Medial Kommunikation from Stockholm and Kutadgu Communications Consulting from Istanbul add significant PR capabilities to the Worldcom EMEA offering.

“We are very excited about working with our partners to deliver integrated support across the Nordic region and further afield”, says Henrik Kolga, CEO of Medial Kommunikation.

“Worldcom has an unrivalled capability in the EMEA region and we look forward to adding value to our clients by working alongside some of the smartest operators in Europe”, adds Ahter Kutadgu, managing partner at Kutadgu Communications Consulting.

“We are very excited about our new partners in Turkey and Sweden. They add significant experience working for some of the world’s largest brands – and enhance the strategic consulting ability available to every Wordlcom client regardless of the territory”, says Crispin Manners, EMEA chair of the Worldcom Public Relations Group.

About Medial Kommunikation

Medial Kommunikation was formed in 1999 and serves a wide variety of leading swedish firms – particularly in the travel sector. More information in www.medial.nu

About Kutadgu Communication Consulting Ltd

Kutadgu was established in 2007 by Ahter and Özlem Kutadgu in Istanbul, Turkey. Kutadgu provides corporate and marketing communications, crisis management, public affairs and event management services through its  headquarter in Istanbul and its branch office in Ankara to clients in the telecommunication, FMCG, food&agriculture, retail, energy, pharmaceutical, technology and automotive sectors. More information in www.kutadgu.com.tr

About Worldcom PR Group

Worldcom Public Relations Group is the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 107 offices in 93 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multi-national clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through The Worldcom Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate. Visit www.worldcomgroup.com for more information.

Worldcom EMEA currently comprises 32 agencies with strong expertise in consumer, healthcare, travel & tourism, technology, energy & environment, financial services, investor relations, public affairs and crisis & issues management. Clients include Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Panasonic, Sony Ericson, LG Electronics, the EU Anti-Tobacco Campaign, Verbatim and Palm. Visit www.worldcomemea.com for more information.

worldcom-emea-welcomes-medial-and-kutadgu

New appointments to board

The Worldcom EMEA PR group elected several new officers during the meeting. The board is now comprised of the following people:

Treasurer: Paget Langford-Holt from the Spanish agency Grupo Albión (www.grupoalbion.net)

Recruitment: Patrik Schober from PRAM Consulting in the Czech Republic (www.pram.cz)

Marketing: Imma Folch Lázaro from LF Channel in Spain (www.lfchannel.com)

Worldcom EMEA Future Group: András R. Nagy from Hungarian agency Probako Communication(www.probaku.hu)

Two existing board members were reelected to their current positions. These are Maria Pace Medolago Albani from CBO - Communication by Objectives (www.cbopr.com) responsible for Member Retention; and Paul Vann from London-based Winningtons Financial Public Relations (www.winningtons.co.uk) who will continue to coordinate Peer Review activities.

Worldcom EMEA Future Group

The fall meeting saw the inauguration of the Worldcom EMEA Future program. This enables younger members with less than four years’ PR experience to be mentored by senior practitioners and develop their skills. Several members of the Future group attended workshops on PR trends at the fall meeting. They also met with their peers to define the group’s objectives, including a self-development program. The Worldcom EMEA Future Group will also assist the rest of the group with internal and external communication support.

Ligaris Paris joins the group

Worldcom EMEA also added a new member at the conference. The French agency Ligaris Paris, created in 2003 by Pierre Siquier, is an independent French communication group with 126 employees. Ligaris is involved in all fields of corporate communication, including global communication consultancy, advertising campaigns, internal communication, press relations, graphic identity, and public affairs.   

“I’m delighted that Ligaris has been accepted as a member of the Worldcom EMEA PR Group. It’s a great opportunity for us to develop our work with the European Commission as well as other pan-European accounts,” comments Pierre Siquier, CEO of Ligaris Paris. “It will also enable us to develop one of our main skills: the international coordination of multicultural business originating from both the US and Asian networks. We’re really looking forward to contributing to the very high standard of expertise for which Worldcom is renowned.”

Helping clients develop integrated campaigns

“Our meeting in Sicily was very successful with all member agencies attending,” says Crispin Manners, EMEA chair of the Worldcom Public Relations Group and Director of UK agency Kaizo. “Some great ideas and initiatives emerged from the workshops on social networks. We’re also looking forward to working with the Worldcom EMEA Future group and developing their considerable talent.”  

