ARRP organized the first regional Summit with wide international participation

The Romanian Public Relations Association (ARRP) organized the first edition of the regional Summit, with the theme “Freedom of Expression vs. Antidemocratic Discourse”. Professional associations of strategic communication and PR at the level of presidents participated, as well as over 100 professionals from agencies, companies, government institutions, business associations, local, regional, and central authorities from nine countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Great Britain, Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, as well as from Romania, the host country.

Renowned internationally recognized specialists such as Paul Holmes, founder of PRovokeMedia and the renowned global competition in the field, SABER Awards, and Grzegorz Szczepanski, President of ICCO, the largest network of communication consultancies in the world and President of Hill & Knowlton Poland, Maxim Behar, founder of the World Communication Forum Association and the Best PR Leader Awards global competition, gave a lecture at the event moderated by Cătălin Striblea, together with specialists from other countries such as Ukraine, Romania, from the academic environment or representatives of the ARRP management.

Grzegorz SZCZEPAŃSKI, president of ICCO, presented the ethical challenges and the need to review traditional communication models. “We must adopt a model where we put people first – ‘people first approach’. Otherwise, PR may disappear in the next 50 years,” he added.

The 2023 ARRP Regional Summit marked an important milestone in the evolution of strategic communication, highlighting the PR industry’s commitment to ethical values and the positive impact it can have on economic development by supporting investment, corporations, and entrepreneurship in various markets, with major effects on sustainable development and society. Among the conclusions unanimously embraced by the Summit participants were the importance of collaboration and accountability of the PR industry in the face of unprecedented contemporary challenges, as well as the need for concrete actions to strengthen professional ethics and combat disinformation and manipulation through fake news.

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Paul HOLMES, founder and chairman of PRovoke Media, emphasized the role of the industry in becoming part of the solution and called for a stronger stance against disinformation. “The time has come to advocate for the expulsion from professional associations of members who are unethical and intellectually dishonest,” Holmes said.

Following discussions and deepening of the debated topics, ARRP announces the next steps. PR professional associations in the participating region are invited to sign a memorandum of cooperation to strengthen a greater role of ethics, truth, and trust in the PR profession. Also, a review of university curricula is proposed to train future generations of specialists in the spirit of truth, trust and fairness, including the introduction of a new subject of study for the management of disinformation and information, in the perpetual and extremely rapid evolution of communication channels, in an unpredictable and increasingly volatile international environment.

Cătălin HOSU, president of ARRP, said: “Today, we shared visions and perspectives that made us understand the crucial role of PR in the communication landscape. Everything discussed here is available as an important source of knowledge and insight for all PR professionals, not just ARRP members.”

For more information and details, please visit ARRP’s website, Facebook and LinkedIn pages. The recording of the event is fully available on YouTube.