Advances in Local Government communication

Advances in Local Government communication

Developments that are forcing governments to communicate faster and better than ever before will be the focus of the Government Communications Conference 2012.

The conference, being held in Melbourne from 29 February to 2 March, will explore how rapid technological advances and shifting consumer preferences are changing the way governments conduct their communications.

President of Government Communications Australia, Peter Fitz, says social media, the National Broadband Network (NBN), and the arrival of mobile accessible websites will revolutionise professional communications in Australia.

Also Manager of Communications and Research at Moreland City Council, Mr Fitz will be a key speaker at the conference.

"Moreland is the first urban area in mainland Australia to get the NBN, so we have got the jump in terms of seeing and experiencing the benefits of this new technology," he said.

"When the Prime Minister launched the NBN in Brunswick, she said that 80 percent of all web traffic would be video by 2013. This means that every council in the next few years will have to convert all of their dot point pages into something visual to interest people," Mr Fitz said.

"The NBN will enable full blown interactivity – it’s going to be radically different in the communications game."

The conference will enable Local Government personnel who are involved with communications to learn about new trends and solutions, and share their experiences with industry colleagues.

Other topics will include online reputation management, crisis communication, social media engagement and effective communication case studies.

The conference is being held at the Windsor Hotel, 111 Spring Street, Melbourne. For bookings and further information visit www.govcomms.com.au