The next Worldcom EMEA meeting will be held in Istanbul, Turkey in autumn 2010. Further details will be announced at a later date.

The Worldcom PR Group welcomed additional agencies during meetings in its other two regions. The full-service PR firm MARC USA from Pittsburgh was appointed during the Americas Region Meeting in Carolina, Puerto Rico. At the Asia Pacific Region Meeting in Tokyo Bay, Japan, the network agreed to accept two new partners as members. These are Beyond PR of Taiwan, and AP Connections of Singapore.

About Worldcom PR Group

Worldcom Public Relations Group is the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 105 offices in 91 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multi-national clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through The Worldcom Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate. Visit www.worldcomgroup.com for more information.

Worldcom EMEA currently comprises 30 agencies with strong expertise in consumer, healthcare, travel & tourism, technology, energy & environment, financial services, investor relations, public affairs and crisis & issues management. Clients include Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Panasonic, Sony Ericson, LG Electronics, the EU Anti-Tobacco Campaign, Verbatim and Palm. Visit www.worldcomemea.com for more information. 

Brussels, Belgium. 29 October 2009. Próbakő Communications, a member of the Worldcom PR Group, won the Best Media and Entertainment PR Award at the Golden Drum International Advertising Festival 2009. The Hungarian PR agency won the accolade for its international media relations campaign “History beneath your feet” for the Viasat History channel.

The Golden Drum Festival opened its doors to PR campaigns for the first time this year. There were 116 PR campaigns competing with 36 shortlisted.

This project was developed in four Eastern European countries, so Próbakő Communications involved its Czech (Pram) and Polish (Glaubicz Garwolinska Consultants) Worldcom partners for its execution.

“Próbakő’s campaign in the category of Media, Arts and Entertainment was very strong. The agency delivered an excellent solution to the client’s challenge”, said Dejan Vercic, head of the PR jury.

The video of the award winning campaign can be watched here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSvhte7SCnI 

Próbakő Communications

The agency provides public relations services to its clients, from traditional press relations and PR consulting to creative PR solutions. The company, which is a member of Worldcom PR Group, has experiences in organising the communication of IT, FMCG, pharmaceutical and media companies. Próbakő’s client list includes Invitel, Astra CEE, Verbatim, Unilever/Knorr, Delikát8, Bacardi-Martini and the EU.

About Worldcom PR Group

Worldcom Public Relations Group is the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 105 offices in 91 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multi-national clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through The Worldcom Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate. Visit www.worldcomgroup.com for more information.

Worldcom EMEA currently comprises 30 agencies with strong expertise in consumer, healthcare, travel & tourism, technology, energy & environment, financial services, investor relations, public affairs and crisis & issues management. Clients include Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Panasonic, Sony Ericson, LG Electronics, the EU Anti-Tobacco Campaign, Verbatim and Palm. Visit www.worldcomemea.com for more information.

worldcom-partners-win-goldendrum2009

Key conference theme: social networks

The dominant topic for the EMEA regional meeting is “Social Relations – the new ‘always on’ PR”. The conference will feature several workshops and round table discussions on how member agencies can best utilize social networks to the benefit of their clients. By sharing their knowledge and experience, Worldcom EMEA partners will come away from the autumn meeting with a wealth of tips and ideas around this key topic.

Maintaining quality: Worldcom Next Generation Group and peer reviews

For younger employees of Worldcom PR Group’s EMEA partners, the conference will include training sessions within the framework of the Next Generation Group. This is a new program developed by Worldcom partners to coach their younger staff and act in concert with the younger generation. Several youngsters from EMEA member agencies have signed up to participate in the training at the autumn meeting.

Worldcom’s established peer appraisal sessions will also be held at the meeting as a further measure to uphold the Group’s stringent quality standards. Peer reviews involve partner agencies regularly assessing each others’ work and providing suggestions for improvement if necessary. 

Helping clients develop integrated campaigns

“At this year’s autumn meeting, we’re putting a strong focus on social networks as they’re growing in importance in both the B2C and B2B sectors,” says Crispin Manners, EMEA chair of the Worldcom Public Relations Group. “By combining the considerable expertise of our members, we can help our clients develop coherent social media strategies and integrate them with PR in end-to-end campaigns that really deliver results.”  

worldcom-emea-meeting_fall09_finAbout Worldcom PR Group

Worldcom Public Relations Group is the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 105 offices in 91 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multi-national clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through The Worldcom Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate. Visit www.worldcomgroup.com for more information.

