With over 20 agencies spread across the globe, PRN members come together bi-annually at different geographical locations each year.

2019, saw PRN members from 12 countries joining the first-ever meeting in India. The meetings help member countries take stock at each other’s work along with opportunities for the virtual teams to exchanges ideas and improves collaborations. Day 1 of the PRN winter meeting opened with a big bang as our Indian partner Skateboard Media organized the first ever PRN Communication Summit in New Delhi on January 24. The Summit brought together leading voices from the Indian media and communications industries, giving its hundred plus audience a bird’s eye view of the thriving traditional and digital ecosystem. The various panels seamlessly integrated our network members who participated alongside the Indian speakers – bringing to the fore their experiences and expertise from their own markets on wide-ranging topics from media landscape to the rise of digital.

(Jodi Echakowitz with Indian speakers at the panel discussion)

Jodi Echakowitz, Founder and CEO of our Canadian Partner agency Boulevard PR, conducted a panel discussion on “Blurred Lines between PR & Digital Communications”, found the summit extremely informative. “Millennials in India are hyper-connected and have a clear vision for where they see the future role of communications. If they have anything to do with it, India is on its way to becoming one of the most digitally engaged markets in the world”.

Veit Mathauer, Chairman of PRN and Managing Director of our German partner agency Sympra, found the concept “perfect” with something for everyone. “The flourishing Indian print media scene is extremely fascinating! Thousands of newspapers in different national languages appear daily, even though digital media is becoming increasingly important and social networks are widespread, printed (local) newspapers continue to enjoy the highest level of trust among its readers,” he says. (PRN members pose outside Taj Mahal)

The three-day Indian sojourn gave members the opportunity to get to know about the capabilities of partner agencies and put their heads together to synergize on some of the challenges and stimulate opportunities for the upcoming 12 months. Richard Postins, CEO of Prova PR, the partner from the United Kingdom said: “Comms and PR like the whole commercial world are now entirely global. If we are marketing a product to a certain audience it won’t be parochial to one country. We operate across auto, environment and technology in areas that are absolutely international and with very few borders. It is important for us when we speak to a potential or existing customer that we are able to offer the same capabilities or services wherever they may be in the world.”

(PRN members discuss international collaboration over some Indian curry)

While partner agencies already collaborate to cater to their local clients’ regional and international footprints, moving forward the network is striving to project itself as a more joined-up and serious global player. The time spent together in India was just the right space for the members to bond, calibrate and pave the way for a stronger and united international pitch. “I see a tremendous opportunity for the network to leverage social media to create greater awareness of the various agency partners and competencies”, adds Jodi Echakowitz. The combined efforts seem to be heading towards the “right” direction. Public Relations Network now has a new LinkedIn page to enhance our visibility and accessibility. See you there!