The PRWC (www.prwcdubai.com), being held in the Middle East for the first time, is a biennial event that draws together communication professionals from across the world to brainstorm on the latest trends and challenges facing the industry. Expected to attract more than 500 delegates, the Congress will focus on three broad themes: ‘Political Change and Public Relations,’ ‘Restoring Trust: The Media and The Message,’ and ‘Next Practices: Communications in the Age of Dialogue.’
The Congress is being organised by the Gulf Chapter of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA). Congress Solutions International, the Destination and Leisure Management division of the Emirates Group, has been awarded the contract to manage the event.
“We are delighted that the Congress will be held under Patronage of Sheikh Mohammed. With the Governments of the UAE and Dubai extending their support, we can be confident that this important and prestigious event is getting off to the best possible start, and will be a huge success,” Faisal Al Zahrani, IPRA-GC President, said.
“The public relations sector in the Middle East has grown to a half-billion dollar industry today. Dubai’s rapid development as a hub for media and PR services has been instrumental in that growth story, and this high-profile support for the Congress cements the city’s place at the heart of industry in the region.”
“PR is today a major global industry, employing 60,000 people and generating $9 billion in revenues just within the agency sector. Clients, in addition, have substantial investments in large in-house PR departments. For Dubai to be hosting the PR industry’s most prestigious event is a tremendous achievement, which will be of great benefit to region’s PR professionals,” Sunil John, Chairman of the Organising Committee of PRWC Dubai, and Chief Executive Officer of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, said.
The PRWC has attracted an enviable line up of keynote speakers including a global ‘who’s who’ in PR and Media and thought leaders, and is guaranteed to stimulate exciting debate among the delegates attending. PR professionals will also have the opportunity to participate in Master Classes and Training Workshops while attending the PRWC, creating a compelling platform for information sharing and knowledge transfer.
The last Public Relations World Congress was held in 2010 in Lima, Peru, and attended by industry representatives from 39 countries, while the 2008 Public Relations World Congress was held in Beijing, China. In both instances, the event brought significant media and industry attention to the host country with the world’s foremost communications professionals and media experts attending the sessions. The first ever Congress was held in Brussels, Belgium in 1955.