President's Update

As 2020 draws to a close, I want to thank our members and the wider PRIA community for your ongoing support throughout what has clearly been a challenging and turbulent year. 

When so many of us were presented with new locations to call the ‘workplace’ or ‘office’, we wanted to ensure that we maintained our commitment to member engagement and delivering tangible value to our members.

While we couldn’t enjoy our normal range of physical events, we did our best to deliver on your behalf with the regular sharing of industry news and information, virtual training and a broad range of webinars to support the PR industry, as some areas thrived under the pressure of the pandemic while others felt the commercial and financial brunt of the economic downtown.

I am delighted to be able to share that more than 1,300 of you joined our monthly webinars to tackle on-trend topics and share the wisdom of a terrific range of speakers and industry experts. More than 150 of you took up the option of broadening your skills with our training courses facilitated by our partner SMEs and this year too, we saw a record number of entries for the 2020 Golden Target Awards – an impressive 115 per cent increase on 2019.

Our highlight National Conference in October was held virtually for the first time and I was delighted that 165 of you joined us for our showcase of a wealth of talented global and local speakers who through their views, opinions, and experiences, brought us all together even stronger.

As the year ends, I am honoured to announce that both myself and Helen Hutchings will continue our roles as National President and Deputy President respectively in 2021, after our positions were confirmed at the National Annual General Meeting held last week. 

We will continue to work diligently alongside the PRIA Board and national office to continue to strengthen the industry status and financial health of the organisation and provide genuine value and ongoing benefits to our members and industry.  

On behalf of the entire PRIA team, I wish you all a safe, healthy, and well-deserved festive break and welcome you to be part of our ever-growing community again next year when hopefully, we can look forward to a more forgiving 2021.

Take care, Leigh

The National Office will close for the holidays from Monday, 21 December 2020 and reopen on Monday, 11 January 2021.

Please note, our phones and emails will not be monitored. We will respond to any queries upon our return.

RCG Benchmark Study

The annual PRIA RCG research study has been running for 19 years. Each year we benchmark the industry and gather critical information in relation to agencies: turnover, clients, staff, charge out rates, and much more. All the research is conducted in the strictest confidence. If you participate you will receive a report which will benchmark you against the industry and will assist you to develop your business.  
 
This research study is free to RCG members only; you will have received the survey link via email. If you did not receive the link, contact membership@pria.com.au.  
 
Non-RCG members can participate in the research and will receive a condensed version of the report. The cost is $150 for PRIA members and $300 for non-members and you will receive the survey link following payment. To participate in the research, register today:

Please note, the survey closes on 31 January 2021. 

Upcoming Events

 Thursday, 17 December 2020
Growth Re-imagined in 2021

As we finally farewell a COVID-wracked 2020 and look forward to the new dawn of 2021, what lies in store for the PR industry? 
 
How do we reenergise and refocus clients and teams and reclaim that seat at the top table?
 
What are the challenges and opportunities to supercharge creativity and sharpen our commercial acumen? And what will be the new requirements to be a winner in 2021?
 
Join senior industry leaders Chris Savage and Andy Larkin in conversation with PRIA President Leigh McClusky for an enlightening, inspiring, and thought-provoking end-of-year discussion.

 Friday, 18 December 2020
ACT end-of-year networking event

We’ve said it a million times, and we’ll say it again: “What a year!”.

As communicators, we’ve all dug deep to support our communities, our workplaces, and so many to get the information they need, when they need it. 

We want to hear your stories and celebrate the fact that we’ve all made it this far. So we invite you to join your ACT PRIA Council for drinks and nibbles at the Armada Outdoor Bar at the Boat House.

Creativity in Communications with Compton School

The art of Public Relations has long been the most reliable way for brands to secure influence from the voices their customers trust. As the world of media and communications becomes even more fragmented, it has never been more important for PR professionals to be armed with the skills to earn their rightful place at the forefront of creative thinking. 

Following the success of our first course collaboration earlier this year, we are proud to announce our new PRIA x Compton School communications course for current practitioners: “Creativity in Communications - How Creativity Works and How to Maximise Your Creative Potential."

Commencing in March 2021, this course will be delivered digitally over five consecutive weeks. Participants will learn:

• The role and importance of creativity in the communications industry

• Creative Intelligence and the role of personality in creativity

• The process by which ideas get generated, selected, and iterated at scale 

• The difference between strategy, idea, and execution in creativity

• How to champion a creative idea 

Hurry! The course is open to 60 practitioners who are currently operating either in-house or in an agency comms role:

Accreditation Update

We would like to congratulate Charles Sturt University on becoming an accredited university until the end of 2023. The PRIA recognises the following degrees:

• Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations)
• Bachelor of Communication (Advertising and Public Relations)
• Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations)/Bachelor of Business Studies

For more information about the PRIA Accreditation, please click here.