International Public Relations Association Gulf Chapter organizes 'Kuwait Conference on Public Relations 2008'

This will be held on 12 & 13 February 2008 in JW Marriott Hotel, Kuwait; along with the participation of a group of Arab and International experts specialized in the field of public relations, media and marketing.

The head of the conference's organizing committee, Vice President of the board of directors of IPRA - Gulf Chapter - and representative of the State of Kuwait Mrs. Etedal Hamad Al-Ayyar, said that organizing this conference comes following the remarkable success of the 'Kuwait First Conference on Public Relations' which took place in December 2006, with the participation of a group of experts specialized in the field of public relations. A significant package of major topics in this field were handled in the presence of a large and unprecedented number of interested Gulf and international delegates, who possess long experience of over quarter of a century.

Al-Ayyar confirms that the conference in its new session aims at defining the manner of standing up to the new challenges in the field of public relations industry, utilizing the recently invented new tools concerning the new means of communications and technology.

Al-Ayyar indicated that public relations have recently witnessed a remarkable development in Kuwait in particular, and in the Gulf in general. This is as a result of the awareness by the companies and institutions of the risks and challenges facing their companies and their reputation.

She added that public relations management has important and vital role in shaping the interface of every company or institution. Every governmental and private institution realized the huge importance of public relations and its major and effective role in connecting with the clients. It proved its efficiency in having quick access to various sectors in the region and in building more solid relation with society. This is the reason why many companies specialized in public relations in the national and Gulf market seek to grow and develop an effective public relations industry in the region.

Al-Ayyar indicated that the major topics to be discussed in the conference are of interest to a large sector in this important field. It generally aims to put within your hands the latest thinking approaches to best practice professional public relations.

She added that one of the major topics is defining the new role of public relations, the manner of utilizing the new effects for this role, reemploying the public relations and strengthening its role to face international changes and dangers, and to overcome the different challenges facing public relations nowadays.

The conference will also discuss the role assumed by the social responsibility as a tool to corporate risk management, the means to manage the company's reputation, and enhance its name among the public, as well as the role of social media in practicing public relations, and the means of merging the old and the new media by exploring new media solutions using old media tools.

Al-Ayyar added that the conference will provide a study of successful practical cases about pioneer Kuwaiti companies' experience concerning public relations activities, including the way of adopting and carrying out a strategy for an effective public relations campaign for a pioneer company. It will also display new ideas in this field, and ways of practically exercising public relations by participating in the conference's workshops which will improve the skills needed, whereby in the absence of such skills, success cannot be achieved in the track of public relations in this new world.

Al-Ayyar confirmed that the Kuwait Conference on Public Relations 2008 will avail the attendees the opportunity to benefit from the lectures and the workshops presented by an elite group of experts and specialists in the region and the world in the field of public relations, media, and marketing, who will present their extensive expertise in these significant lines. The conference will also provide the opportunity to highlight the effective role of companies in developing public relations to cope with the salient developments recently occurred in the region and in the world.

About the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), Al-Ayyar pointed out that the Gulf Chapter was established in 2003 and is considered one of the regional organizations emerged from the International Public Relations Association established in 1955. IPRA has affiliate members from all Gulf Cooperation Council Countries.

IPRA aims to upgrade the standard of public relations industry in the region and to highlight the vital and effective role of public relations in the present time, both in the government and private sectors.

The vision of the International Public Relations Association - Gulf Chapter - is based on working and spreading in the region to achieve excellence in the field of public relations, improve related skills and experiences of the members, enlarge and enrich their experiences in the field of international public relations as well as establishing close ties between public relations specialists all over the world.