PRCA International Summit 2022

Public relations and communications operates without borders. The seismic events of the past two years have reshaped the PR industry and accelerated the trend towards international, cross-cultural business. The opportunity for international collaboration, once the remit of a privileged few, is now within grasp for organizations of all sizes across the world.

The Virtual PRCA International Summit returns this year to share unparalleled insight on how PR and Communications professionals are defying global markets to deliver exceptional value for organizations and societies around the world.

Join us on the 23rd and 24th March for this prestigious event which will showcase communications excellence by brands and organizations across the globe. Attendees will learn about new and emerging trends in communications practice and hear how PR professionals are helping to forge a new path for organizations across the globe.

DAY ONE – 23rd March, 2022: 07:00 – 14:00 EST

DAY TWO – 24th March, 2022: 02:00 – 08:00 EST

Full speaker line-up to be announced shortly.

Ticket Prices:

Member early bird: $130

Non-member early bird : $200

(Early bird ticket pricing ends 28th February, 2022)

Agency Ticket – Can’t decide who you want to attend? Why not buy our agency ticket – one price and as many people as you want from your organization can join in! All for just $650.

Please email Jo if you would like to purchase an agency ticket: jo.brophy@prca.global

Why attend?

Access. From New York to New Delhi, learn how agencies and organizations are helping to forge a new path for organizations across the world.

Learn. A Summit pass grants you access to 20+ live sessions – from insightful keynote talks on the top trends for 2022 to regional case studies and panel discussions on operating across borders this year.
Connect. Be part of your global community. The summit connects you with speakers and delegates from across the world so you can broaden your network and gain insight on the cross-cultural issues impacting global PR.

AGENDA

DAY 1: WEDNESDAY 23 MARCH 2022

Time (GMT)
07:00	Introduction and Welcome Francis Ingham, Director General, PRCA and Maja Pawinska Sims, Associate Editor, EMEA, PRovoke
07:10	Opening Keynote To be announced shortly
07:30	BREAK
07:40	Panel discussion: Working in new markets and across borders Moderated by Nitin Mantri, Group CEO, Avian We & ICCO President. Panellists include Paul Cohen, Partner, CEO at Milk & Honey PR North America and Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe, Global Communications Professional What are the key considerations when scaling up your organisation and working across different cultures? This panel discusses strategies to fit emerging markets, modern workforces across borders and scaling up your PR Strategy.
08:20	BREAK
08:30	Why creativity in business needs a rebrand Paul Spiers, founder, The New P&L Brand Purpose Institute & host, ‘The New P&L – Principles & Leadership in Business’ podcast series A session exploring changing the perceptions of the real commercial value of creative thinking to a business and how critical and creative thinking builds powerful brands.
08:50	BREAK
09:00	How AI tools are reshaping the world of comms/PR Katie King, CEO, AI in Business AI tools are taking the guesswork out of comms, helping PR professionals to gain valuable insights, to manage reputations, to improve customer service and support lead generation. Katie will share insights from her newly published book, ‘AI strategy for sales and marketing,’ as well as practical methodologies to set you on the path to AI adoption.
09:20	BREAK
09:30	Measurement and evaluation tips Johna Burke, Global Managing Director, AMEC
09:50	BREAK
10:00	Home truths on purpose Stuart Lambert, Founding Partner, Blurred A session on the importance of purpose, and why you can’t talk about the good you do until you’ve disclosed the harm you do.
10:20	BREAK
10:30	Panel discussion: Driving Travel and Tourism Comms in an Era of Uncertainty and Constant Change Few industries have suffered greater impact due to the global pandemic than travel and tourism. Endless modifications to travel guidelines and restrictions — compounded by misinformation and pandemic malaise — have now resulted in an unprecedented pent-up demand for travel and tourism. These circumstances continue to challenge even the most seasoned practitioners. This panel will lean in and discuss lessons learned, how the industry continues to adapt and what the near future may hold for travel and tourism communicators.
11:10	BREAK
11:20	Panel discussion: The opportunities to build your reputation in Latin America A panel discussion exploring key ways you can increase reputation and presence within Latin America.
12:00	BREAK
12:10	Amazon Case Study Rena Lunak, Director, Global Operations Workplace PR & Americas Field Comms, Amazon and Kelly Nantel, Director, Global Corporate Workplace Media Relations, Amazon Hear from two leading PR professionals working at Amazon.
12:30	BREAK
12:40	An update from the Ethics & Compliance Initiative Patricia J. Harned, Ph.D., LPEC, Chief Executive Officer, Ethics & Compliance Initiative
13:00	BREAK
13:10	Tackling the new world of media: Going direct to audience in an unfiltered way A fireside chat with Lulu Cheng Meservey, Vice President of Communications, Substack and Brian Morrissey, Founder, The Rebooting
13:40	DAY 1 ENDS

