The global PR industry may soon agree on a set of on standard metrics and measurement techniques, as leaders of national PR bodies meet in Barcelona next week for the second European Summit on Measurement.

The event, conceived by the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (Amec), is bringing together more than 150 representatives from the world’s top measurement companies and PR agencies. But one plenary session in particular is attracting most attention.

Its moderator David Rockland, partner at Ketchum and CEO of Ketchum Pleon Change, described it as “a pivotal long term decision for communications credibility”.

Rockland, who serves as managing director of Ketchum’s Global Research Network, said: “We regard this as the industry’s ‘Commitment Conference’. This is a very powerful moment in time in the history of public relations. It’s time to replace outdated programme measurement models. We need to educate not only our clients in major global companies, but also educate a new generation of communications professionals coming into our industry.”

It is the first time the leaders of five global professional bodies will share the same conference platform to evolve what will be known as the Barcelona Declaration of Research Principles.

Barry Leggetter, executive director of AMEC, said: "At AMEC we believe organising this special debate shows leadership and new thinking. We hope the global PR community will now get behind this issue and contribute to the development of the new industry standards”.

The three-day conference is designed for communications and public relations professionals and academics to share the latest thinking about measurement and evaluation of public relations programming.

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