Marcus Evans launched the Strategic Corporate PR conference scheduled to take place on the 25th and 26th of September 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Dubai. The communication industry has grown exponentially in the region over the last decade and arguably the high-growth market for the Public Relations (PR) industry today. The PR industry in GCC today is worth $500 million and growing while the total amount spent on this sector internationally is $9 billion with some 60 thousand employees.
Presenting on moving from traditional CSR to high impact social investment is Clare Woodcraft, CEO of Emirates Foundation, UAE shares , "As the world becomes increasingly connected, the role of communications becomes increasingly important and yet also needs to change more quickly in order to stay relevant. Pumping out pre-constructed PR messages in a day of active social media with immediate stakeholder engagement is no longer viable. Communicators need to be light of foot, flexible and savvy about what their stakeholder do or don't care about. Events such as this provide important platforms to discuss this new challenge."
In today's global economy, an organisation's ability to communicate effectively with internal and external audiences is critical. Choosing the right medium of communication for the target audience is very important for the organisation as most of these communication methods have been overpowered by social media. Upon using social media as a medium of communication, organisation's take on huge risks that may affect its reputation. Clare goes on to give an insight on her upcoming presentation, "The area of CSR or responsible business is undergoing a fundamental shift from short-term adjunct initiatives that serve as a temporary support to the organization's reputation to a systematic rethinking of the organization's overall business model from supply chain, to finance, to marketing to HR. It's about an essential move away from CSR as a communications owned area to a broader sustainability agenda that is owned by the CEO. "
Speakers at this conference will include Amber Allman, Director Global Public Affairs of Yahoo Inc, USA, Frank Farnel , Former Director Communications and Public Affairs of GE Energy, Europe EMEA / Asia, Christoph Liedtke, Vice President Global Media Relations of SAP, Germany and Tomas O. Jensen, Director Corporate Communications of Microsoft Middle East and Africa, Turkey.
Big highlight for the event will be the roundtable discussion which will be moderated among others, Huda Ismail who is the PR Manager of Mashreq Bank states, "The forum offers a platform where all experts in the industry can come together and discuss challenges and opportunities. We have seen how the communications industry has witnessed a revolution in the last one year and we must adapt to this change. It's essential that we are sensitive to the messages we send out, the audience and most importantly how we deliver them. This is a forum that we hope will address all this and assist in engaging all stakeholders."
© Press Release 2012
