Relationships are the most important – Summary of the 17th edition of PR in Local Government

The 17th Conference on Public Relations in Local Government and State Administration is now history. This time it was held in Wałbrzych. In the eyes of many participants, the city was ‘disenchanted’. Few people know that one third of its area is made up of green spaces and in this respect it ranks eighth among all Polish cities. There were more new discoveries during the conference. Especially with regard to the communication aspects faced by local authorities.

Table of contents

How to deal with fake news, social media aggression? Is it possible to create sexy cultural institutions? How do we make messages and communication of local authorities more attractive? There were concrete answers to these and many more questions. They were formulated by undisputed experts, such as Mariusz Sokołowski, former spokesman for the Police Headquarters, Bartosz Dembiński, former spokesman for the AGH University of Science and Technology, Barbara Krysztofczyk, Head of PR for Anna Lewandowska and former advisor to Szymon Hołownia during the presidential election. The icing on the cake were lectures by Professor Jerzy Bralczyk or Marek Skała, a renowned inspirational speaker and coach.

The programme was so varied that everyone could find something for themselves and take this knowledge to Warmia and Masuria, Malopolska, Wielkopolska and Silesia. The conference was attended by local government officials from all over the country.

– It was great to meet after the break caused by COVID 19. Some people thought it was possible to organise a conference online during the pandemic. Maybe it can, but not PR in Local Government. Our conference is about relationships, meeting face to face, sharing experiences in a less formal, live atmosphere. This is what we have always insisted on and I am very pleased that this formula has once again worked well. I am glad that we could be together again. I would like to thank the City of Wałbrzych for the invitation and for co-organising the event,’ says Łukasz Dziedzic, CEO of PRC Holding Group, Member of the Management Board.

For the 8th time, the Conference was accompanied by the PR Crystals Gala, which selected the winners in 8 competition categories. It must be said that these are the real crystals in their sector.

Around 100 projects in six categories were submitted for the competition. In the Jury’s opinion, selecting the best projects is becoming more and more difficult every year, as the quality of the entries is increasing. A full list of all the winning local authorities can be found atwww.prwsamorzadzie.pl.

However, the winners of the Grand Prix in the individual categories deserve special attention. They are the ones who, in addition to certificates signed by the competition committee, received unique statuettes handmade by one of the best contemporary Polish sculptors, Artur Szołdra.

This year’s winners of the PR Crystals competition are:

  • In the category of Best image in social media, the Grand Prix went to the Town Hall of Rumia
  • In the category of Best Promotional Film, the Grand Prix was awarded ex aequo to the City of Gorzów Wielkopolski and the Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Region
  • In the category of Best Creative Promotional Campaign, the Grand Prix was awarded ex aequo to the Olsztyn District and the Municipality of Ustroń
  • In the category of Best Social Event, the Grand Prix was awarded to the Pszczyna Municipal Office
  • In the category of Best City Newspaper/Bulletin, the Grand Prix went to the City Hall of Gorzów Wielkopolski
  • In the category for Best Information and Promotion Campaign, linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Grand Prix was awarded to the Marshal’s Office of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship

– All the projects submitted were valuable. It was a difficult task to select a small group of nominees from them and to award only the selected ones the Grand Prix. Polish local authorities are becoming increasingly professional and creative in their image-building activities. Therefore, one of the basic criteria for our assessment was the uniqueness and consistency of the idea for a campaign, film, event or newspaper. Even so, in some cases the committee’s deliberations were accompanied by a heated discussion and it was difficult to choose the one best work. It can therefore be said that, although only some received the Grand Prix, the vast majority of the nominees deserved the award. – says Professor Sławomir Smyczek, chairman of the PR Crystals Chapter.

The aim of the competition is to promote and reward the most valuable initiatives. All units of local and state government, as well as local government companies, were eligible to enter free of charge. The only condition was to send in their most creative, innovative and original projects. Considering the emotions accompanying the award ceremony, for many participants these are valuable prizes which appreciate their efforts in building the image of the institutions they represent.

Congratulations are due to all the winners and award winners. Other participants will be able to test the quality of their projects in next year’s competition. This is because the organisers say that they have already started preparations for the XVIII Conference on PR in Local Government, which will take place in 2023.

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