The public relations (PR) industry in the Mena region has reached a level of maturity that matches the global practice but must prepare to operate with greater innovation, said communications experts.

They were speaking at a roundtable organised in Dubai on the state of the regional communications industry.

Communications experts and senior executives from companies including Etisalat, Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) and Gulf Craft convened at the roundtable entitled "Transformation: The Communications Industry in the Mena Region Today."

It was jointly organised by TRACCS, a home-grown public relations network in the region, and The Holmes Report, a global authority on the public relations industry, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

The in-depth discussion was moderated by Holmes Group founder Paul Holmes.

The roundtable focused on key issues affecting the growth and sustainability of the public relations industry in the Mena region's rapidly evolving business and cultural environment.

One positive development highlighted was the universal acceptance that in-house PR departments and agencies no longer needed to prove their value to senior management, and that the function of PR was widely understood and increasingly taken seriously.

TRACCS president and chief executive Mohamed Al Ayed pointed out that there were five critical phases in the transformation of any industry - realisation, understanding, growth, maturity and innovation.

The PR industry in the Mena region, he stated, had now reached maturity and provided a clear value proposition within the communications mix.

There was widespread agreement that more effective metrics to assess performance outcomes and impact were needed notwithstanding a weak will in the industry to introduce effective reporting parameters.

All participants agreed that social media has resulted in a fundamental change to the entire communications landscape in terms of speed, approach and results.-TradeArabia News Service