Hong Kong PR Network comes of age

If you think PR professionals in Hong Kong don't measure up to their European or American counterparts - the Hong Kong PR Network wants you to eat your words.

YeeLim Lee, founder of the Hong Kong PR Network admitted when he just arrived from the UK having worked at Firefly and Pleon a couple of years ago that the local PR industry was 'immature' compared to the PR scene in Europe.

Three months after working in Hong Kong, his perception changed as he realised things are "just done differently here" from client interaction to the pace of projects that have to be completed.

For instance, Lee said you get a brief in the morning and is expected to send your first press release draft to your client by the end of the day. Even with events that would normally take two months to plan in other parts of the world, here you've got to plan and execute in the space of one week, which does help "to train you to be on the ball and constantly thinking".

Lee (Weber Shandwick), Emma Jenkins (EBA) and Jeremy Woolf (Text 100) came together in June 2007 to form the Hong Kong PR Network, which Lee said started out for selfish reasons - to network with fellow industry peers in a casual setting - has evolved to become a group that is keen to help budding PR executives nurture their jobs and careers, provide insights and share experiences on what PR is like in Hong Kong.

The Facebook group boasts close to 900 members with key objectives to make the Hong Kong PR industry an exciting place to be and help them connect and network with peers.

With Fong Underground becoming the permanent venue where you could see local PR folks hobnobbing once every six weeks, the group announced last night that it will be endorsed by Council of Public Relations Firms of Hong Kong.

David Croasdale, chairman for cPRf explained why the organization supported the up and coming network.

To tie in with the announcement, last night's event kicked off with a sharing session by industry veterans a.k.a The Legends of HK PR comprising Annie Bentley, Mary Devereux and David Ketchum, who commented on Lee's Facebook page - "I sort of always thought of myself as "bold pioneer perpetually on the leading edge of communications" but I guess Legend will do."

Nontheless, the crowd were all ears as the legends of PR recounted anecdotes of working in the field during the 80s and 90s in Hong Kong.

With the financial tsunami still looming and the threat of swine flu hitting home, PR professionals were hungry for advice on how to manage their jobs in the midst of crisises.

"Things will pass, it's all in a days job. Be first in the queue for the best jobs and clients and be the most dynamic person in your own arena that you've created," Bentley, chairman and founding partner of Bentley Communication said.

Their secret recipies to PR success?

"Take things personally, be always alert with news about your clients and company. Make more effort to really care about the result. It makes a huge difference," Devereux, International VP for New York Life International in Asia with over 20 years experience having worked in Burson-Marsteller and Ogilvy said.

And finally pioneering legend, Ketchum, CEO for Upstream Asia who was marcomm senior VP for Calvin Klein and held senior roles in Burson-Marsteller and Hill & Knowlton said,

"People successful in public relations have a predilection for action. Strategy is important, but it's mostly judgement and common sense. Strategy is the sound thinking behind all your action. When you are action-oriented, you naturally make mistakes. It's OK to make a lot of mistakes. But make them quickly, and learn from them, and move on to make new mistakes."