Singapore’s Public Relations Apex Body Gears Up for Golden Jubilee

02 August 2019, SINGAPORE - The Institute for Public Relations of Singapore (IPRS), the national apex body for PR practitioners and PR consultancies, will unveil a pipeline of fresh initiatives to support Communications and Public Relations practitioners in Singapore to meet the challenges and demands of the new economy as it commemorates 50 years in 2020/2021.

“Helping our members stay ahead of sectoral changes has always been at the heart of what we do at IPRS”, said IPRS President, Mr Marcus Loh Bang Wei. “Since the formation of our new Council in April, we have consulted our members, reviewed Industry Transformation Maps and looked out for opportunities arising from changing media consumption habits, communication techniques, and interactions between organizations and their stakeholders.”

The initiatives include three keystone events1 named after IPRS’ biennial awards platform, PRISM (Public Relations in the Service of Mankind) – the IPRS PRISM Career Festival 2020 for aspiring practitioners in January 2020; an international conference on the future of PR and Communications, the IPRS PRISM Conference in March 2020, and to close the Jubilee celebrations, the biennial IPRS PRISM Awards Gala Night in March 2021. Apart from showcasing the best in PR and Communication practice and honouring outstanding individuals, the Gala night will showcase a special tribute to the pioneers of Singapore’s PR journey.

“As the apex body for PR in Singapore, IPRS looks to provide holistic engagement for our members, be they companies or individual practitioners,” said Mr Ling Wei Ming, IPRS Council lead for the IPRS PRISM Career Festival 2020.

“This career fair seeks to not only let up-and-coming PR professionals understand the employment climate in the industry right now, but at the same time, is for industry leaders to share their knowledge and insights with them to prepare them for their exciting careers ahead.”

“We are honoured that Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam has accepted our invitation to grace the inaugural IPRS PRISM Conference 2020 which has already drafted support from key regional and global associations, including the ASEAN PR Network and the Global Alliance,” said Ms Illka Gobius, IPRS Council Chair for Sponsorships, Advocacy and Platforms. “We expect it to be on par with key conferences held in the United States or Europe. We are confident that the PRISM Conference will make its mark by addressing the needs of the PR and Communication industry in Asia.”

To enhance professionalism in the industry, IPRS will conduct a series of Masterclasses that will showcase best practice across a range of current disciplines in the industry with a focus on helping members acquire fluency in digital and data capabilities. For Members, the Council will organise lunch and dinner talks where notable leaders from the local and international industry will be invited to share insights and inspire discourse on current developments in the field.

Mr Justin Fong, IPRS Council Chair for Partnerships and Skills says, “Our goal is to shape our Members and industry practitioners to be future-ready. As part of the new professional development initiatives and partnerships, IPRS has consulted senior Members and done a review of its training syllabus. A new line-up of workshops and courses covering various PR and communication disciplines will roll out from September onwards.”

Mr Loh added, “These fresh initiatives paves a new path forward as we approach our Golden Jubilee. I am confident that we are acting with vim and vigour as we empower members of the apex body to thrive in the digital economy.”

1 Please refer to www.iprs.org.sg for the full slate of training courses, masterclasses and events for 2019

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