Worldcom EMEA currently comprises 29 agencies with strong expertise in consumer, healthcare, travel & tourism, technology, energy & environment, financial services, investor relations, public affairs and crisis & issues management. Thanks to a collaboration model that focuses on high quality and results, the Worldcom EMEA regional agencies today share a broad range of international clients including Cotton Council International, the EU Anti-Tobacco Campaign, Verbatim, Palm and Gemalto/YuuWaa. Visit www.worldcomemea.com for more information.

Recruitment of New Members
The Worldcom PR Group has more offices than any of the other international PR networks. “Our current size is one of our great strengths,” comments Biasi. “However, this isn’t a numbers game, so I want to use my time as chair to increase the variety of services and market focus areas we offer in individual regions – particularly EMEA and Asia Pacific.” Biasi will define a strategy for intensifying agency recruitment in certain countries and industry sectors. He will also implement additional measures to ensure new agencies are mentored and supported effectively during their first year of membership.

Expansion of Specialized Practice Groups
The second of Diego Biasi’s main goals is to grow the network’s practice groups. The Worldcom PR Group offers customers multinational, specialized teams in eight sectors: Consumer; Crisis & Issues Management; Financial Services; Healthcare; Investor Relations; Public Affairs, Energy & Environment: Technology; and Travel & Tourism. The groups collate and analyze the results of international surveys, reports and research, and share these analyses with clients. “With some of the world’s top PR experts in specialist subjects, our practice groups are one of Worldcom’s biggest advantages compared to other agency networks. We are increasing the number and geographical spread of the experts in each practice group, ensuring that our clients have access to a pool of specialized local and international expertise.”

Broader Use of Web 2.0
To complement their regular meetings and conference calls, Worldcom members stay in touch using Web 2.0 tools. During his mandate as chair, Diego Biasi plans to broaden their use. “Web 2.0 is already in widespread use within individual teams and I am implementing initiatives to utilize them on a group-wide basis,” notes Biasi. “This benefits our clients and our members by providing a stronger platform for collaboration on projects and joint pitches.”

Diego Biasi was chair of Worldcom’s EMEA board from 2006 to 2008, during which time the region recruited multiple new members, and introduced the “buddy” system where experienced members help new ones become an integral part of the group and uphold the stringent quality standards that Worldcom guarantees its clients.

“Quality is at the heart of all we do,” concludes Biasi. “All our members are independent agencies, but we’re bound by the same passion for quality and service excellence. I’m looking forward to my mandate as worldwide chair to uphold this passion while driving recruitment and making our practice groups even more structured and dynamic.”

About Worldcom PR Group
Worldcom Public Relations Group is the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 110 offices in 91 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multi-national clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through The Worldcom Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate. Visit www.worldcomgroup.com or the regional EMEA website www.worldcomemea.com for more information.

Brussels, Belgium. June 09, 2009 – The Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world’s leading network of independently owned public relations counseling firms, announced today that its revenue, client and staff numbers all showed a healthy increase in 2008 compared to 2007. Despite the uncertain economic situation in most regions, the Worldcom PR Group achieved year-on-year revenue growth of over 7 per cent, taking its fee income to well over $243 million from $227 million in the previous year. In addition, the Group’s client base rose by 11 percent to 3,597.

Revenue Growth
Worldcom’s top-line revenue growth in 2008 showed some variations in the Group’s three regions: Americas, Asia Pacific, and EMEA. In the Americas, income remained stable from 2007 to 2008 at $145 million. Asia Pacific grew by 5 per cent to $26 million and EMEA by an impressive 29 per cent to $71 million. The EMEA region also added five new agencies to its member list in 2008 and now employs a total of 583 practitioners. The Americas region has almost 1,200 staff and Asia Pacific some 360. As of 31 December 2008, the Group employed 2,136 people across its three regions.

Quality and Synergy Deliver Results for All
“We’re very pleased with our year-on-year growth to 2008. Despite challenging economic conditions, our members remain more committed than ever to delivering high- quality service and tangible value for money to our customers,” said Crispin Manners, EMEA chair of the Worldcom PR Group. “As one of the world’s biggest and best-performing PR networks, Worldcom offers clients uniform standards of excellence on a local, national and international level.”

