Staffordshire businesses daunted by the prospect of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) will be able to get all the information they need to put their minds at rest at an event in Stoke-On-Trent on January 25. Hosted by D2NA and held at the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce, the event will feature seven GDPR experts including Richard Stone, director of Midlands PR agency, Stone Junction.
With an early start at 8:30am, and a free breakfast, the event will offer attendees the chance to ask experts in the legal, IT, data processing and PR industries for advice ahead of the regulations coming into effect in May 2018.
The workshop will consist of round table discussions with a range of experts, who will move between the tables periodically to ensure a wide range of knowledge is available to all attendees.
The GDPR regulations are expected to have a significant impact on the way businesses market themselves, by giving potential customers and stakeholders more say over what companies can do with their data. The regulations will supersede the Data Protection Act 1998 and make data protection rules more or less identical across the EU.
“The depth of impact that GDPR is going to have on marketing isn’t yet fully understood by most business,” explained Stone. “Pretty much everyone gets that they are going to have to make sure all of their e-mail databases are opt-in, but there is much more to the GDPR than that.
“For instance, one of the seven rights of the individual under GDPR is that they should be able to decide whether you take any automated actions based on their data. This means you would need specific additional permission to use an individual’s data as part of a marketing automation programme.
“Furthermore, most people I speak to in business haven’t considered how profiling could be affected by the GDPR,” continued Stone. “In most cases, this is because they think they don’t do any profiling in their business. The reality is that, if you are doing something as simple as keeping a list of customer’s birthdays, then you are profiling!”
“Events such as this are a fantastic way of sharing our knowledge with other companies. But it will also be a great chance for us to learn from other people who specialise in the impact of GDPR on everything from IT to insurance. This unique opportunity means participants can learn from a range of experts, each of whom will view the legislation’s impact in a slightly different way.
“Crucially, the advice will be available in plenty of time to implement changes ahead of the big date in May next year,” concluded Stone.
To book a place at the event or find out more about the GDPR regulations, visit the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce’s website, or contact Richard at Stone Junction on 01785 225416 or e-mail richards@stonejunction.co.uk.
