As part of the 4th Public Relations Forum held in Jeddah last week, TRACCS (Trans-Arabian Creative Communications Services) conducted a survey among 50 PR experts to assess the current status and future direction of the PR industry in Saudi Arabia.

The participants represented a comprehensive range of sectors, including banks, retail, media, real estate companies and developers, the food industry, telecommunication companies, governmental institutions, oil and energy companies, medical institutions, educational institutions and other consultants. As many as 92 percent of the participants have a PR department within their organizations.

The results in response to a question about the importance of PR in terms of classification of the industry show 6 percent of the participants believe PR is a key industry, while 19 percent believe it is a pivotal industry and 13 percent consider it to be seasonal.

Mohamed Al-Ayed, TRACCS CEO and head of the organizing committee, said, “The high number of participants in this survey reflects the growing importance of the PR industry as a key part of the Kingdom’s economic and social development.”

Faisal Al-Zahrani, president of the IPRA-GC, stressed the importance of ethical practices and development of skills to further shape the industry across the region.

In the first session on “Brilliance on the Top of the Pyramid,” Fouad Merdad, deputy executive director of the scientific waqf at King Abdulaziz University, said PR directly impacted performance. “A strong communications program will result in strong employee performance and engagement,” he added.

Samir Nawar, Petromin CEO, said: “We have realized this early on and understand the value and benefit this industry provides to our organization.”

Abdulaziz Magoshi, DGM of Prince Sultan Foundation, said: “PR people must be in the driver’s seat, but the challenge is to do it the right way.”