The Summit, which officially begins tomorrow, kicked off with a networking dinner at the Shangri-la hotel today. The mood was relaxed and casual as ICCO board members shared jokes, opinions and friendly banter over dinner table. The big debates and discussions will take place over the next two days when speakers present cases and studies on the state of the global PR industry.
The Public Relations Consultants Association of India, which is hosting the Summit, won praise from ICCO board for their hospitality and organisation. The delegates enjoyed a tour of the historic "Old" Delhi quarter earlier during the day.
But not everything has gone according to plans. Visa woes forced many foreign delegates to cancel their trip. Only half of the 30 odd ICCO board members are attending the Summit. Brussels-based Chairman of Interel consultancy told PRWeek that many (ICCO board members) could not make it because "getting a business visa for India was taking too long". That experience was, however, not uniformly shared as one delegate from Sweden said she got hers in less than a week. Over the years India has started to outsource its visa and counselor services to professional agencies making it easier for foreigners to visit the country as tourists as well as on business.
PRWeek is covering the ICCO Global Summit as the official regional media partner