Digital advocacy is a key factor shaping the EU political landscape. In advance of the European Parliament elections and the institutional changes that are likely to follow, the Public Affairs Council is organizing a European Digital Advocacy Summit on 19 June to explore emerging trends, best practices, and key tools and strategies for advocacy in the EU.

The conference — the first of its kind in Europe — features speakers including European Commission and European Parliament officials, as well as senior executives from the British Bankers' Association, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, AT&T and Change.org.

Topics cover all aspects of digital advocacy, including:

• Social media in EU affairs;
• Legal considerations;
• Where to start with online efforts;
• Tracking conversations;
• Finding influencers; and
• How to measure the impact of campaigns.

Participants will learn about the EU’s digital agenda directly from a senior European Commission official, including how online tools are shaping advocacy in EU institutions — and what to expect next.

The opening panel features European officials and an MEP advisor, who will give their perspectives on what works and what doesn’t in reaching EU decision makers. Other panelists will share best practices for engaging the European media and how to balance traditional vs. social media outreach, while also examining the role transparency plays. 

Executives from leading public affairs teams will share case studies on successful digital advocacy campaigns, detailing how they structured and managed their efforts, and sharing valuable lessons learned. 

Other experts will discuss where to start with online advocacy, what works for tracking conversations online, decision points for whether to listen or engage, and how to find your key influencers. The conference will also cover legal considerations, how to best measure social media engagement, whether petitions are useful for influencing public policy and if it is possible to quantify the value of retweets and signatures.

For more information: Visit pac.org/digitalsummit or contact András Baneth, managing director, Public Affairs Council’s European office, at abaneth@pac.org or (+32) 496 201416.