“The response to the conference has been wonderfully positive and it has attracted a wide range of papers from around the world,” said  conference chair, Dr Tom Watson. “We have well-established historians and early stage researchers, as well as practitioners. It shows that historical research into public relations is a very healthy youngster with plenty of potential for growth.”

The papers will be presented on July 8-9, 2010 at Bournemouth University in England. A selection of them will be published in a special History of Public Relations issue of the Journal of Communication Management later in the year.

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“It’s a beneficial irony that this first conference on the history of public relations will held in BU’s newest building,” said conference chair Dr Tom Watson. “But the high quality facilities will make it all the more enjoyable.”

The quality of papers was very high and it was disappointing that many more could not be chosen. It certainly bodes well for the future of the conference and for scholarship in the history of public relations.

As well, we will be building a database of archives, book collections and other resources that can be accessed by research scholars. Please send your information via the Comment section on this post or by email to historyofpr@bournemouth.ac.uk.

World-wide response: Interest in the conference has snowballed since it was announced in July and the Call for Papers was issued in August. Quite literally, enthusiastic interest has been expressed from all continents and from researchers and practitioners in numerous countries. Thanks to everyone who has ‘snowballed’ conference information to colleagues and listservs.

Some 65 abstracts have been received from six continents and are now out for peer review. Calls and emails have come from leading researchers giving their support to the conference and promising their attendance.

Website: As you can see, the conference website www.historyofpr.com has introduced and will be supported by a Twitter feed called ‘historyofpr, a Linked-In group and Facebook presence. It is being developed as a communication point for the conference, a guide to resources and a discussion centre. We aim to make access to existing online resources simpler.

Conference pricing: Tickets for the conference will be £240 per delegate, with an ‘early-bird’ rate of £200 for registration and payment by Friday, April 30 2010. There will be a special rate of £80 for doctoral and postgraduate students. Details of booking arrangements will be announced later.

Venue: The conference will be held at Bournemouth University in southern England from July 8-9, 2010. To find out more about this famous beach resort town, go to: http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/about/around_bournemouth/around_bournemouth.html . Before or after the conference, you can enjoy yourself in Bournemouth or visit Thomas Hardy country, the very old New Forest and take a day trip to Stonehenge.

Academics, practitioners and research students are invited to submit competitive abstracts and papers for presentation at The First International History of Public Relations Conference.

 This conference will be the first international opportunity for academic researchers, historians, interested practitioners and research students to meet, present papers and discuss this emerging area of research.

•  Full Papers – 3000 to 6000 words
• Working Papers – 1500 to 3000 words
• Posters

 Papers and posters for presentation at the conference will be selected, after peer review, on the basis of abstracts, of no more than a single page length. Author details must be printed on a separate sheet and the author(s) should not be identified in the abstract.

Manuscripts of the selected papers are to be submitted using Harvard referencing and according to the Journal of Communication Management editorial style found at: http://info.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/author_guidelines.htm?id=jcom . The manuscript should be in MS WORD format, in 1.5 line spacing and 12 point font size.

Deadlines

•  Submission of abstracts: December 7, 2009 (closed)
•  Acceptance notification (by email): January 18, 2010
•  Submission of selected papers: April 26, 2010

 All accepted abstracts will be published in the conference programme, which will be available online. A selection of full papers will be published in a Special Issue of the Journal of Communication Management in late 2010.

•  Public relations in history before it became a named or defined discipline
• Alternative approaches to the history of public relations, e.g. on the basis of culture (personal networks and influence) or via definitions of public relations
• The evolving naming of the field from propaganda and press agentry to corporate communications
• The history of public relations and its developing or diverging relationships with other disciplines like marketing, HR, legal and corporate governance
• The evolution of public relations in nations or parts of government or industry
• Seminal personalities or events that shaped the formation of public relations as a discipline (This can also include challenges to the “Great Man” or “Great Woman” approach)
• Key books or articles (or series of both) that have influenced public relations
• The history of political public relations and lobbying
• The history of public relations education
• The evolution of public relations theory(ies) over time – from propaganda to dialogue; the history of schools of thinking in public relations
• Formative influences on public relations theory and practice, such as in or by government, industry or consultancy
• The formation of industry and professional bodies and their impact, over time, on public relations practice and education
• The evolution of public relations education, training and continuing professional development
• The impact of technology, over time, upon public relations practice and theory
• Archival sources for the history of public relations
• The theories and processes of researching the history of public relations
• Oral histories of public relations; the role of this methodology