News and Views | Showrunner Communications

REF 2028 and the Future of Policy Engagement

Download Showrunner’s guide to what REF 28 guidelines mean for policy engagement and impact.

Get ready for the ‘local issues’ election

Showrunner’s Managing Director Mark Fuller shares his thoughts on what Rishi Sunak’s party conference speech means for the Conservative general election strategy, and the implications for those seeking to influence policy in the coming months.

Delivering your message at live events

How do you feel about in-person events or online networking? Getting the balance right between the digital and in-person experience is becoming more important as the world finds a ‘new normal’. Showrunner’s Nicky Hobbs explores how to make the most of opportunities to connect with stakeholders at any event.

The race to the manifestos – five top tips for achieving policy impact

Showrunner’s Senior Associate Jennifer Harrison offers some advice to University researchers looking to apply their expertise and research work to policy development in the run up to the next general election.

Securing a sustainable policy impact by engaging with the civil service

Inspired by 2022’s rapid pace of political change, Director Mark Fuller points to the value of trusted relationships with officers working in the ‘engine room’ of Government policy.

On the fringes: why don’t we hear more universities at the party conferences?

Following a visit to the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Showrunner’s Alex Waddington reflects on a missed opportunity for academics to engage with key policymakers and offers a few ideas to have an impact.

The nation’s think tank: How universities can have a positive impact on public policy

UK universities are a major national asset, with academics able to provide research and expertise that can be invaluable to policymakers. Mark Fuller looks at how to crack the policy impact challenge.

Evaluating and reporting the value of strategic communications

Strategic communications is not an add on or a ‘nice to have’ luxury, It’s an essential requirement for organisations that help people and places to succeed. Proxy measures of success, like the volume of press coverage or the number of meetings held with the great and the good, are useful indicators but stop short of demonstrating the full value of effective strategic communications. What’s needed to generate real and sustained support from exec teams is a reporting framework that shows how comms work is aligned with business objectives; the specific issues it is addressing; how multiple workstreams overlap with one another; and, quantifiable progress over time.

The Showrunner way – building reputations, relationships and influence for organisations that help people and places to succeed

It’s an unfortunate reality that national attention and influence over policy tends to be dominated by major businesses, organisations and lobby groups with the resources to invest in huge in-house comms departments or pay big agency fees. By implication, smaller scale organisations who make a massive difference to their communities tend to slip beneath the radar. Showrunner exists to help level the playing field.

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