The School of Communication (SCOM) hosted a roundtable symposium on “Challenges and Outlook of the Public Relations Profession in the Post Pandemic Era” on 29 April 2023. Professor Scarlet Tso, Dean of SCOM, opened the symposium with her welcoming remarks, and Professor Ronald Chiu, Associate Dean of SCOM and Ms. Janice Wong, Lecturer of SCOM, served as the moderators. Prominent guest speakers at the symposium included Mr. Raymond Tam, Executive Director of Corporations Affairs of The Hong Kong Jockey Club; Ms. Linda Choy Siu Min, Corporate Affairs and Branding Director of Mass Transit Railway Corporation; Mr. Thomas Chan, Director of Yuan Tung Financial Relations Ltd; Ms. Sandra Mak, CEO of A-World Consulting; Ms. Esther Chan, Managing Director of Strategic Public Relations Group (SPRG); and Dr. Angela Mak K.Y., Associate Professor of the Department of Communication Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University.
The purpose of the Symposium is to explore the outlook of the PR industry as society gradually returns to normal after the pandemic, and the impact of the rise in artificial intelligence (AI) on the PR profession and education. Participants of the Symposium shared their valuable experiences in risk management during the pandemic. They agreed that the pandemic has accelerated the use of technologies and that AI tools such as ChatGPT will be valuable assets to the industry. Yet, interpersonal relationships and networks remain important.
Participants of the Symposium believed that the new generation public relations professionals need to possess certain qualities: versatile in the use of AI tools, sensitive to societal and political happenings, resilient in managing risk, and more importantly, be sympathetic. Participants from the educational sector reflected that the symposium not only provided a platform for communication with professionals in the industry, but it also provided insight into how curriculum should be adjusted to nurture talents for the needs of the public relations industry and society.
Professor Scarlet Tso, Dean (fifth from the left), Professor Ronald Chiu, Associate Dean (fourth from the left), and Ms. Janice Wong, Lecturer (first from the right) of the School of Communication; Mr. Raymond Tam, Executive Director of Corporations Affairs of The Hong Kong Jockey Club (third from the left); Ms. Linda Choy, Corporate Affairs and Branding Director of Mass Transit Railway Corporation (second from the left); Mr. Thomas Chan, Director of Yuan Tung Financial Relations Ltd. (first from the left); Ms. Sandra Mak, CEO of A-World Consulting (fourth from the right); Ms. Esther Chan, Managing Director of Strategic Public Relations Group (second from the right); and Dr. Angela Mak, Associate Professor of Hong Kong Baptist University (third from the right).
Mr. Raymond Tam, Executive Director of Corporations Affairs of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, shared his views.
