KC IABC's Business Communicators Summit, one of the region's largest gatherings for communications and marketing professionals, returns to the KU Edwards Campus with new opportunities to learn, network, and engage with some of Kansas City's top experts.
Whether you're in internal or external communications, corporate, nonprofit, or a solopreneur, BCS offers something for everyone. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, and stay through the conference for our Cocktail Reception at 4 pm, presented by KU's Digital Integrated Marketing Communications Master's Program.
Meet the Keynote
Kim Derrick Rozdeba is a seasoned branding expert with over three decades of experience transforming Fortune 500 companies. As the author of Branding Queens and LOYALNOMICS™, he has guided some of the world's most iconic brands, including Shell, Bayer, Toyota, and major Canadian corporations.
His expertise spans numerous disciplines, including advertising, marketing, PR, social media, digital, and corporate communications, across multiple industries. A soughtafter speaker, Kim has appeared on over 30 podcasts worldwide and at numerous events, sharing his branding insights. Based in Calgary, Canada, Kim combines his roles as author, mentor, and adventurer to deliver actionable branding insights that inspire and empower audiences who want to build a brand.
Meet the Lunch Session Speaker
Justin Ricklefs is a native Kansas Citian and a proud husband and father of five. He is the founder and CEO of Guild Collective, a human-first brand consultancy that helps businesses grow what matters most. Justin worked in the front office of the Kansas City Chiefs for eight years, helping to grow relationships and revenue as the Director of Partnership Development. An entrepreneur with a love for Kansas City and a vision for what marketing could be when it comes from the heart, Justin left the corporate world in 2017 to create Guild Collective. From the early days of being a one-man agency, Justin has grown Guild Collective’s reputation and revenue, redefining the status-quo for marketing and growing into a strategic, storytelling agency. His upcoming book, “Give a Damn,” is a collection of stories showing how modern leadership is at its best when curiosity, compassion, clarity, and consistency compound in a virtuous cycle.
Sessions & Speakers
MORNING BREAKOUT SESSIONS - 10:30 AM
Website metrics for absolute beginners
Helping communication, marketing, and PR professionals understand tools like Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Search Console, and Looker Studio -- their purpose, use, and how to work with an analytics professional (or learn the basic skills themselves) to get better data on the information they're producing.
Presented by Alicia Dewey, Level Five Solutions
From 0 to 2,600: The Marketing Strategy Behind VFW Day of Service
How do you mobilize an entire organization to take action? In this results-driven session, the marketing team behind the VFW Day of Service will share a behind-the-scenes look at the communications program that inspired more than 2,600 community service events worldwide in just four years.
The session will explore the strategy and tactics used to gain organizational buy-in, empower advocates and unite communities through service. You’ll walk away with replicable ideas you can apply to your own campaigns to ignite action.
Presented by Meggan Rorvig, M&C
Personality Under Pressure: Keeping Your Brand Human When Everyone's Losing Their Minds
Crisis communication advice usually boils down to "be transparent and authentic," which is spectacularly unhelpful when everything's on fire. This session reveals how to maintain genuine brand personality during trend-jumping disasters, PR chaos, and organizational meltdowns without sounding tone-deaf or corporate-robotic. Learn the discipline of communicating with humanity when stakes are high and every word gets screenshot. Stop making perfect sense under pressure and start making people feel like humans are actually running the show.
Presented by Mary-Catherine Reinert, Fortissima
MID-DAY BREAKOUT SESSIONS - 1 PM
From Prompt to Production: How AI Is Reshaping Every Stage of Brand Communication
AI isn’t just changing how we write—it’s transforming how we communicate. From research and ideation to content creation, design, and delivery, the smartest communicators are learning to integrate AI across the entire workflow—without losing their human touch.
In this dynamic, behind-the-scenes panel, three Kansas City-based experts break down what AI really looks like in action.
Whether you’re curious, cautious, or already experimenting with AI, you’ll walk away with practical ways to use it more strategically—from your first prompt to your final production.
Presented by Maliha Khan, Angie Pederson, and Alex Colley
Disrupting the Divide: Collaborating with Technical Teams to Develop Thought Leadership
Disrupting the status quo and forging new ways to collaborate with technical teams is essential to positioning your organization as thought leaders. Are we truly aware of the challenges our technical teams face that lead to breakdowns in creative momentum? We must modify our processes, build relationships, and identify barriers—whether it's AI, overloaded schedules, or misunderstood expectations. This presentation will discuss common challenges faced when collaborating with technical counterparts, along with a framework to overcome them. Through collaborative content creation, communication professionals can leverage the technical expertise of their colleagues to develop accurate and relevant thought leadership content.
Presented by Emily Izard, Bartlett & West
Brand New: How CHA is Speaking a New Language
CHA unpacks how they fused powerful advocacy with its pediatric-specific data and education product offerings to create a brand that truly connects. You’ll see how CHA brought its mission to life by aligning with the needs of core stakeholders—members, policymakers, parents, and child health advocates—crafting a holistic story that amplifies impact and resonates across audiences.
Presented by Chelsea Adams, Lauren Chipman, Lisa Ruisch, CHA
AFTERNOON BREAKOUT SESSIONS - 2 PM
Creating or planning for Supplemental, Alternate or Replacement income as your career evolves
With traditional marketing and communications roles increasingly at risk from technology and other factors, Julie Bartels Smith, Megan Neher and Byron Ginsburg can share how they have transitioned and adapted to prior similar threats and events.
They have found success and fulfillment by moving in different directions within and outside of the industry, and aim to create awareness of three income types they have individually achieved. They're not advocating job quitting, only that attendees at least consider other-income opportunities as they navigate their home responsibilities and careers at any age or stage.
Presented by Byron Ginsburg, Julie Bartels Smith, Megan Neher
Employee Communications as a Connector and Catalyst: Turning Strategy into Aligned Action Across the Organization
Three years ago, employee communications at the AAFP consisted of a part‑time role focused mainly on HR programs and operational calls to action. Today, they have a three‑person team driving alignment with the company’s strategic plan and revenue priorities, as well foundational HR and IT programs. In this session, the Director of Employee and Leadership Communications and Senior Communications Strategist will share how they built a more strategic employee communications function, secured leadership buy‑in and transformed internal channels—including the intranet, weekly email, quarterly Team Huddles, weekly CEO blog and Viva Engage communities—into trusted platforms with 90%+ engagement. Attendees will gain both strategic insights and practical channel management tips to elevate communications, strengthen culture, increase alignment and knowledge, and prove impact through measurable results.
Presented by Julie DeVoe and Jules Stutterheim
1 Idea, 100 Posts: Making the Most of Your Content
Struggle to come up with what to post next? You’re not alone. In this session, you’ll learn how to turn one simple idea into 100 pieces of content you can use on any platform. You’ll walk through the ten content focuses, ten content formats, and content multipliers to never run out of ideas again. Plan with ease—so content creation feels lighter, faster, and actually fun again.
Presented by Torey Berndt, toreystories
A Special Thank You To Our Sponsors
