Kuwait hosts international conference on public relations

The event will gather international and Arab experts in public relations and marketing to discuss latest trends and exchange views on upgrading industry standards.

Mrs. Etedal Hamad Al-Ayyar, Chairperson of the Organizing Committee and Board Member of IPRA-Gulf Chapter, said: "The conference is just the first in a series of projects that the Kuwait association will undertake in the next few years as our way of contributing to the professionalisation of PR practice in the region. With such high profile speakers and guests, I am certain this will be an enlightening conference."

Mrs. Al-Ayyar asserted that the growing interest in the value of PR as an important management tool has served notice that the region is ready to take PR to the next level as a communications platform and as a profession.

"The PR industry has rapidly grown, as a managerial concept and institutional work, during the past 50 years; that was a definite result of the developments occurring within the context of rapidly developing regional economies and the increasing power of public opinion; which, in turn, spurred further growth and development," she said further.

She mentioned that the PR industry has recently witnessed significant advancement in the Gulf area in general and in Kuwait in particular due to the increasing awareness by senior management of major firms and establishments of the risks and challenges that face them, and how PR could be used as a strategic tool in addressing these issues.

"Public and private establishments now realise the importance of Public Relations and its role as a fundamental and effective means of communication with their different audiences, including customers, media, and the general public, among others. We have witnessed the emergence of many specialized PR firms in both local and Gulf markets targeting improving and developing an effective industry in the area," Mrs. Al-Ayyar added.

Mrs. Al-Ayyar indicated that the principal subjects to be put forward for discussion in the course of the conference are of great importance to a large sector of professionals in this field and they generally aim at exploring how the PR could improve the image of any establishment in both public and private sectors.

The status of PR in Kuwait and the region, the relationship between Marketing and Public Relations; Brand Name and the role of Public Relations are just some of the topics that will be discussed during the congeference.

It conference will also highlight PR practice in the public (governmental) sector as well as its role and tools needed in forming a lobby to influence public opinion.

Other important matters that will be discussed in the conference include the social responsibility of firms, different research platforms and assessment tools for evaluating and measuring the results of PR campaigns, optimization of the PR budget, negotiation skills, strategic planning, crises management, among others.

Moreover, the Kuwait conference will present some successful case studies about the experiences of pioneering Kuwaiti companies concerning PR activities such as social responsibility, investor relations and many others.

Attendees, according to Mrs. Al-Ayyar, will benefit from learning a great deal from the experiences of global experts, as well as from acquiring more practical and theoretical experience in the field of PR and Marketing.

Mrs. Al-Ayyar then gave a brief on the establishment of IPRA's Gulf chapter in 2003 with the aim of elevating the level of PR industry in the region and highlighting the vital guiding role that could be played by PR in the public and private sectors.