ASLRRA Leadership Program - Crisis Communications

October 27-29, 2026 (2 ½-Day Seminar)
Doubletree by Hilton Charlotte City Center

Prepare for Your Worst Day:
Communications Strategy Before, During, and After a Crisis

This new training seminar will help railroads prepare for their worst day by developing a communications strategy, working with key partners in advance of an incident. During the seminar, individuals or teams from a railroad will build a Crisis Communications Plan and become proficient in using a Response Communicators Guide to determine the appropriate level of response based on the incident. Training will also address the role of the railroad communicator when Incident Command is in place. Attendees will return to their railroad with a communications plan that they may further refine, implement and incorporate into their railroad’s Emergency Response Plan.

Developed as a new module of ASLRRA’s Leadership Program, the crisis communications training seminar is geared to company leaders who are responsible for driving the external response to an incident on their railroad, as well as company spokespersons and communications professionals.

Course Objectives

Upon completion, attendees will understand:

How to use external communications to build their company’s brand
Why communication is an essential part of incident response planning
What effective communication is
Who should communicate on behalf of the organization, and to whom
When an official response should be provided and what form it should take
What factors will impact the choice of communication strategy and response
What the railroad communicator’s role is when Incident Command has been implemented

Presenter

Amy Krouse, SVP Communications, ASLRRA

Registration

Attendance is limited to 25 participants and registration is FREE for ASLRRA members to attend this first offering of the crisis communications training seminar. Once we reach capacity, we will open an online waitlist.

Registration includes 2 ½ days, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at the Doubletree by Hilton Charlotte City Center with daily lunch and refreshment breaks provided in the meeting area. Hotel guests also receive a voucher for daily hot breakfast buffet in the hotel restaurant. Additional details will be sent via email to registered attendees prior to the meeting.

ASLRRA Cancellation Policy:

Cancellations made 30 or more days before training will receive a full refund; no refunds will be given if cancellation is made within the 30-day window.

Hotel:

A block of rooms has been set aside, and training will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton Charlotte City Center, 230 North College Street, Charlotte, NC 28202.

Please use this link to book a room at the negotiated rate of $169/night plus taxes and fees, which includes daily hot breakfast buffet.

Covered parking is available to hotel guests on a space-available basis, at prevailing rates. Current charges are $32 per night for self-parking and $15 for day-use parking. Valet parking is $40 per night and $20 for day-use only.

Room block expires Friday, October 2, please reserve early to guarantee group rate. All reservations must be received by cut-off date and guaranteed with a credit card. Individual reservations must be cancelled 72 hours prior to arrival date to avoid a charge of one night’s room and tax, please be aware of this when finalizing your travel plans.

Travel:

Charlotte is served by the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) and passengers may access ground transportation via taxi, ride share apps, and rental cars on site. The Doubletree by Hilton Charlotte City Center hotel is 8 miles from the airport.

Questions, please contact Sabrina Waiss.