The International Public Relations Association (IPRA) was founded 60 years ago, when in the late 1940s several Dutch and British public relations (PR) practitioners discussed the idea of organizing public relations professionals into a transnational society. The objective was to raise standards of public relations practice worldwide and improve the quality of PR practitioners. IPRA was formally established in London on 1 May 1955.
Today, IPRA is a worldwide organization with thousands of members in both established and emerging countries. It is governed by a geographically representative Board and run by a Secretariat in the UK. IPRA represents individual professionals, not agencies or companies. IPRA is recognized as an international non-governmental organization by the United Nations and has been granted consultative status by the Economic and Social Council and by UNESCO.
More at www.ipra.org
The 2015 Congress is the first ever to be held in Africa. It is expected to attract around 600 ñ 800 participants from all corners of the globe, with a preponderance from Africa. South Africas draw as a pre-eminent tourism destination will boost the attractiveness of the Congress for international participants. It will run from Sunday 27 September to Tuesday 29 September 2015 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg under the theme: "Leadership in Communication ñ the way to Trust".
A unique addition to the 2015 Congress will be the hosting on the Monday evening of the IPRA Golden World Awards for Excellence awards ceremony. This event is the annual "Oscars" of the PR world, honouring the very best of PR campaigns from around the globe.