Midlands PR Conference: Find out how not to be a Traitor in PR and how to accelerate influence

It’s seven years since I chaired the first Midlands PR Conference, and in that time the CIPR Midlands volunteer group who produces the annual event has creatively looked at the PR profession from all angles.

Core to everything we stand for as CIPR members and for the Conferences we have run, has been to lead with our commitment to showcasing professional standards, ethics and ensuring awareness of our code of conduct – the dos and don’ts of our Chartered profession.  So, chairing this year’s Conference, and proposing we invite UK Traitors 2026 Winner Rachel Duffy to be our keynote speaker - well I’ll be honest, I did get a couple of raised eyebrows.

Before millions of viewers watched Rachel Duffy navigate deception, trust and persuasion on prime time TV, she was doing something many of us will recognise: working inhouse as a Head of Communications, leading communications from inside an organisation, influencing stakeholders, managing risk and building credibility day in, day out. That’s precisely what makes her appearance at the Midlands PR Conference so compelling.

Rachel will be speaking on “Accelerating influence through trust, not traitory” — reflecting on how she turned the tables on trust to win The Traitors, and drawing powerful parallels with her previous career as a senior communications professional.

At its core, PR has always been about influence rooted in trust. Rachel’s story will bring that to life in a way few case studies ever could. In a world fascinated by AI, strategy and technology, she reminds us that human judgement, ethics and emotional intelligence remain central to influence — whether you’re managing reputation in an organisation or outplaying the competition on national television. Rachel Duffy’s personal demonstration of human influence is in sharp contrast with the dynamics of day-to-day communications delivery which cannot avoid the implications of technology and AI.

We’re living and working in an age where AI is reshaping communications at speed, audiences are more sceptical than ever, and trust feels increasingly fragile. Against that backdrop, our 2026 conference theme — Accelerating Influence — couldn’t be more timely.

This year’s conference doesn’t shy away from the big questions.  AI gives us extraordinary opportunities to supercharge audience engagement, sharpen insight and work more efficiently. But it also presents risks: ethical grey areas, skills gaps, over automation and the potential to damage reputation if used carelessly. That’s why the focus this year isn’t just focused on what technology can do, but on how PR professionals must harness tech responsibly, combining AI with core communication skills to build influence — not break trust.

Alongside Rachel Duffy, we’re welcoming over 10 exceptional speakers who will each explore different dimensions of influence in today’s fast changing landscape, including:

• Rachael Clamp — From Activity to Impact: What Actually Accelerates Influence

• Anthony Tattum — How People Really Decide – and Why It Matters More in the Age of AI

• Marcus Matthews — How the Words You Speak Influence Behaviour

• Grant Currie — The AI Augmented Communicator

• Kathy Stedman — Using AI to Drive Efficiency in Writing for Influencing

• Sophie Poduval Morrell — Future Faces of PR

• John Clegg — Internal Influence: Change Communications in the Age of AI

Together, they’ll challenge assumptions, share practical insight and help you think differently about where influence really comes from — and how to accelerate it ethically and effectively.