Echo Makes News

Advanced Research Conference Presented by Institute for Public Relations

Gainesville, FL [June 13, 2005]− The Summit on Measurement, the most advanced conference focused entirely on public relations measurement and evaluation, will be held Sept. 28-30 at the New England Center of the University of New Hampshire. The third annual summit will also be the first under the auspices of the Institute for Public Relations, parent organization of the Commission on PR Measurement and Evaluation.

"This summit is where the leading lights of public relations measurement get together to share what they know and learn from each other," said Frank Ovaitt, Institute president and CEO.

Dr. Don Wright, chairman of the Commission on PR Measurement and Evaluation and professor at the University of South Alabama, is developing the three-day, limited enrollment program. "The Summit on Measurement's main objectives are to enhance understanding and to encourage greater use of the science and art of public relations measurement, evaluation and research," said Wright.

Complete details, including registration information, are available in the education section of the Institute's website at www.instituteforpr.com, or by calling the Institute at 352 392-0280.

The keynote address will be presented by Steve Harris, former senior vice president of General Motors. Other speakers include Matt Gonring, vice president-global marketing and communications, Rockwell Automation; Keith Mabee, president, Dix & Eaton; Mike Dabadie, senior vice president, Harris-Wirthlin Brand & Strategy Consulting Group; Ken Kerrigan, deputy director-public relations, Ernst & Young; and Lou Williams, chairman, L.C. Williams & Associates.

The program will include corporate case studies (including the global Media Evaluation of MAC Cosmetics coverage (Oct 2004 - March 2005) by Peter Christopherson of Echo Research) and research sessions focused on strategies and techniques for measuring return-on-investment, crisis communications, employee communications and investor relations, including a presentation by Peter Christopherson, Practice Director, Echo Research, London, UK, about a global cosmetics brand that used no advertising and relied on word of mouth and media exposure in becoming the official makeup sponsor of the London, New York, Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks.

A pre-conference workshop, Measurement 101, will be available for practitioners who want a basic grounding in communications research prior to attending the summit.

The networking opportunities will include a scenic fall foliage cruise and an authentic New England lobster fest.

The Measurement Summit has attracted an impressive list of sponsors including special event sponsors Echo Research and Factiva; Platinum Level sponsors BurrellesLuce and MetLife; and Gold Level sponsors General Motors, HSBC-North America, RF/Binder Partners, PRtrak, Cymfony, KD Paine & Partners, and Southwest Airlines.

The Institute for Public Relations is an independent foundation dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relations and located at the University of Florida. The Institute exists to build and document the intellectual foundations of public relations, and to mainstream this knowledge by making it available and useful to practitioners, educators, researchers and the clients they serve. The Commission on Public Relations Measurement and Evaluation is an Institute initiative promoting high-caliber research methodology and application for public relations planning and execution.

Contacts:
Don Wright, 251 380-0850, DonaldKWright@aol.com
Michelle Hinson, 352 392-0280, mhinson@jou.ufl.edu
Frank Ovaitt, 703 568-5611, iprceo@jou.ufl.edu