Introduction
The author has been associated with three large projects in which.
the importance of public relations and promotion was recognized
by the sponsors at the outset. By virtue of their territorial spread,
all three projects had the potential for considerable impact on
their surrounding districts. In each project, one privately funded
and the other two publicly funded, an official public relations
or equivalent function was established to handle the project's "interface
with the public". The results of this strategy and its effect
on project activities was followed with considerable interest. Drawing
on this background, a convincing case is made for the benefits of
such a strategy. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to suggest
a model PR program for application to future projects.
On a smaller project it is noted that perhaps the term "Communications
Plan" may be more acceptable to management.
Although the projects referred to are all large and clearly recognized
the need for public relations, it is suggested that the principles
established are just as evident and should be recognized on an appropriate
scale by any project manager on any size of project.
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