The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) and the Chinese International Public Relations Association (CIPRA) have signed a historic agreement for cooperation in Shanghai. Maxim Behar, ICCO President and Zhao Dali, Secretary General of CIPRA signed the agreement at an official ceremony in the presence of hundreds of delegates at the Shanghai International PR Summit. The agreement calls for an intensive exchange of information and training, regular meetings and the exchange of delegates in the Summits of both parties. There are also initial plans to organise an ICCO Summit in Beijing in 2020.

At the opening of the Summit, Maxim Behar underlined the importance of the relations with China for ICCO and also described the modern trends of developments of the public relations business globally.

Maxim Behar, ICCO President said: “It is my second visit to China within a couple of months and our meetings both with the CIPRA President Ambassador Li Daoyu and Secretary General Zhao Dali show that we have a lot of ideas and aims in common which will be very beneficial for our members. China is a strategic partner for ICCO and the fact that we signed the historic agreement for cooperation is a great step ahead in strengthening our professional relations.”

Zhao Dali, CIPRA Secretary General said: “We are very glad to have ICCO as our partner. The agreement we signed with President Maxim Behar shows that we have serious plans together and they will be of benefit to our PR communities. Cooperation with ICCO for us means cooperation with 48 countries from all continents globally which is a strategic aim for CIPRA and all its members. We participated at the ICCO Summit in Oxford this year, witnessed its great success and really look forward to potentially hosting ICCO members in less than four years in Beijing. We want to show to all of them the great achievements of Chinese PR business.”

About ICCO:
The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) is the voice of public relations consultancies around the world. The ICCO membership comprises national trade associations representing 48 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Australia. Collectively, these associations represent some 2,500 PR firms.
iccopr.com

About CIPRA:
The China International Public Relations Association (CIPRA), set up in April 1991 as a corporate body headquartered in Beijing, is a national organisation aimed at international cooperation in the field of public relations. Its mission is to strengthen the management of the PR industry, engage in PR study, practice and strategy-making for the industry in China; raise the social position of the PR industry and practitioners, and protect legitimate rights and interests of PR practitioners. The association also provides comprehensive services and training programmes for its members, and promotes the cooperation among PR organisations both at home and abroad.
cipra.org.cn

 Three global industry leaders have been chosen to join the International Communications Consultancy Organisation’s (ICCO) International Hall of Fame.

Introduced in 2003, ICCO’s Hall of Fame represents an exclusive recognition of the exceptional progress its members have made towards the internationalisation of the public relations industry.

The inductees are Karen Van Bergen, Chief Executive Officer, Omnicom Public Relations Group; Jack Martin, Global Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hill+Knowlton Strategies; and David Gallagher, President, Growth and Development, International, Omnicom Public Relations Group.

These people have enhanced the discipline and expanded the scope of public relations activity globally.

The group was inducted into the Hall of Fame following the official announcement at the ICCO Global Awards 2016 at the St Pancras Renaissance hotel on 1^st December.

Maxim Behar, President, ICCO, said: “The ICCO Hall of Fame is filled with great names – people who are our mentors, often teachers, and advisers, but mostly colleagues and partners. Each of them has great input in the development of the Public Relations business on a global scale, but what is most important is that each of them continues to spread new visions and are leaders in the professional community. We are proud to have them in our Wall of Fame among the most important personalities in the global PR business for the past 30 years.”

Francis Ingham MPRCA, Chief Executive, ICCO, said: “It is a real pleasure to welcome this year’s inductees into the ICCO Hall of Fame. Each of these individuals provide thought leadership within the PR and communications industry and are well deserving of this accolade.”

BPRCA (the Belgian association of communication consultants) and 3C (the Belgian association of communication professionals) announce today that they would be joining forces in a new association called C² (C Square), which stands for “communications community”.  This means that 3C and BPRCA will cease to exist and will merge into a new association that is open to all communication professionals and agencies.

Commenting on the merger, Emmanuel Goedseels, current chairman of BPRCA, said: “C² is not just the sum of adding 3C and BPRCA together. It’s much more than that. C² will be an association that is open to large and small communication agencies and self-employed communication providers, as well as communication professionals from large companies, SMEs, non-profit organisations (NGOs, hospitals, health funds, etc.), plus political parties or unions. Our aim is to create an open community that represents everyone who works in communication in Belgium. C² will promote their interests with and through specific committees.  The communication agencies will set up the first of these committees, operating under the name of “Consultancies”.

Kris Poté, current chairman of 3C, added: “Naturally C² will also offer its members services that will enable them to optimise the professional quality of the work they do. At the same time, C² will provide a platform for communication specialists to exchange thoughts with one another in a whole range of different ways. They will also be able to come up with recommendations and offer support. Finally, we will be seeking to ensure compliance with and further develop the codes of ethics specific to the communication industry.”

The Boards of Directors at both 3C and BPRCA have approved the new articles of association, the new logo (developed by Hoet & Hoet Agency, Brandsetters), and have now given the green light for the completion of all the administrative and statutory obligations required to formally establish C². This work will be carried out during 2017.

More information

Emmanuel Goedseels –  ego@whyte.be – +32/495/54 41 07

Kris Poté – kris.pote@capgemini.com – +32/497/05 36 96

About BPRCA

BPRCA (Belgian Public Relations Consultants Association) groups PR agencies that have extensive expertise and a wealth of experience in providing strategic communication advice and in putting this advice into practice as part of communication programmes. They are responsible for implementing and guiding strategic communication plans for various business, social or institutional sectors, as well as for national and multinational organisations and institutions, both in Belgium and abroad.

About 3C

3C – Corporate Communications Community – represents and promotes the interests of people who work in corporate communication. Internally, the aim of the association is to improve the overall quality of the industry by providing corporate communication professionals with a social network and platform for exchanging knowledge, advice and support. Externally, the aim with regard to the business world and the general public is to explain the importance of corporate communication in business and to give corporate communication the credibility it deserves.

Moscow, November 2016 – “The world has changed entirely and this fact put deep reflection on public communications business. Advertising, digital and public relations are merging faster than anyone can expect and in couple of years we will be managing simply one business led by PR experts. It will change although only by leaders with new modern visions who can provide perfect services in this very competitive market”, ICCO President Maxim Behar said at the International Leadership Dialogue Forum held this month in Moscow.

“Education and practice must go hand in hand in a way that students will be ready for the new challenges and new type of businesses just from the very first day in our offices”, Behar added.

“A brilliantly organized event showing to the participants how ICCO members can have professional exchange of ideas and visions on a local level having strong international impact. We were glad to be partners of this event as it is ICCO policy to support professional forums and discussions, which may bring useful conclusions for the future of our profession”.

More than 1000 participants from 30 cities of 9 countries during two days discussed at the Leadership Dialogue Forum future of Public Relations business in all its aspects – education, professional trainings, client’s relations and crisis management. PR Professionals, business managers, politicians and many students took part in the Forum at the International Press Center of RIA Novosti News Agency. The Forum also included 5th Eventiada Awards, international PR and communications awards celebrating best practices both in corporate/public sector and those conducted by younger generations (students and teenagers), best cases selected by jury from over 800 PR and communications entries projects applied from 124 cities of Russia, Hungary, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.  ICCO was a proud partner of the event.