On Monday, March 9th, I traveled from Arlington, Virginia, to Clemson University, South Carolina, to attend the 2026 International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference. ICRCC is a unique global meeting of industry and academic professionals indulging in all things crisis communication. The conference featured critical research that addressed many of the real-world challenges facing crisis and risk communicators across the globe. Beyond this, the conference encourages low-stakes, interactive discussions, breakout sessions, and networking to help bridge the gap between academia and industry. It was this emphasis on the value of shared perspectives that motivated me to apply to ICRCC. As a PhD student who aspires to work in industry, finding myself in spaces where this multi-arena crossover is encouraged and supported is critical to identifying the areas where I hope to grow professionally.
Early on the second day of ICRCC, a select group of students, of whom I was fortunate to be part of, were invited to present their posters during the High Impact Poster Session. In this session, I engaged in lively and encouraging conversations with scholars and practitioners all the way from Mexico to the UK, each of whom offered sound advice and unique perspectives on my work. My research on the expansion of William Benoit’s Image Repair Theory through case study analysis of Taylor Swift, Bud Light, and Will Smith complemented the conferences over all commitment to the presentation of real-world analysis and innovative research approaches to understand the latest developments in the sub-field. It was a privilege for me to add, however marginally, to this important research space.