2025 Communications, HR & Legal Workshop

Sip, socialize, and discover local flavor.

Join us for a relaxed and engaging winery tasting experience at Helioterra Wines, one of Portland’s premier urban wineries. As part of our Social Tour, this event invites you to unwind, connect with fellow attendees, and enjoy a guided tasting of Helioterra’s thoughtfully crafted, small-batch wines.
You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the winemaking process, meet the passionate team behind the label, and explore a flight of wines that highlight the richness of the Pacific Northwest—all in a welcoming, modern space in the heart of the city.

Details:
📍 Helioterra Wines, Portland, OR
🍇 Includes a curated wine tasting experience
🤝 Great networking and conversation

Whether you're a wine lover or just looking for a fun way to connect, this is the perfect chance to sip something new and enjoy the community vibe.

This interactive media training workshop equips attendees with essential skills to communicate confidently and effectively with the media. Participants will learn how to craft clear, compelling messages, navigate challenging interview scenarios, and stay on-message under pressure. Through group exercises, mock interviews, and real-life case studies, the session will explore strategies for message discipline, media engagement, and maximizing coverage within a broader communications strategy. Attendees will leave with practical tools and greater confidence to represent their organizations publicly and professionally.

Data, data, data. Agencies have access to copious amounts of customer demographic data which presents both opportunity and challenges. The opportunity is to leverage the data to improve efficiency and the customer experience. The challenge is to ensure data is managed and used responsibly and legally, to ensure customer privacy. This session will explore how Agencies can leverage data responsibility to inform pricing strategies, offer targeted discounts and analyze the social impact of tolling practices on different population groups. What innovative approaches can be used and how do you successfully communicate it to customers. More data, less drama.

Creating a culture of employee engagement and preparedness is critical across many organizational functions, including Human Resources, Legal, and Communications. These functions play vital roles in fostering and sustaining such a culture, and their involvement can significantly contribute to its success.

Today's employment market demands a comprehensive and forward-thinking workforce strategy. Preparing employees to be employable, broadening the talent pool, capturing institutional knowledge, and ensuring effective succession planning are all interconnected and essential for an organization's long-term success. By creating a culture of employee engagement and preparedness, organizations can unlock the full potential of their workforce, which is essential for driving long-term growth, innovation, and sustainability. The relationship between the company and its employees becomes a win-win where both sides benefit. When employees understand that their development benefits not only the company but also themselves, it leads to a shared sense of purpose, higher productivity and a more fulfilling work environment.

This session will showcase programs, guiding principles, and strategies that are being utilized to develop, empower, encourage, retain and sustain an engaged workforce.

Human Resource, Legal, and Communications Professionals – they have the hardest job of us all! Employees are often hesitant to seek advice from this group because they are either embarrassed or afraid of the answer they’ll receive. As a result, questions often start with “I have a friend who needs some advice on _____ (fill in the blank).” In this session, attendees will be able to ask HR, Communications and Legal professionals questions (on behalf of a friend or themselves) regarding any and all topics that come to mind. Attendees will also get insight into the unique challenges faced by HR, Communication, and Legal professionals and how common some of these circumstances really are, and why many answers to audience questions may begin with “it depends.” This session was first organized during the Communications, Legal, and HR Workshop in 2023, and is now back by popular demand.

This session will serve as a collaborative forum aimed at enhancing preparedness. This session will focus on real life scenarios and disaster recovery addressing Legal (risk mitigation strategies and evolving regulatory requirements), HR (emergency workforce protocols and remote work challenges), and Communications (multi-stakeholder crisis management and public information systems) implications. Following the establishment of recovery objectives, the session will cover the creation of a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan (BCDRP). Participants will learn how to react to a disaster to assess an agency’s tolerance for business operation disruptions. Participants are encouraged to explore practical approaches to strengthening organizational resilience. By the end of this session, participants will be better prepared for interruptions to their business.

Join us for an unforgettable evening at Breakside Brewery's vibrant Beaverton location! Nestled in the heart of downtown, this lively venue features a cozy indoor taproom with a fireplace and lounge seating, plus an expansive outdoor beer garden complete with fire pits and covered, heated patios.
Sip on a wide selection of Breakside's award-winning craft beers, ciders, wines, and cocktails from the full bar. Enjoy a variety of delicious eats from on-site food carts offering everything from tavern-style pizza to sushi burritos and gyros.
Whether you’re mingling by the fire, playing lawn games, or just soaking up the laid-back vibe, Breakside Beaverton sets the perfect scene for a fun and relaxed evening with colleagues and friends.

Sponsored by: CSG

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, cyber threats continue to pose significant risks to organizations and their customers. This session will explore some of the most prevalent forms of cyber-attacks—Phishing, Smishing, Vishing, and Card Testing—and examine the critical role of Legal, HR, and Communications teams in responding effectively. Attendees will engage in an interactive tabletop exercise designed to simulate real-world attack scenarios. Experts will guide discussions on best practices, legal considerations, and communication strategies, providing actionable insights to enhance organizational readiness and response.

The way consumers search for and obtain information in the digital landscape is evolving rapidly. AI guides are revolutionizing how businesses interact with their customers and manage public relations. Customers can simply ask a variety of devices and receive immediate responses. The social landscape, once driven by consumer choice, is now influenced by constantly changing algorithms that dictate what or whom our consumers see. By integrating AI-driven tools, companies can provide personalized, real-time responses to customer inquiries, ensuring a seamless and engaging experience. In this session, you will learn how to transform these changes into opportunities to effectively communicate your story, enhance customer interaction, improve PR efforts, and recruit your workforce. Additionally, you will discover how to leverage these advanced technologies to your advantage and avoid legal pitfalls.

This session explores practical strategies for supporting mental health in high-pressure industries like transportation. Speakers will share insights on managing personal well-being, how organizations respond to workplace stress and trauma, and the policies agencies have implemented to support staff after critical incidents. We’ll close with a look at the legal steps to establish a pet therapy program in the office—followed by an onsite visit from a local pet therapy group (dogs included!).