DAY 2: THURSDAY 24 MARCH 2022

02:00	Introduction and Welcome
02:10	Building an Engaged Workforce Through Internal Communications Audrey Wong, Regional Director, Corporate Affairs, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Levis Strauss & Co. Internal communications can pave the way towards building a more engaged workforce. Discover how internal communications has evolved since the pandemic and given today’s hybrid workforce.
02:30	BREAK
02:40	Panel discussion: The Golden Decade: Where Growth, Youth and Innovation Converge Moderated by Eva Sogbanmu, Executive Director, Communications, Asia Pacific – JLL Panellists include Lars Voedisch, Founder & Managing Director, PRecious Communications and Geraldine Khan, Director, Asia Communications, and Corp Comms Global Strategy and Programming, HP Inc Exploring trends and opportunities in the APAC region
03:20	BREAK
03:30	APAC a la carte – why buffet-style PR doesn’t work in Asia Caroline Hsu, Managing Director, APAC, The Hoffman Agency Too often, multinational companies still look at Asia-Pacific as a single homogenous market, failing to take into account vastly different levels of scale, maturity and cultures. We will show why this approach can never succeed and the benefits of working with a market on its own terms.
03:50	BREAK
04:00	Panel discussion: Driving the success of Influencer Relations Moderated by Influencer Marketing adviser Scott Guthrie. Panellists include Junaid Bukhari, Marketing Director, MG Motor Middle East, Emma Smith, CEO, Sandpiper Communications and Hayley Stevens-Shaw, Lead Influencer Strategist, 3 Monkeys Zeno Influencer marketing continues to play an increasingly important role in PR and Communications campaigns. But should the responsibility of influencer marketing strategies sit with PR or marketing departments? This session will explore best practices for working with different influencers, to meet a variety of communications and corporate objectives, plus how successful influencer relations can not only help sell products, but also affect change.
04:40	BREAK
04:50	Brands in motion Sarah Gooding, Managing Director at WE Communications South Africa
05:10	BREAK
05:20	Panel discussion: Industry ethics in Africa Introduction by Jordan Rittenberry, Chairman, Middle East & Africa, Edelman Panel Moderated by Karena Crerar, Managing Director, Edelman South Africa This session will explore the state of the communications landscape in Africa and how the field of public relations is evolving the role it plays across the public and private sector. As public relations moves from the back room to the board room, the panel will evaluate the increasing role of ethics within the field. Key questions the panel will address on the state of ethics includes: Is there a single view of ethics within public relations across the continent and how would we describe behaving ethically? How can we better educate the industry on best practices and how to operate ethically? How can public relations better advocate for ethics within the industry, both across agencies and brands? Do any challenges exist by remaining ethical and how can they be overcome? What barriers remain to ensure that acting ethically ensures success?
06:00	BREAK
06:10	New PR trends and opportunities for growth in the MENA market Sunil Jon, President – Middle East, ASDA’A BCW The MENA region has a new narrative underlined by the economic opportunities in climate action, the peace dividends following the Abraham Accords, and massive investments in infrastructure. The keynote address will highlight the significance of these new trends for the PR industry.
06:30	BREAK
06:40	Panel discussion: The future of the tourism and travel industry in Dubai post-EXPO Moderated by Scott Armstrong, Editor in Chief, Arabian Business The travel, tourism and hospitality industry have been hugely impacted in recent years. This panel session will discuss with regional experts how both brands and agencies envisage the future of the tourism and travel industry post EXPO, as well as the effect of EXPO 2021 on the Dubai economy. With an estimated windfall of more than $30bn in value add, The Dubai EXPO is forecast to have a significant impact not only on Dubai’s economy but on that of the UAE and the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region well into the future.
07:20	BREAK
07:30	Panel discussion: The Future of The Working Week Moderated by Kate Gooderham, Group account director, Liquid PR The pandemic has fundamentally and forever changed the way we work. But can PR really work a reduced working week? A new study from PRCA MENA found that 7 out of 10 (70%) professionals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) feel they work more efficiently within a 4 and a half day working week. The study comes as the UAE cut its working week to four and a half days, in a major shift designed to improve work-life balance. So, would this work in your country?
08:10	EVENT CLOSE