Crisis Comms Speaker Radar: 6 main routes, AFAC closes 21 September (2026)

The first main-list deadline published by an organizer is 21 September 2026 for AFAC's Lessons Management Forum. AFAC gives a closing time but no timezone, so submit before the final day. This issue adds four new routes and updates two calls that were announced in August: ICA and WWRP now point applicants to their submission systems.

This issue was checked on 7 September 2026. Only events beginning on or after 7 December 2026 qualify, regardless of when their proposal deadlines fall. The six main entries are sorted by event date; the review section keeps three time-sensitive leads separate because their deadline or subject fit remains unclear.

Main shortlist

Tier 2 - Corporate Communications Conference London 2027

Dates: 25 February 2027. 1
- Location or format: Central London, UK; one-day, in-person conference and networking exhibition. 1
- Organizer: Global Insight Conferences Ltd. 2
- Event language: English in the official event material; a separate language policy was not found. 1
- Relevant theme: The agenda names "Crisis In Real Time," AI in communications, rebuilding trust, political uncertainty, and testing communications uses of AI. 1
- Route status: The event is confirmed and registration is open. Public CFP: not found. Organizer contact, not a CFP: info@corporatecommsconference.com, through the official conference page. 1
- Fit: Pitch a practitioner case on live incident response, trust recovery, misinformation, or human review of AI-assisted crisis work. Ask whether the 2027 programme still has a speaker, panel, or moderator opening before developing a full proposal.

Tier 1 - BAPCO Annual Event 2027

Dates: 23-24 March 2027. 3
- Location or format: Liverpool Experience Campus, Liverpool, UK; in person. 3
- Organizer: British APCO. 3
- Event language: English in the official event and submission material; a separate language policy was not found. 4
- Relevant theme: The call seeks operational lessons from emergency services and sessions on AI-assisted call handling, automation, digital evidence, multimedia emergency communications, and public-safety platforms. 4
- Route status: Call for content open. Deadline: 22 October 2026; time and timezone not found. Submit through BAPCO's call for content. 4
- Fit: A strong route for control-room, emergency-call, warning, or multi-agency communication lessons that can give public-safety practitioners a method they can use.

Tier 2 - Public Sector Comms Week 2027

Dates: 11-13 May 2027. 5
- Location or format: Rex Hotel, Canberra, Australia; in person. 5
- Organizer: Akolade. 5
- Event language: English in the official event material; a separate language policy was not found. 5
- Relevant theme: The organizer names crisis management, countering misinformation, public trust, AI, and emerging technology. The 2027 agenda is still being assembled. 5
- Route status: Speaker inquiries are open; deadline not found. The page says limited speaking slots are available. Use the official speaker-inquiry page or contact production@akolade.co. 5
- Fit: A direct practitioner pitch should connect one public-sector incident to a repeatable method for crisis response, misinformation control, trust, or responsible AI use.

Tier 1 - AFAC Lessons Management Forum 2027

Dates: 25-27 May 2027. 6
- Location or format: Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, plus online participation. 6
- Organizer: AFAC. 6
- Event language: English in the official event and abstract material; a separate language policy was not found. 6
- Relevant theme: The forum covers learning before, during, after, and across emergencies. The 2027 call also names AI as an enabler of lessons work. 6
- Route status: Call for abstracts open. Deadline: 21 September 2026 at 23:59; timezone not found. Submit through AFAC's abstract portal. 6
- Fit: Use this route for a case that shows how an organization captured, shared, and applied communication lessons before, during, or after an emergency.

Tier 2 - 77th Annual ICA Conference, Mass Communication Division - status update

Dates: 3-7 June 2027. 7
- Location or format: Glasgow, Scotland, UK; the Mass Communication Division expects at least one author of an accepted submission to attend in person. 8
- Organizer: International Communication Association. 7
- Event language: English in the official theme and division calls; a separate language policy was not found. 7
- Relevant theme: "Centering the Human: Communication in an Age of Uncertainty." The division invites work on AI, global crises, climate emergency, misinformation, public relations, and risk communication. 8
- Route status: Submission system now linked by ICA. Deadline: 2 November 2026 at 18:00 (UTC+01:00). The official division call states 12:00 noon EST. Submit through ICA's ScholarOne system. 8 9
- Fit: This route suits a research paper, extended abstract, or international panel on risk, crisis, misinformation, trust, or AI. Authors must accept the division's reviewer commitment; a general practitioner talk without research is a weak fit. 8

Tier 1 - WWRP 2027 Conference on Weather Water Resilient Societies - status update

Dates: 23-25 August 2027. 10
- Location or format: Nanjing University, China; in-person sessions with live-streamed oral sessions for registered participants. 10
- Organizer: World Weather Research Programme of the World Meteorological Organization. 10
- Event language: Abstracts must be in English. 11
- Relevant theme: The call covers people-centred multi-hazard warning systems, communication and use of uncertainty, preparedness, risk governance, and the forecast-to-action chain. 10
- Route status: Call for abstracts open. Deadline: 31 December 2026; time and timezone not found. Submit through Oxford Abstracts; the form sits behind account access. 11
- Fit: The strongest option here for an evidence-led session on warning messages, uncertainty, public preparedness, trust, or AI across weather forecasting and emergency decisions. The submitter must be the first author and presenter. 11

Flagged review

Tier 2 - IPR Bridge Conference 2027, 8-9 April 2027, New York City, USA: The Institute for Public Relations is accepting panels, expert presentations, ARC Talks, and research sprints in English. The deadline is 15 September 2026, with no time or timezone stated, and the SurveyMonkey proposal form is live. The 2027 call names research-driven public-relations practice but no crisis, risk, trust, or AI theme. Fit: pursue this only when the proposal can establish its value to the general research-to-practice programme. 12
Tier 2 - NAGC 2027 Communications School, 12-14 May 2027, Hilton Austin, Austin, Texas, USA: The National Association of Government Communicators' English-language call names AI, deepfakes, misinformation, and the future of public information. Its application portal is listed, but the official page prints "Tuesday, September 29" without a year or timezone. CFP deadline: not verified. Fit: strong for an AI-in-crisis or misinformation session after the organizer confirms the closing date. 13
Tier 1 - 2027 National Hurricane Conference, 24-27 May 2027, Puerto Rico Convention Center, San Juan, Puerto Rico: The organizer confirms the dates and venue in English. A 2027 track or session list was not found. The speaker-submission portal gives a 6 November 2026 deadline but also displays a test-mode warning. CFP status: pending confirmation. Fit: potentially strong for hurricane warning, preparedness, and public-information cases once the live status and programme themes are confirmed. 14 15

What to do first

By 15 September: Decide whether IPR Bridge can support the proposed crisis or risk angle before using its live submission route. 12
By 21 September: Submit the AFAC abstract; the organizer gives a time but no timezone, so avoid a last-hour upload. 6
Now: Ask NAGC whether its printed "Tuesday, September 29" deadline belongs to 2026 and which timezone applies. 13
Then: BAPCO closes 22 October, ICA closes 2 November, and WWRP closes 31 December. 4 8 11
No published deadline: Contact Public Sector Comms Week first because it explicitly says speaking slots are limited; use the London organizer route second. 1 5