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Alliance newsletter
August 2005
Dear Colleagues and
Friends
The GA continues to pursue its
mission of unifying the profession while offering value to its
members. This month new activities were launched that support our
mission. I am happy to tell you more about these and to share our
news.
UN
application approved
The GA's application for membership in the United Nations
Department of Information/Non-Governmental Organizations has
just been approved. As a result, GA representatives will have
full access to DPI/NGO news, conferences and other resources.
WPRF report
The 2nd World Public Relations Festival is now a fond memory. The
Festival received 584 people who for two and a half days discussed
diversity in communications and as an objective in our
multi-facetted society. Speakers have written 900-word articles to
summarise their presentations; these are being published in early
September in a special issue of the Journal of Communication
Management. To find out how to get your copy, please see
www.wprf.org.
We owe a large debt of gratitude to
the FERPI leadership and to Toni Muzi Falconi in particular for
staging a truly world-class event which will stimulate discussion
for some time.
Launch of
comPro
In collaboration with Digital Management, the GA launched in Trieste
at the WPRF the comPro suite of communications products designed to
promote excellence in public relations. Members of the GA are the
exclusive distributors of this software-based suite of products. The
software brings together state-of-the-art knowledge and
user-friendly tools that allow you to create comprehensive planning
and implementation tools for any aspect of public relations work.
Watch for more details coming shortly.
Discount for
GA members on textbooks
Last month the GA began offering a new member benefit. In
association with Kogan Page Publishers, GA members can enjoy a 10%
discount on textbooks purchased through the GA bookstore. Members
need to enter their organization code - the abbreviated name of your
organization - to activate the discount. I would urge you to promote
this new member benefit to your members. The bookstore is available
at
www.kogan-page.co.uk/globalalliance.
EU
Commission on Communications
The GA has applauded and offered its support to the EU Commission on
Communications. Last month, the Commission approved the “Action Plan
to Improve Communicating Europe by the European Commission” proposed
by Vice-President Margot Wallström, responsible for Institutional
Relations and Communication Strategy. The 50 actions set out in the
plan aim at improving the Commission’s capacity and skills to
communicate European policies. The Action Plan will be followed by a
White Paper to engage all stakeholders, setting out the policy
vision and the initiatives to be undertaken in the medium and
long-term, in co-operation with the other institutions and actors.
Global
Professional Development opportunity
The GA executive is exploring a new Professional Development
teleseminar series which will be offered on a global basis.
Catherine Bolton of the PRSA is developing the proposal further at
the executive’s request. Details will be announced in the next few
months, but essentially the concept is that a PD session will be
conducted over the telephone and offered to the members of the GA
who can call in to a designated line to participate in the seminar.
Your comments and participation in GA
activities are always welcome.
Jean Valin
Chair 2004/05, Global Alliance
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