FEIEA pays tribute to John Hartvig
Former FEIEA Secretary-General John Hartvig died in February. As a mark of respect, FEIEA will introduce the John Hartvig Award for European Communication this autumn in Vienna. FEIEA President Steve Doswell announced news of the new award at the Danish Society of Authors in Copenhagen last month.
 
Although he had retired from senior FEIEA duties in 1992, John continued to serve FEIEA, first as EU liaison officer and a few years later, at a time of crisis, when he intervened to ensure that the then FEIEA Congress was able to take place at Billund. A British colleague, Norman Woodhouse, summed up John’s qualities with words he first used at the time of John’s retirement and which require no embellishment. John Hartvig had been “… the most efficient chief officer, a crisply competent communicator, a successful European strategist, a persuasive roving ambassador across borders and a real friend to so many of us.”

ABCI new chairman, Alain-Pierre Meeus

On 31st March the association held its general meeting. The agenda included the election of the new president. Alain-Pierre Meeus succeeds former president Christine Massin who has made strenuous efforts to maintain an excellent mutual understanding between both Belgian associations. This meeting was organized in cooperation with Belgian national television and was very successful.
 
» For further information contact Benedicte Papeloer
[benedicte.papeloer@aginsurance.be ]

The Belgian association celebrates its 60th anniversary
Among key Belgian events, the association marked its 60th anniversary on 21 May. On this occasion, both the French-speaking and Dutch-speaking associations organized a common colloquium featuring the new mission of internal communication. It is evident to everyone that the roles attributed to internal communication have evolved in a significant way and that they cover a considerably broader scope than ever before. What is expected from internal communicators? What position do we have in the enterprise? How will our mission evolve in the future? The colloquium aimed to provide answers to these questions.
 
» For further information contact Benedicte Papeloer
[benedicte.papeloer@aginsurance.be ]

New chairwoman of SIK, Stanka Ritonja

New team for Slovenian Internal Communication Section
The newly elected Executive Committee of the Slovenian Internal Communication Section (SIK) has assumed its one-year term which runs until 31 December, 2010. On 31st March, the general meeting of the committee was held to discuss this year's activities of the SIK. In compliance with its 2010 agenda the Papirus competition for best internal publication, photography and title page of a employee publication will be carried out. It will also continue to tie bonds with FEIEA and spread information about FEIEA and the Grand Prix awards in Slovenia, as well as to keep the Slovenian public informed about the importance of employee communications and the work of the section. Committee members will participate in educational events organized during the year by the Slovenian Public Relations Associations and will provide topics for the future events. It will focus on attracting new members and will exchange experience and knowledge with PR associations in the region (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Adriatic Region) within the Slovenian Public Relations Association.
The committee also elected Ms. Stanka Ritonja, Secretary in the Pubic Relations Department of the Slovenian Ministry of Economy, as the chairwoman of the section by unanimous vote.

» Further information is available at www.piar.si or contact Elizabeta Biluš
[elizabeta.bilus@gorenje.com ]
 
 
Papirus Award Competition Takes Off
The Slovenian Internal Communication Section has launched the competition for this year's Papirus award for the best Slovenian print or e-publication published by a company, government body or other organization between 1st  April, 2009 and 31st  March, 2010. Since 2008 special awards in the categories of the best title page and best photography are also presented. All entries will be assessed by a jury consisting of professionals in the fields of employee communication, journalism, photography and publication design. Winners will be announced on 8 June and awards will be presented at 14th Slovenian Conference on Public Relations that will be held in October. The Papirus winner will be nominated for the FEIEA Grand Prix 2010 award by the SIK.
The Papirus award has been presented since 2005.
 
» Further information is available at www.piar.si or contact Elizabeta Biluš
[elizabeta.bilus@gorenje.com ]
 
 
Welcome to the Institute of Internal Communication
The British Association of Communicators in Business (CiB) changed its name and status in May to the Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC). The move to professional institute status confirms the body’s increasingly strong focus on accredited professional development and developing thought-leading knowledge on workplace dynamics, innovative approaches and best practice. The official celebration to mark the changeover took place at the annual conference on 13th May.

» Further information is available at www.ioic.uk.com
 
 
Power of active communication: UK conference
The new UK Institute of IC’s conference this year at the Carden Park Hotel near Chester (12th – 14th May) explored the potential of active communication for making a real difference as economies start to recover.
From Wednesday evening to Friday, the conference looked at a broad range of issues relating to internal communication including: improving the quality of leaders’ communication; achieving behavioural change; the future evolution of the world of work; and the use of social networks to engage people. The conference also included an in-depth master class, which this year focused on avoiding common pitfalls in employee surveys.
 
» For a conference report visit www.ioic.uk.com

Carden Park Hotel – venue for CiB’s annual conference

 
APCE 20th anniversary
APCE celebrated its 20th anniversary on 27th April with a Gala dinner in Lisbon at which many founders and associates were present. In his keynote speech, APCE president Mário Branco highlighted the important role of APCE in Portuguese communication and its aim for the future: recognition and accreditation for the communicator profession in Portugal.
 
» Further information is available at www.apce.pt or contact António Rapoula
[rapoula@emel.pt ]

 
Fórum APCE 2010
On the same day of its 20th anniversary, APCE organized its annual Fórum on the theme ‘Communicating about Innovation and Entrepreneurship’. One hundred people attended the Novabase headquarters, in the heart of Parque das Nações (ancient site of Expo ’98, Lisbon), to hear a series of distinguished speakers: Teresa Caeiro (National Parliament Vice-President), Jorge Seguro Sanches (National Parliament Member), António Bob Santos (Assistant to the Secretary of State for Energy and Innovation), António Saraiva (President of the Portuguese Industrial Confederation), Ana Nery and Pedro Silva (Portucel Soporcel), Rui Lourenço (EuroRSCG), Manuel Beja (Novabase), and Claude Michel (Head of Solvay Solar Impulse partnership). At this event, Luís Andrade, Communication Manager of CTT (Portuguese Post) received the FEIEA Diploma of Honour.
 
» Further information is available at www.apce.pt or contact António Rapoula
[rapoula@emel.pt ]

New Executive Board
APCE held elections for the Executive Board and other governance committees in April. Mário Branco, from Solvay Portugal, remains president of the Executive Board of the Portuguese association with a renewed team which includes communicators from important Portuguese companies such as EDP (Electricity and Energy), CTT (Post) and Galp (Oil and Energy). “Leading the Future” was the motto published in an ambitious programme to promote APCE’s influence within the Portuguese communication community. As a result, Paula Portugal Mendes became the first General-Secretary in APCE’s history.
 
» Further information is available at www.apce.pt or contact António Rapoula
[rapoula@emel.pt ]



“Bob’s your uncle”
As in the rest of Europe, many Danish companies has decided to adopt English as their corporate language, though many employees are not 100 per cent familiar with the foreign language. Native English speakers will know the meaning of the expression ‘Bob’s your uncle’  (which is similar to the French "Voila!") – but non-native speakers would find it hard to guess its meaning. This was just one of many examples – in Danish, English and French – of idiomatic language which can bring colour and variety to language but which can also confuse non-native speakers. 

In April the president of FEIEA, Steve Doswell came to Copenhagen with his presentation about the differences between  native and European uses of the English language. “It was great fun, and the following ping-pong among Danish business communicators and Steve was very interesting and entertaining,” says Danish president Kenneth Wilson.

» Further information is available at www.fikom.dk or contact Kenneth Wilson
[kenneth@clips.dk ]