33rd BledCom International Research Symposium

At the end of June, the 33rd BledCom International Research Symposium, one of the world's leading conferences in public relations and strategic communication, took place in Bled. This year's theme, Disaster, Health, and Organizational Crisis Communication, attracted more than 125 researchers, practitioners, and students from 30 countries to Slovenia.

The symposium focused on issues that are shaping the future of crisis communication, including the impact of artificial intelligence and cyber threats, the fight against disinformation, and the increasingly important concept of continuous crisis communication, introduced by the keynote speaker, Prof. Dr. W. Timothy Coombs. The event also featured the presentation of the Slovenian edition of his seminal book, recently published by FDV Publishing House.

The symposium reached a clear conclusion: crisis communication is no longer simply about responding to emergencies. In a world characterized by overlapping health, security, environmental, and technological crises, organizations must continuously monitor their environment, build trust, and manage uncertainty.

According to Prof. Dr. Dejan Verčič, Head of the Programme Committee and Head of the Centre for Marketing and Public Relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana and the conference organizer:

"In a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected, and therefore increasingly vulnerable to disruption, communication is not merely a tool but the glue that holds society together. At BledCom, we discuss not only communication techniques but also the responsibility we bear towards organizations, people, and society as a whole."

The next BledCom symposium will take place on 25–26 June 2027 and will be devoted to the theme The Social Roles of Public Relations in a Turbulent World.

Learn more about the syposium on the link.

Photo: Amadej Zalokar