About Worldcom PR Group and Worldcom PR Group EMEA
Worldcom Public Relations Group is the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 110 offices in 91 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multi-national clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through The Worldcom Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate.
Visit www.worldcomgroup.com for more information.
Worldcom EMEA currently consists of 30 agencies with a strong expertise in consumer, healthcare, travel & tourism, technology, energy & environment, financial services, investor relations, public affairs and crisis & issues management. Thanks to a collaboration model that focuses on high quality and results, the Worldcom EMEA regional agencies today share a broad range of international clients including Cotton Council International, the EU Anti-Tobacco Campaign, Verbatim and Palm.
Visit www.worldcomemea.com for more information.

Press Office Worldcom PR Group EMEA:
HBI PR& MarCom GmbH
Stefanie Goellner
Stefan-George-Ring 2
81929 Munich, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)89 / 99 38 87 - 44
Fax: +49 (0)89 / 930 24 45
E-Mail: stefanie_goellner@hbi.de
www.worldcomemea.com
www.hbi.de

New officers are: Diego Biasi, chairman (Business Press, Italy), Matt Kucharski, chair elect (Padilla Speer Beardsley, Minneapolis). Tom Van Blarcom, past chair (TQPR Thailand, Bangkok) and Melissa Sturges, secretary treasurer (Sturges Word Communications, Kansas City).

Other board members elected include: Niall Dologhan, knowledge sharing (Kestrel, London), Corinna Voss, marketing (HBI Helga Bailey GmbH, Munich), Neil McGlone, membership (Michael A. Burns Associates, Dallas), John Bliss, practice group, (BlissPR, New York), Stephanie Paul, strategic plan (Phillips Group, Brisbane), Hal Dash, Americas Region chair (Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles), Douglas Wright, Asia Pacific Region chair (Wrights, Melbourne) and Crispin Manners, EMEA Region chair (Kaizo, London).

In Worldcom’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Region, there is one new partner: PRAM Consulting from Prague, Czech Republic. The Americas Region has three new partners: Sandy Hillman Communications from Baltimore; Parallax Communications Group from Indianapolis and InfoMedia Consulting from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Diego Biasi of Business Press in Milan, the new Chairman of Worldcom’s Group Board said, “Each year at our annual group meeting, hundreds of PR professionals representing their firms from around the world, contribute to Worldcom’s growing success. With the addition of four new partners, we become even stronger as a global force in a wide range of business practices tailored to delivering excellent value to clients one local international and global basis.”

Europe Middle East and Africa Region
PRAM Consulting, Prague www.pram.cz
PRAM Consulting was established in 2001 as a private Czech company specializing in providing public relations services. From the start, its first customers were multinational corporations that had a mid- to high-level of representation in the Czech Republic. PRAM is a creative and flexible firm that handles media communication, social events, and other marketing services. The goal of PRAM Consulting is to help its business partners, not only with marketing their brands, but also with promoting the sale of their products, securing media support, and handling the various aspects of advertising, including long-term strategic planning.

Americas Region
Sandy Hillman Communications, Baltimore www.hillmancommunications.com
Sandy Hillman Communications provides comprehensive communications services for its clients – from strategy and branding, to public relations program development and implementation. The Hillman team has represented dozens of consumer-focused publicly traded corporations, specializing in gaming, health care, tour and travel, destination marketing, and sports and entertainment. In all, the group has supported more than 30 cities and attractions around the world.

Parallax Communications Group, Indianapolis www.parallaxgroup.net
Parallax Communications Group is an award-winning public relations agency, founded in 1989, specializing in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. It offers strategic, creative, flawlessly executed communications services including publicity, advocacy, and issues management. No project is too small or too great for Parallax. The company takes pride in making its clients successful, and recognition of their work speaks for itself.

InfoMedia Consulting, Buenos Aires www.infomediaconsulting.com.ar
Infomedia Consulting is a communication, public affairs and branding firm specialized in operating within complex scenarios. IC learns the business needs of his clients and generates collaborative, long term programs. IC produces reports on the economic and political situation as a key to develop result-oriented strategies and actions, and builds bridges of trust between audiences with diverse and, at times, opposed interests (politicians, technical officials, businesses, media). IC helps people and institutions under tension to find fruitful spaces of dialogue and negotiation.

