Next month, September, sees me enter the last third of my year-long tenure as IPRA President. My term in office has so far been both a pleasure and an education and I am sure I will look back on it with fondness after it reaches its conclusion.

But for now I am pleased to report that there are far too many interesting things afoot for me to cast a profusion of backward glances.

I shall soon be travelling to Asia to participate in the IPRA Regional Conference 2007 to be held on 4 – 6 September 2007 at Ayodya Resort, Nusa Dua, Bali.

The conference theme, Building Bridges Through Dialogue, could hardly be more apposite in these times of cross-cultural tension. We as communicators are well equipped to close divides and foster understanding. Even if we don’t have all the answers, our skills can be used to avert misunderstandings and couch debate in constructive terms. I look forward greatly to what will surely be absorbing and informative days in Bali.

Further Ahead

That is followed in by a regional PR Congress 2007 in Dubai, which we are supporting, from 28-30 October and includes a session with one Alaistair Campbell. I shall be speaking on the theme Ethics and Public Relations: the increasing global need for trust, with diversions on codes of conduct and some thoughts about the phrase “Trust me I’m a spin doctor!”.

Hard on its heels still going west, I shall of course also be attending the 3rd Annual PR Summit and IPRA Golden World Awards for Excellence Dinner in London on 5-6 November 2007. The Summit will also be the occasion for the presentation of the IPRA President’s award 2007. Please click here (http://www.iprasummit.org/) for further details.

I would like to extend my appreciation to the eminent colleagues who participated in the GWA judging process in Paris last month. The strength and diversity of the entries show the PR sector to be in fine shape. All IPRA members should be proud of the organisation’s role in facilitating this sharing of best practice and celebrating innovative and highly effective communications programmes. Exponents of high quality public relations should rightly be recognised for their achievements.

I would also like to thank all of the participants in the recent Media Transparency Survey. It is through pooling our experiences in this way that we communicators with an international outlook can better understand the challenges and opportunities we face.