Lobbying and Advocacy – How to gain the Trust

Best Practice Seminar on 11 September 2012
Lobbying and Advocacy – How to gain the Trust
of your Stakeholders!
How do companies and associations present their interests in politics and society nowadays? How do
you create long-term dialogue with your stakeholders, e.g. neighbourhood residents, decisionmakers, politicians in communities and on all political levels, non-profit organisations, and the
media?
The true meaning of lobbying is more than just trying to influence legislative and executive
authorities. It also requires intense contact with the various interest groups which can have an
impact on your business and decisions made about your business. Reaching them requires an
extensive PR strategy, as well as personal appeal. Lobbying is similar to a sales process. The decisionmakers among the stakeholders must be treated as important customers. They must be introduced
to your company, inspired by your products, and brought on board for your business.
All of our speakers in this field without exception are experts who are willing to share their
knowledge with you. They have a background in politics, the plastics and chemistry sectors, as well as
affiliated businesses and associations.
After participating in our seminar, you will be in a position to
 assess the effectiveness of your own actions towards your stakeholders;
 identify the stakeholders’ importance for your business;
 devise a systematic approach for servicing your stakeholders; and
 network with other lobby groups.
During the seminar there will be enough time for questions, discussions, and dialogue among all
participants.
About the Organiser:
The AGPU (Working Group PVC and Environment) is one of Germany’s top 100 lobby organisations,
and its successful work has been described as exemplary by specialists. It has been a trustworthy
dialogue partner for stakeholders in the PVC industry for over 20 years now, and its managing
director, Werner Preusker, has been invited to speak on this topic at numerous conferences in
Europe and the USA.
Conference venue and hotel: Faculty club and the Begijnhof Hotel in Leuwen, Belgium
For more information please contact Maike Breypohl, PVCplus, [email protected], +49 176 668 121 87
Date:
11 September 2012
Duration:
Full-day event from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., incl. get-together dinner the evening
before on 10 September starting at 7 p.m.
Organiser:
PVCplus Kommunikations GmbH on behalf of the AGPU
Participants:
Managing directors, marketing managers, communication managers, and
specialists from PR departments
Participants:
Max. 50
Participation costs
without hotel
accommodation:
750 € (+ VAT) for participants from AGPU member companies
995 € (+ VAT) for interested parties outside the AGPU
25% (+ VAT) discount for each 2nd participant from the same company
DAY 1
7 p.m.
Get-together
7:30 p.m.
Dinner with keynote of Ernst Schwanhold, former Minister for Economic
Affairs and Minister of Transport in North Rhine-Westphalia and Area Leader
within the BASF in the field of environment and energy
DAY 2
9 a.m.
Reception with coffee and tea
9:15 a.m.
– 10 a.m.
How to combine lobby efforts on the national and EU levels. Mr Theihs also has
experience in Berlin and Brussels. He provides an overview of the principles of
European legislation and talks about the coordination of activities in speaking with
national and European bodies.
11 a.m.
11:30 a.m.
– 12:30 p.m.
12:30 p.m.–2 p.m.
3 p.m.
– 4 p.m.
5 p.m.
How does the AGPU specifically organise its lobbying? Mr Preusker demonstrates
important elements of successful lobbying campaigns. Which aspects should be noted
and what is wise and sensible. Networking and communication in the member states
and Brussels.
Norbert Theihs, German Association of the Chemical Industry (VCI)
Successful Lobbying on national and EU level
10 a.m.
– 11 a.m.
2 p.m.
– 3 p.m.
Werner Preusker, Managing Director of the Working Group PVC and
Environment (AGPU)
Lobbying means acting on many different fronts
Break
Philip Law, British Plastics Federation (BPF)
Real life example: Lobbying starts at the factory gate
How to improve the value of your business by lobbying the political system, media and
stakeholders.
Lunch
Andreas Buhr, Keynote speaker and Sales trainer, Owner of the Go! Academy
Lobbying is like a sales process: Stakeholders are like customers
Which sales strategies and tactics can we apply to the stakeholder dialogue? A
renowned sales trainer draws parallels.
N.N. from neighbouring industry
Learning from others
Sometimes it’s worth looking outside the box. How do businesses from other sectors
approach stakeholder dialogue?
End of event
Deadline for registration: 9 August 2012
For more information please contact Maike Breypohl, PVCplus, [email protected], +49 176 668 121 87