About Worldcom PR Group and Worldcom PR Group EMEA
Worldcom Public Relations Group is the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 110 offices in 91 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multi-national clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through The Worldcom Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate. Visit www.worldcomgroup.com for more information.

Worldcom EMEA currently consists of 30 agencies with a strong expertise in consumer, healthcare, travel & tourism, technology, energy & environment, financial services, investor relations, public affairs and crisis & issues management. Thanks to a collaboration model that focuses on high quality and results, the Worldcom EMEA regional agencies today share a broad range of international clients including Cotton Council International, the EU Anti-Tobacco Campaign, Verbatim and Palm.
Visit www.worldcomemea.com for more information

Press Office Worldcom PR Group EMEA:
HBI PR& MarCom GmbH
Stefanie Goellner
Stefan-George-Ring 2
81929 Munich, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)89 / 99 38 87 - 44
Fax: +49 (0)89 / 930 24 45
E-Mail: stefanie_goellner.de
www.worldcomemea.com
www.hbi.de

The GSMA Mobile World Congress (http://www.mobileworldcongress.com) is the leading global meeting place for all key participants in the area of mobile technologies. This year’s event is taking place on 16-19 February in Barcelona, Spain. In the period prior to the show, many exhibitors have limited time and resources for PR, especially on an international level. Also, reporters have extremely busy schedules during the event and it can be a challenge to attract and hold their attention in the face of competing demands on their time. This is where Worldcom EMEA’s modular PR package can help. With a fixed fee for guaranteed interviews with the publications they are interested in, customers are assured of a good return on investment. They can also maximize the efficiency of their internal resources by leaving time-consuming organizational, logistical and support tasks to Worldcom’s PR professionals in the relevant country or countries.

The package provides clients with staffing for the one-to-one interviews with international journalists and for fielding journalists’ requests during the show. It also includes language support at interviews, if needed; accurate briefings and de-briefings before and after the MWC; and the adaptation of press kits in different languages. A wide selection of options is available, from interviews with a few key reporters in one country to broad coverage of national papers and specialist press across multiple countries – and everything in between.

“We’re already seeing a lot of interest in our PR package initiative for the MWC event – it just makes good business sense,” commented Crispin Manners, chairman of Worldcom PR Group’s EMEA board and Director of Service Innovation at the UK agency Kaizo. “First, customers benefit from the same quality and results-oriented approach common to all Worldcom’s EMEA offices.  Second, the package provides them with a one-stop shop for all their PR needs at the show, increasing efficiency and consistency. Third – and most importantly – it ensures a judicious use of PR budgets while delivering maximum value from them.”

Interested parties can contact their local Worldcom office for further information (see www.worldcomprgroupemea.eu for details) or email Corinna Voss, Worldcom EMEA’s head of marketing, at corinna_voss@hbi.de.

About Worldcom PR Group EMEA

Worldcom PR Group EMEA currently consists of 33 agencies with a strong expertise in consumer goods, food & beverage, healthcare, technology, finance and public affairs. Thanks to a collaboration model that focuses on high quality and results, the Worldcom PR Group EMEA regional agencies today share a number of clients including Cotton Council International, Rockwell Automation, Palm and the E.U. Anti-Tobacco Campaign.

Visit www.worldcomemea.com for more information.

Worldcom PR Group EMEA is part of the Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world’s leading network of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 100 offices in 88 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multi-national clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through Worldcom PR Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate. In addition to Worldcom PR Group EMEA, clients have access to Worldcom Americas and Worldcom Asia Pacific agencies. Visit www.worldcomgroup.com  for mor information.

Press Office Worldcom PR Group EMEA:

www.hbi.de

www.worldcomemea.eu) is a useful information source for current and future clients. Its “Become a Partner” section also provides information on selection criteria to prospective members interested in joining the group. Worldcom’s EMEA region currently comprises 33 member agencies and is set to continue its expansion.

The new website profiles all the agencies in the region by country, along with a selection of their clients. It also presents various successful case studies of prestigious customers like Microsoft, Roland Berger, Johnson & Johnson, Panasonic, and Chantelle. These illustrate some of the outstanding work delivered by Worldcom EMEA agencies as well as the stringent quality standards they adhere to. Further information about the group’s best practices and passion for quality is available in the “How We Work” section.

