Flows and press agency Belga organised the second edition of the communication summit. It brought together a lot of press, communication and marketing managers to discuss topics such as a sustainable relationship with the press and more mutual cooperation in the wider community.
With the communication summit in Ekeren, Flows and Belga mainly want to bring together companies from the port and wider logistics world and give them tips & tricks to optimise their communication. “The sector suffers from the prejudice that it often does not communicate well or sufficiently and with this event we want to counter this with a positive story,” says acting editor-in-chief of Flows Koen Dejaeger.
Trust base
A good relationship with the press is important but therefore does not have to turn into a friendship, it seems. “A good basis of trust between companies and the press is important and facilitates cooperation,” says Dejaeger. “The better you understand each other, the better you can put certain topics into perspective. I understand that we are not allowed to become friends. (laughs) Flows is an independent news platform and decides for itself what news is, but I am sure that a good, mutual basis of trust can take us very far.”
More collaboration
Senior manager corporate affairs & marcom at H.Essers Bob Van Steenweghen calls for more cooperation and to harness the power of media to reach an even wider audience. “We need to be careful that our trade media does not become an ‘incrowd media’, but that we try to reach a much wider community to deliver our messages there,” he says. Companies can also strengthen their communications among themselves by collaborating more and embracing technology. LinkedIn, for example, you can very easily engage to make a message go viral.”
Embracing technology
The days of just sending out a press release are long gone, it seems. To reach your audience, you need to master all means of communication and embrace the technologies available. “You have to constantly reinvent yourself and keep abreast of all new trends,” says Nathalie Van Impe, chief communication and marketing officer at Port of Antwerp-Bruges. “It’s a domain you can’t get out of. Despite the many changes and possibilities, the basis still remains spreading a message between a sender and a receiver. Starting from that basis and adding on top of it the necessary passion for the profession, that still ensures the best results.”
“Not only a focus on social media, but also podcasts and videos help strengthen a medium,” says Katrien Hennin, head of marketing and communications at CMB. “I have a technology background myself and am always the first to embrace new technology. Looking more broadly at the sector in general, we really need these new technologies to survive. And not just in terms of communication, but also, for example, when it comes to cybersecurity or making the sector more sustainable.”
Below the video, you can see a photo album of the event.
