CommOCEAN 2020 aims to provide communication skills and inspiration to communicators across a range of experience levels. Many sessions are suitable for all, but some elements of the programme will run simultaneously and are tailored for those looking to build their communications skills and to those looking to move their communications to the next level. Delegates will be asked to choose which sessions to attend as part of their joining instructions, which will be sent in early November.

Day One – 4th December 2018

Registration opens: 08:30

Opening and Welcome Address

  • Ed Hill OBE, Executive Director, National Oceanography Centre
  • Rachael Coccia, Director of Youth Initiatives, The Ocean Project

Skills Building Session 1: (parallel sessions - 20 mins + 5 for questions)

  • Communications Tools:
    • Engaging audiences with a fun and friendly newsletter: The little Blue Letter Story, Glen Wright (IDDRI)
  • Communications Tools:
    • How to engage new users through communication & outreach? The examples of EMODnet & the European Atlas of the Seas - Andrée-Anne Marsan (EMODnet)
  • Communications Tools:
    • Aurora – A princess? A Russian cruiser? Or a natural phenomenon? Perception of Arctic issues among people of different ages in Poland - Izabele Kotynska-Zielinska (Today We Have)

Skills Building Session 2: (parallel sessions - 3 x 15mins +5each for questions)

  • First steps in communications: - EMB Communications Panel
    • Storytelling
    • social media principles, platforms and best practice
    • conducting media interviews
  • The Plastic Ocean:
    • Ocean Plastics Lab - Julia Schnetzer (German Marine Research Consortium, KDM)
    • Communicating microplastics around the world, the Volvo Ocean Race experience - Sören Gutekunst  (GEOMAR)
    • Communicating marine litter: MIO-ECSDE showcases on the science policy-society-interface -Thomais Vlachogianni (MIO-ECSDE)
  • Ocean Literacy:
    • Making the invisible visible – public engagement and marine science - Jan Seys (VLIZ)
    • Blue School PT – Communicating the Ocean with schools - Bernardo Mata (Portuguese Directorate-General for Maritime Policy)
    • Experimenting ocean literacy in Europe: practical feedback from the ResponSEAble project - Louise Ras (Oceanopolis)

Lunch and Exhibition and Poster Session

Skills Building Session 3: (parallel sessions - 2 hours)

  • Ocean Literacy Workshop:
    • The plastic debate as a catalyst to Ocean Literacy - Ned Dwyer (Eurocean) et al
  • Communications Tools:
    • Public Affairs: A Practical Perspective - Dr Stuart Thomson (CIPR)
  • Creative Communications:
    • The art of animating science - Bart De Smet (VLIZ)
    • Virtual Reality – Arnaud Le Breton (visualiz)

Group Photo

Skills Building Session 4: (parallel sessions - 3 x 15mins + 5min each for questions)

  • Media Relations:
    • Working with media - Kira Coley (Eco magazine and The Chatty Scientist)
    • Writing for your audience, Sara Mynott (University of Exeter)
    • Presentation TBC
  • Communications tools:
    • How to create phone video that looks and sounds professional (1 hour) – John Whyte-Venables (CIPR)
  • Communications at sea:
    • Creating immersive expedition blogs with scrollytelling - Marie Heidenreich (Projekt Management Juelich)
    • The immersive Clockwork Ocean -Tanja Baschek (HZG)
    • The NICO-expedition: jumpstarting and maintaining Dutch ocean awareness - Kim Sauter (NIOZ)

Conference closes: 17:15

Social Event 1

Walking tour of Southampton and city reception at SeaCity Museum (included in conference fee)

Day Two – 5th December 2018

Conference opens: 09:00

Opening Session (Plenary)

  • Vinicius Lindoso, IOC UNESCO - Decade of the Ocean,
  • David Shukman, BBC Science Editor

Skills Building Session 1: (parallel sessions - 20 mins + 5 mins each for questions)

  • Creative communications: Session cancelled
  • Creative Communications:
    • CSI of the Sea: facilitated dissection events for the public - Charlotte Coales (Zoological Society of London)
  • Communications Tools:
    • From bookmarks to a film: promotional tools of the EMODnet Data ingestion Portal - Kelle Moreau (RBINS)

Skills Building Session 2: (parallel sessions)

  • Exhibitions (3 x 15mins + 5 min each for questions):
    • Future of our seas – learnings from co-designed community outreach - Ian Rowlands (Incredible Oceans)
    • Building scientific capacity and understanding of marine research in the community - Jo Myers (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation-CSIRO)
  • Changing Behaviour (1 hour):
    • Using behavioural insights to enhance public engagement and campaigning - Rob Moore (Behaviour Change)

Lunch and Exhibition and Poster Session

Science Meets Art: MY WORLD by Zella Compton and Tom Guyer retells the story of St George and the Dragon from the perspective of sea creatures making sacrifices to a monster. The show is performed by Mayflower Youth Theatre.

Skills Building Session 3: (parallel sessions - 3 x 15 min + 5min each for questions)

  • ‘A year of’:
    • #yearofthenorthsea2018 –Sofie Vandendriessche (ILVO)
    • The relevance of Marine Science in Portuguese Journalism – Aurora Ribeiro (ESECS, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria)
    • Science year 2016*17 Seas and oceans in Germany, Mission accomplished? –Andreas Villwock (GEOMAR)
  • Communications Tools:
    • Using a synthesis report to support science, policy and public impact – Martin Ince (Martin Ince Communications Limited)
    • Aerosols - not only in spray - Tymon Zielinski (IO PAN)
    • Connecting marine science with everyday life, Delphine El-Khassawneh (NAUSICAA)

Skills Building Session 4: (parallel sessions - 20min + 5mins for questions)

  • Collaborative Working:
    • From peers to public: Obstacles, benefits and impact of cross-methodological communication - Christian Lindemann (University of Bergen)
  • Communications tools:
    • Making marine science matter to seafood consumers - Joanna Jones (Marine Stewardship Council)
  • Communications tools:
    • Reaching consensus by following the MARINA Responsible Research and Innovation Roadmap - Elisa Atger, XPRO Consulting Limited

Plenary session and conference close

  • Ceòl Na Mara The Song of the Sea - Mary Morrison, Comann Eachdraidh Uibhist A Tuath, (North Uist Historical Society)

  • Wellbeing - Corrine Thomas and Jeanette Pratt (Fresh Air Fridays)

Conference Closes 17:00

Social Event 2

*SOLD OUT* A ‘Pint of Science’ at Brewhouse & Kitchen, Southampton 19:00 (Additional fee of £70 - includes entertainment, food and drink)