The Middle East PR Association (MEPRA), held its inaugural event in Doha serving as a foundation for the formation of a local Chapter in Qatar. The event attracted PR professionals from locally based consultancies, in-house communications managers and representatives from government related organisations.

 

MEPRA is a non-profit professional association founded in 2001 to represent the interests of the region's PR industry. In 2009 MEPRA changed its charter from being an agency led to an individual based organisation open to any practitioner of public relations or communications with at least one year of PR experience. 

 

Guy Taylor, Chair of MEPRA, said, "We have always had members from across the region, but the majority came from the UAE. It is our aim now to expand our activities in Qatar and establish a local Chapter here to reflect the local market and the fast emerging communications sector."

 

MEPRA aims to set high standards of best practice through a variety of initiatives. These include professional development programmes, symposiums and awards. Members have to abide by a professional charter which sets out a code of conduct for both practitioners and consultancies. The Association also provides research and benchmark data on the industry, including indicative professional fees and sentiment surveys.

 

Today's gathering included presentations by Tim Harrison, Deputy Chair of MEPRA, and Mazen Nahawi, Chair of the Membership Committee. They provided and introduction to MEPRA, an overview on important industry trends and particular focus upon measurement and evaluation. They also provided details on the MEPRA Awards which set out to recognise best practice and encourage emerging talent.