Reflecting on my first commsHERO conference – by Hana Gunfield

28 October 2025

On Tuesday 21 October 2025, I attended my very first commsHERO conference, and what an experience it was!

The journey started the day before, after a long day of training at our HQ in Colchester for the Provide Leadership Academy module on organisational change management. A 40-minute drive turned into a 100-minute crawl thanks to an A12 closure, which meant missing my train from London to Manchester. But honestly, it was all good. Sometimes you just have to let go, breathe, and make the best of the situation. I used the time to catch up on inbox admin and re-research, or should I say stalk, the commsHERO speaker line-up. Silver linings, right?

The details matter and make a difference

The next morning, we were welcomed into The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester with the most thoughtfully curated goody box I’ve genuinely ever received, personalised – and obviously that is because Asif and Resource were involved, should I have expected anything different!

Inside a personalised box, were personalised notebooks, cards, and a pen. One notebook even had a page dedicated to each speaker for note taking. With my background in event management, those small touches really stood out. Every detail felt intentional and creative and was noticed.

A creative kick-off

Asif Choudry opened the day by welcoming the largest ever commsHERO crowd, 250 delegates to their 11th event. We also paused to reflect and send love to Karlie Thompson, a true commsHERO who’s shown incredible strength in the face of unimaginable challenges over recent weeks.

Asif’s session, Boredom, brilliance and the ironing board: where ideas really come from, was a refreshing reminder that creativity often strikes in the quiet moments. Step away, take a break, let your mind wander, that’s when the sparks come.
So if you ever catch me ‘looking bored’, out on a walk during work time, or (less likely) ironing, don’t judge…I might just be in the middle of a creative breakthrough!

Learning from con artists, cults and cheesecake


Next up was Helen Reynolds, who delivered an unforgettable session titled What comms can learn from con artists, cults and cheesecakes.

Helen’s key messages stuck with me:

  1. Frame it – It’s all about how you present it your message or brand. Make sure you know if it’s a quiche, not a cheesecake. Cue Helen’s hilarious story of biting into what she thought was cheesecake…
  2. Own it – authenticity builds trust.
  3. Repeat it – repetition breeds belief.

Helen’s session was all about doing comms on your comms. Packaging our work in ways that connect and resonate. I shared my takeaway live on LinkedIn, which even won me a chocolate bar and a #CommsCreative prize box.

Lights, camera, impact

Elin Giczi’s session on The secrets behind impactful short-form videos reminded us that it’s never “just” hitting record. The most powerful videos make people feel, whether its entertained, motivated, educated, or inspired.

Her advice was spot on:

  • Bring your own perspective, that’s what makes you stand out.
  • Start with the hook, then explain the why.
  • Keep it simple, keep it short, and most of all, keep it human.
  • Let your purpose fuel your confidence, stop worrying what others think.
  • All great videos start with ideas that can be of help to others.

Enter the Fifth Industrial Revolution

After a well-thought-out lunch – even our name cards had the meal choices we made when booking our conference place, love that attention to detail, especially when I couldn’t remember what I had selected – we dived into Dan Sodergren’s whirlwind of energy in his talk on AI and the Fifth Industrial Revolution.

Dan used The Wizard of Oz to illustrate his points, a brilliant analogy. While I already use AI tools daily as co-pilots for content creation and deep research, this session opened my eyes even wider.

Key reflections and reminders:

  • AI will transform every industry and every person’s life, it’s here, now.
  • Emotional intelligence is our human superpower.
  • Human psychology matters more than the tech itself.
  • To thrive, we must upskill, self-lead and experiment

And perhaps my favourite takeaway: the need for us to become and pitch ourselves as strategically important.

Therapy, comms-style

Steve Hayes then hosted CommsROOM 101, where we shared our frustrations, from over-directing CEOs who are wannabe ‘social media influencers’, to endlessly ‘tweaked’ PowerPoints once we have created the final version, everyone thinking they are experts in our field and much more….It was collective therapy, and it felt amazing to laugh and commiserate together.

And then…the unexpected….

The day closed with the commsHERO Awards, and to my absolute shock and delight, I was named commsHERO of the Year.

As I write this the morning after, the shock has not quite worn off yet. Me?! The commsHERO of the year?! Did you see who I was up against?!

To even be shortlisted among such talented, creative, and passionate comms professionals was an honour, but to hear my name called was a genuine ‘pinch me’ moment.

I am deeply grateful to Chris Summers, my Director for taking the time to nominate me and for recognising the wider contribution, to our team, our organisation, and beyond. Even if I have given him abuse for putting me in the spotlight…and you should see the message I sent him when the email landed to say I was a finalist before realising he made the nomination (not for repeating here).

This award feels like a celebration of the full picture: the professional growth, the voluntary work I do with the CIPR East Anglia Committee, the continuous investment in my CPD in my own time, and the constant balancing act that comes with family life. It’s a reminder that the effort I put in, often quietly, behind the scenes, really does make a difference.

To me, I’m ‘just doing my job’. I show up, I care deeply about what I do and the difference it will make, and I strive to keep learning and giving back. But this recognition has reminded me how important it is to pause and acknowledge what we achieve along the way. To accept that sometimes, doing your best and quietly going above and beyond is something to celebrate.

To say I was blown away would be an understatement. It was the perfect ending to an inspiring, energising, and genuinely amazing conference. I shall ride this high for a while!

I left Manchester feeling more connected, creative and on a high, reminded that in our world of constant change, comms, marketing and PR professionals truly are the heroes behind the scenes.

Thank you Asif, the commsHERO team and judges, to the amazing speaker line up and everyone at Resource for a truly amazing event.

Words by Hana Gunfield, Head of Marketing, PR and Sales at Provide Community