“Has public relations become too important to be left to the professionals?” That question will be explored by public relations legend Harold Burson at the Institute for Public Relations’ first International Distinguished Lecture and Dinner in London.
The lecture will take place Wednesday, October 20, at One Whitehall Place, Westminster, London, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event is sponsored in part by Lawrence Ragan Communications, Inc.
Burson, founder and CEO of Burson-Marsteller, has been described by PRWeek as the 20th Century’s most influential public relations professional. His lecture will trace the evolutionary role of public relations as a corporate management discipline. He will reinforce a concept articulated more than a half century ago by another legend, AT&T’s Arthur W. Page, who said that public relations must be practiced not only by the public relations department but also by every employee who interfaces with a corporate stakeholder.
“This will be an international networking event to remember for public relations professionals from around the world,” said Jack Felton, President and CEO of the Institute.
This is Burson’s third appearance at the not-for-profit Institute’s dinner, which is held annually in New York but also in London for the first time this year. He was awarded the Institute’s Alexander Hamilton Medal in 1999, the Gold Anvil by the Public Relations Society of America in 1980, the Arthur W. Page Society Hall of Fame in 1991, and the PRSA Atlas Achievement Award in 1998. Boston University honored him with a Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 1988 and the Boston University College of Communication recognized him with an endowed chair in public relations in 2003.
The historic London venue, One Whitehall Place, was the celebrated private club of the National Liberals. Its first stone was laid in 1884 by then Prime Minister William Gladstone.
Tickets and tables for the event can be purchased by calling the Institute at +1 352-392-0280, or by visiting the website, instituteforpr.org. Tickets are £150 ($275) each, or £1,500 ($2,750) for a table of 10, and include cocktail reception, dinner and lecture.
The Institute for Public Relations, located at the University of Florida, is dedicated to improving the professional practice of public relations through research, education, measurement and evaluation. Lawrence Ragan Communications, Inc., sponsor of the lecture, can be reached at www.ragan.com.
