iMiller Public Relations (iMPR) and Flypower are joining forces for a live webinar exploring how data center developers, investors and site selection teams can assess political and community risk before a project ever goes public. Titled "Assessing Social and Political Risk Before a Data Center Development Goes Public: Know Before You Go," the session takes place Thursday, September 24 at 1 p.m. EDT / 10 a.m. PDT, with free registration now open.
Why Technical Viability Isn't Enough
As data center development expands into new markets, project teams are increasingly running into community, regulatory, political, and reputational risks that traditional siting and energy data simply doesn't capture. Left unexamined, these factors can delay or derail projects that otherwise look viable on paper.
The webinar will pair Flypower's market risk analysis with iMPR's Community Groundswell program, connecting early-stage assessment with strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and community outreach — helping teams distinguish between a technically viable site and one where a project can realistically earn approval.
"A site can meet every technical requirement, from land and power to connectivity and zoning, and still face significant delays or failure if local concerns and political dynamics are treated as an afterthought."— Ilissa Miller, Founder and CEO, iMiller Public Relations
Reading the Signals That Already Exist
Navdeep Martin, CEO and co-founder of Flypower, argues that social and political risk isn't unpredictable so much as unmeasured. The signals that determine whether a community will accept a data center — county meeting minutes, voting records, local news, and the record of prior projects a community has approved or fought — are already public.
Flypower reads that layer and delivers developers a verdict before capital is committed. Paired with iMPR's engagement work, teams can enter a new market already understanding what that community cares about — rather than finding out the hard way at a public hearing.
What Attendees Will Learn
The session will cover how to apply a risk framework to site selection, permitting, messaging, and stakeholder strategy, and how to build an engagement plan reflecting the specific needs of each market. It will also address how to identify potential opposition, misinformation, and community concerns before they become project-defining issues.
The goal isn't to eliminate disagreement, but to understand the environment early enough to support better decisions, more effective listening, and a development strategy grounded in local conditions. Registration for the free, live session is open now.