantly BOSS NOT HAPPY!

27 Moving forward Dealt with initial issues with a consultants help Created a manageable plan to establish a space in Social Media with a focus on Twitter and Facebook Assigned some existing resources to manage the communications along with senior management support Leveraged basic tools and software to make managing the communications more effective

28 The Game Changer!

29 The Game Changer!

30 The Game Changer!

31 I drank the kool-aid! Was amazed by the engagement this created with a new audience With tools in place to manage communications, was not really more burdensome than traditional communications Set customer expectations in place with noting hours we would tweet and use Facebook Continue to use an outside consultant to provide guidance and mine content for proactive tweets and facebook posts

32 And most importantly, our company gained their own voice In the Social Media world

33 Social Media and crisis communication, a critical component of a modern plan.

34 During a crisis, the media and public will be expecting up-to-date social media information to supplement more conventional methods.

35 Although social media is a useful tool, a website message or actually talking to the media is not replaced just because you have a twitter account. You need to manage all of these streams, so this is why having a small team is critical to successful crisis communications, not just one person trying to do it all themselves.

36 Prior to using social media, VAA would post information on our website and engage the media by phone or on-camera media interviews. Although this provided some level of information, other people were engaging in social media about the relevant issue and we were absent in the space. This caused an inordinate amount of repeat calls by media who were monitoring social media and asked us to comment on what others were saying.

37 Since we have been engaged in social media, the tide has turned. VAA creates the message. VAA controls the pace of information. VAA sets expectations in the social media world. VAA can see and respond to others using social media as needed.

38 And most importantly, VAA is able to communicate effectively during a crisis situation as we use all of the communication tools at our disposal.

39 Recent Crisis Event April 13 th, 2016, Main Waterline breaks at the terminal building, flooding large section of our basement and all water shut off during our peak passenger rush. No flush toilets No potable water Flooded basement, with PA system knocked out!

40 Recent Crisis Event May 12, 2017, Mooney Aircraft declares emergency on approach to YYJ. Upon landing, right side gear collapses and aircraft stops partially in the grass on the edge of the main runway, 09/27. Main runway is immediately closed to all aircraft Fire and Emergency Services from the region respond

41 A good plan, run by good people!

42 VAA broke the story on social media and our website at the same time. Crisis Communications team worked closely in the EOC to keep all feeds updated and provided timely responses. Conventional media was heavily used as well, but found that all major outlets were checking social media for updates as a primary source. Social media and website updates dramatically cut down on how many media calls were checking in for updates as we were already pushing them out.

43 Final Thoughts Social media proved itself to be a great platform to communicate as a supplement to more traditional media. The speed and reach of the information cannot be understated. Ensuring your crisis plans include those who can leverage social media and website content is key in any crisis. Empower staff with easy to use tools so they can communicate anywhere, anytime. You never know when a crisis will hit or where people will be.

44 Questions? James Bogusz, VP Operations & Development Victoria Airport Authority