IPRA Summit 2008 Registration Opens

LONDON, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Registration has opened for the IPRA Summit 2008, the annual global forum for senior public relations directors. Hot topics this year include "green" communications, public relations' global talent war, crisis communications and responding to pressure group campaigns.

The IPRA Summit is a public relations conference designed specifically for senior communications professionals who work in the international arena. It is an opportunity to share best practice, exchange ideas, network and engage in debates on some of the hottest topics within the communication industry.

    Venue: The Honourable Artillery Company, Armoury House,
           City Road, London EC1Y 2BQ
    Dates: Monday 9 June - Tuesday 10 June 2008
    Details and booking: www.iprasummit.org

Early booking rates are available for all registrations made before 31st March.

    Top speakers are being added weekly. The current program includes:
    -- Impact of pressure groups and activism on communications campaigns: Dr
       Francesca Polini, Global Communications Director Greenpeace; Boyd Neil,
       COO Hill and Knowlton Canada; and Guy Cote, VP Media Relations JT
       International S.A.
    -- The greening of public relations: Paul Charles, Director of
       Communications Virgin Atlantic
    -- The global war for public relations talent:  Stephen Welch, Associate
       Director and Head of Communications and Media Consulting, Hay Group;
       Chris Bones, Principal Henley Business School and Mike Davies, Global
       Director of Communications PricewaterhouseCoopers
    -- Best practice: global campaigns: Lucian Hudson, Director of
       Communications Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Andy Muncer, Global
       Head of Corporate Communications ING Wholesale Banking
    -- Future global trends: Sir Robert Worcester KBE DL, Founder MORI; Harjiv
       Singh, Co Founder and CEO International Operations Gutenberg
       Communications

Robert Grupp, IPRA President and President of Grupp Global Partners LLC, commented: "This is the fourth year of the IPRA Summit and the 2008 program looks to be more engaging than ever. Delegates come from organizations around the world as diverse as governments, corporations, NGOs and public relations agencies, and they tell us that the international scope of program content distinguishes the IPRA Summit as a must-attend event in the annual schedule of public relations conferences."

The Summit is followed by IPRA's annual Golden World Awards for Excellence Ceremony on 10th June, which aims to highlight the very best from the global public relations industry.

    The 2008 IPRA Summit is sponsored by PR Newswire and Rolls-Royce.

    Notes to Editors:

About the Summit

The IPRA Summit, www.iprasummit.org, is an annual international forum where senior communications directors share best practice, exchange ideas and engage in debates on a number of high-level topics. Last year, 160 people attended from 50 countries on six continents, with a good mix of corporate, agency, NGO, government and other international organizations.

At the 2007 IPRA Summit, speakers included Ambassador Karen Hughes, US Undersecretary Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Keith Rockwell, Director Information and Media Relations World Trade Organization, Rainer von Mielecki, Director of Communications EMEA Dell Inc., H. Joachim Richter, Director of Corporate Communications Nestle Espresso, Richard Hedges, Director of Corporate Communications American Airlines, and James Blitz, Diplomatic Editor Financial Times.

About IPRA

The International Public Relations Association (IPRA) is the premier association for senior international public relations professionals. With members in more than 100 countries, IPRA's activities include the global public relations online magazine IPRA FrontLine; seminars and conferences; the IPRA Campaign for Media Transparency, and the annual IPRA Golden World Awards for Excellence, which recognize the best PR programs from around the globe. IPRA is headquartered in the UK. More information on IPRA can be found on: www.ipra.org.