Additional features of the site include a press centre with current and archived press releases as well as a link to the global Worldcom site for visitors interested in details of the entire Worldcom PR Group.

About Worldcom PR Group EMEA

Worldcom PR Group EMEA currently consists of 33 agencies with a strong expertise in consumer goods, food & beverage, healthcare, technology, finance and public affairs. Thanks to a collaboration model that focuses on high quality and results, the Worldcom PR Group EMEA regional agencies today share a number of clients including Cotton Council International, Rockwell Automation, Palm and the E.U. Anti-Tobacco Campaign.

Visit www.worldcomemea.com for more information.

Worldcom PR Group EMEA is part of the Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world’s leading network of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 100 offices in 88 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multi-national clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through Worldcom PR Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate. In addition to Worldcom PR Group EMEA, clients have access to Worldcom Americas and Worldcom Asia Pacific agencies. Visit www.worldcomgroup.com  for more information.

Press Office Worldcom PR Group EMEA:

The three new members of the Worldcom PR Group EMEA are located in Sweden, Slovenia, and Croatia. They were all subject to a thorough vetting process.

Sund Kommunikation, Sweden (www.sundkommunikation.se)

Sund Kommunikation is a high end communications consultancy serving the top management of leading companies, organizations and public authorities. The full service PR agency has three offices – in Malmo, Stockholm and Goteborg. Its services include corporate communications (media relations, investor relations, crisis management, employee communications), marketing-PR and public affairs. In addition, Sund has developed expertise in social media, corporate social responsibility, and environment-related communications. Sund’s industry specialties include EU relations, financial services, healthcare, IT/high tech, and tourism.

Dialog Company, Slovenia (www.dialog-si.net)

Dialog Co. has provided outstanding results and has a wealth of experience for communication projects in industry sectors like food processing, banking and finance, energy, government and political relations. Dialog Co. has offices in Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Beograd. Its services cover business to consumer, business to business, crisis communications, and investor relations. Dialog’s principal clients are Perutnina Ptuj, Probanka, Tuš Holding, Parliament of Republic of Slovenia, GIZ Mesne industrije, Comet, Kapis group, MLM, UNICEF, and the EU for poultry-related projects.

Spona Communications, Croatia (www.spona.hr)

Spona’s services cover strategic and business consulting for PR, corporate identity, corporate communications, crisis management, employee relations and change management. It also offers media tracking and analysis, marketing communication, promotional events, publications and web communications. Spona is also involved in corporate advertising, brand building, visual identity, secondary communication tools and promotion activities. With industry specialties of EU relations, financial services, healthcare, IT/high tech, and tourism, its main clients are Cisco Systems, Epson, AstraZeneca, Pfizer Croatia, Tisak (national distributor) and Adidas.

“Our autumn meeting was really productive and very focused on the changing client needs brought about by the economic downturn,” said Crispin Manners, chairman of Worldcom EMEA and Director of Service Innovation at the UK agency Kaizo. “Our intensive workshops were especially successful and enabled everyone to brainstorm on social media, sustainability, and client challenges. We’re also delighted to welcome Sund, Dialog and Spona, who all meet Worldcom’s stringent quality standards. I believe we have an unrivalled professional capability in EMEA that allows our clients to draw on the special skills of the senior practitioners across the Group.”

At its fall meeting in Montreal, Canada, the Worldcom Public Relations Group’s Americas region also elected three new members. These are Simon PR in Philadelphia; Stryker Weiner Yokota in Honolulu; and dg&a in Chicago.

About Worldcom PR Group EMEA

Worldcom PR Group EMEA currently consists of 33 agencies with a strong expertise in consumer goods, food & beverage, healthcare, technology, finance and public affairs. Thanks to a collaboration model that focuses on high quality and results, the Worldcom PR Group EMEA regional agencies today share a number of clients including Cotton Council International, Rockwell Automation, Palm and the E.U. Anti-Tobacco Campaign.

Visit www.worldcomemea.com for more information.

Worldcom PR Group EMEA is part of the Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world’s leading network of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 100 offices in 88 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multi-national clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through Worldcom PR Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate. In addition to Worldcom PR Group EMEA, clients have access to Worldcom Americas and Worldcom Asia Pacific agencies. Visit www.worldcomgroup.com  for more information.