Fishburn Hedges

08.01.2010

Fishburn Hedges director Guy Corbet on what's next in 2010.

For all that we’ve become accustomed to turbulent times in the past year or so, the next twelve months could see as much change again as the ramifications of the financial crisis begin to settle down.

There’s all the opportunity and uncertainty that a new administration will bring. The new government, whatever the colour, will need to take drastic measures to rein in the pressures on the public purse. And it will want to do it without sacrificing the quality and delivery of our public services.

More broadly, with public trust in our institutions bouncing along the bottom, 2010 could be the start of the long road back. Alternatively, it will be when we really start to feel what it is like if politics, business and society are, truly, never to be the same again.

Businesses too may start to feel the impact if their employees start to vote with their feet, having been asked to do more for less for so long, if lack of investment in personal development ignites a war for talent.

Against this background of gentle recovery, the pressure for more sustainable business and social practices will continue. Yet the hollow promise of the Copenhagen summit has told us that the sustainability movement still has a way to go in articulating winning arguments.

As if all this were not enough, the communications landscape will carry on morphing as people turn to new sources or more convenient channels for trusted information, or both. Twitter may well turn out to be very 2009, but if the perception of its influence fades, it’s not likely to be replaced by traditional media.

 These are some of the issues that we’ll try to explore this year through our series of What’s Next…? events on topical communication issues that we host for our friends and colleagues.

First up is What’s Next... for public services in the ‘age of austerity’? (Tuesday 19 January). Speakers including Matthew Taylor, CEO of the Royal Society of Arts, and Andrew Haldenby, director of the Reform think tank, will lead the discussion on how providers across health, education, welfare and social care will shape up to deliver more for less.

The next week, in What’s Next... for public trust? (28 January), Clare Spottiswoode, Aviva’s policyholder advocate, and Anna Bradley, formerly CEO of the National Consumer Council, will be among those sharing their views on whether there has been an irreversible shift in consumer’s faith in our institutions.

Other events in the pipeline include:

• What’s Next... for politics: is 2010 the General Election to lose?

• What’s Next... for talent on the road to recovery?

• What’s Next... for sustainability: is the pitch preaching to the choir?