An essential part of our business is understanding how the media operate, knowing journalists and recognising what makes a story newsworthy. We can provide a full press office function for clients, including drafting and disseminating press materials; advising clients on the timing and format of media events; out-of-hours availability to respond to media requests and support clients; briefing target media to secure coverage; and developing and managing creative photocall concepts. Our team includes trained journalists with many years’ experience. We also manage a number of journalism funds, which allows us the opportunity to work closely with over 100 journalists every year.

When it comes to public affairs, at DHR, we know who to talk to and when it’s appropriate to do so. We excel in all aspects of public affairs, including:

• Monitoring the policymaking landscape for potential opportunities and / or challenges for our clients.
• Providing strategic advice on the development and delivery of advocacy campaigns.
• Stakeholder engagement.
• Political communications.
• Election campaigns.
• Ensuring statutory clients fulfil their accountability and reporting remits.

All of the members of our senior management team have extensive public affairs experience and excellent insights into politics and policymaking at local, national and international levels.

We organise and promote events, ranging from art exhibitions to international conferences to festivals attracting crowds of over 30,000 people.  We programme and procure content for events, including high-profile performers and special guests; prepare and deliver briefing materials and speeches; source venues; manage all event logistics; implement targeted marketing, advertising and PR campaigns; and secure, train and manage event volunteers.

Our project management services, meanwhile, include secretariat support; budgetary planning and reporting; and administration.

Coming from political and advocacy backgrounds, our most senior staff members are highly skilled in delivering crisis management support.  In the event of a crisis, we provide 24/7 support to our clients, fielding and advising on all media and stakeholder queries; preparing clients in advance of public / media appearances; managing online communications around the crisis; and advising on proactive follow-up actions.

Safeguarding the long-term reputation of clients is the key aim underpinning our approach to issues and crisis management, and we advise all clients on proactive steps they can take to identify and engage with potential ‘critics’ on an ongoing basis, thereby minimising the risk of organisations, groups or individuals voicing opposition to their work.

We also provide crisis communications training, including crisis simulation workshops.

The establishment and growth of DHR coincided with huge growth in the importance of online communications, including social media.  As a result, we integrate digital and social media into all our work, and we pride ourselves on keeping up-to-date with emerging platforms and technologies.

We review and audit clients’ websites and social media profiles to assess their effectiveness and identify scope for improvements, and we develop and manage websites for a range of clients.  We also monitor and update clients’ social media profiles on a daily basis; develop and manage blogs; advise on search engine optimisation; and develop strategies and guidelines for clients on online communications.

Our training in online communications is consistently in high demand, and we frequently deliver tailored training for clients to assist them in building internal capacity in this area.

We offer a range of training programmes, which reflect the key services we offer clients.  We run open training workshops, and also develop bespoke training sessions for clients, covering topics such as: media relations; public affairs and lobbying; public speaking, presentation and broadcast interview skills; crisis communications; and online communications.  We regularly work with the CEOs of large organisations, leading politicians and other high-profile personalities to provide strategic counsel, image consultations and intensive coaching sessions.

At DHR, we have made corporate social responsibility (CSR) an integral part of our work, and we support all employees to become involved in CSR activities. We have a company-wide policy on CSR, which has resulted in DHR being shortlisted for the Chambers Ireland CSR Awards in 2013 and 2014.

We draw on our own insights into CSR to advise clients on their activities in this area.  We are well placed to identify CSR opportunities for clients and / or to advise them on effectively communicating their CSR programmes.

In recognition of our expertise in this area, our Managing Director, Catherine Heaney, was invited to join the Government’s CSR Forum, which supports the development of CSR in Ireland. DHR is also one of the first companies in Ireland to have been chosen as a case study for Business in the Community Ireland’s (BITCI) new service, Responsible Business for SMEs, for which we produced a report with BITCI about our CSR policy. Read the report here.

We believe that the development of a coherent corporate image plays a key role in communicating professionalism and effectiveness.  We manage the production of publications, websites and marketing materials on behalf of clients, and advise on branding policies.  We know a strong corporate identity requires not just a consistent visual image, but a consistency in messaging. To this end, we develop guidelines for clients around interacting with the media and engaging in online communications, to ensure there is a consistent, high-quality approach to message delivery.

Our senior management team has the knowledge and experience to work effectively with the media around issues that are highly sensitive, and to provide PR and public affairs support around cases that entail complex legal or judicial proceedings.  We can navigate the international and national judicial systems, and have advised clients on cases and hearings, both in the Irish courts and at EU and UN levels.

We have wide-ranging experience of conducting targeted stakeholder consultations on large infrastructural projects, community initiatives and international campaigns. We develop tailored stakeholder engagement tools; build and maintain databases; establish and manage online surveys; and can manage third-party service-providers for clients that wish to engage in extensive market research.

Our senior management team is skilled at providing high-level, strategic communications advice to clients, and developing effective PR strategies.  We undertake in-depth surveys and stakeholder consultations to assess our clients’ standing amongst key stakeholder groups, and we develop targeted communications strategies in response to our findings.  In addition to developing over-arching communications strategies for clients, we also develop PR plans, which can be updated on an ongoing basis in line with clients’ changing priorities and developments in their programmes of work.

We review internal communications processes; identify problem areas; and advise on and manage the improvement of internal communications systems between senior management and their staff.