How should organizations manage crises when stakeholders no longer simply trust what they say? And how does the growing use of AI change both the crises organizations face and the tools available to respond to them? BT26 – Breaches and Trust 2026 is a two half-day, on-site workshop at Erasmus University Rotterdam on 29 October 2026 in Polak Building, bringing together researchers and professionals from communication, crisis management, cybersecurity, legal and privacy, reputation management, and related fields. Sign up for a half-day (morning or afternoon) or a full day.
- Date
- Thursday 29 Oct 2026, 09:30 - 17:30
- Type
- Workshop
- Spoken Language
- English
- Building
- Polak Building
Breaches and Trust 2026 (BT26) brings academics and professionals together for a highly interactive day on crisis management in conditions of digital vulnerability. Through data-breach scenarios, expert insights, roundtable discussions and collaborative solution-building, we will explore how organizations can respond when trust has been damaged or is simply not enough - and how AI is creating new challenges and opportunities for crisis management.
Rather than a traditional conference, BT26 is designed as a participatory workshop built around cases, discussion and collaborative problem-solving. The day consists of two connected sessions, and participants may attend the full day or either session separately.
Programme
Morning Workshop | 09:30–12:30
Data Breaches, Trust & Crisis Management
The morning focuses on crisis management following data breaches, particularly in environments in which trust has already been damaged or cannot be taken for granted. Following an introduction to trust and trustless approaches to crisis communication, participants will work with different data-breach scenarios involving different types of organizations and stakeholder relationships. Together, we will explore when rebuilding trust is realistic, when other routes may be needed, and how different crisis strategies may affect stakeholder responses.
Lunch | 12:30–14:00
Participants are invited to join an on-campus lunch and informal networking between the two sessions.
Afternoon Workshop | 14:00–17:30
Crisis Communication & AI
The afternoon turns to the rapidly changing role of AI in crisis management. Following an invited practitioner keynote, participants will join roundtable discussions around three areas:
- Legal & Privacy
- Reputation
- Ethics
The discussions will consider both the challenges created by AI and the opportunities it offers for crisis communication and response. Participants will then move from identifying problems to developing possible solutions, combining perspectives from research and professional practice.
An optional informal dinner off campus will follow from approximately 18:00.
Participation is free, but registration is required and places are limited. The workshop will be conducted in English.
Hosted by the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC), Erasmus University Rotterdam, with support from the Humanities Sector Plan (SSH) and Cross-theme Sector Plan (SSH Breed).
Questions can be sent to BT26@eshcc.eur.nl.
