PRCA signs up first member under new membership criteria

London, 20 February 2008

Following a decision by the PRCA's Board of Management to amend the criteria needed to join the PRCA (Public Relations Consultants Association), Voice It today became the first PR consultancy to sign up under the new changes.

Restrictions have been lifted on the minimum number of staff a consultancy needs to employ to become a member thus opening up the membership to a raft of companies previously unable to join.

Francis Ingham, director general of the PRCA, explained: "The consultancy business model comes in many forms and is constantly evolving. The "virtual" shop is on the rise and there are other smaller businesses that previously had no way of joining but would benefit from membership.

"Our main purpose is to help businesses grow at the times when they need it most. The Consultancy Management Standard (CMS) ensures that new and growing businesses have effective structures, systems and plans in place providing assurance to clients and to current and potential employees.

"Some of the tools provided by the PRCA such as standard contracts for clients and employees and access to free business support and legal helplines are precisely the sort of support that young and growing businesses need."

Sarah Tourville, Voice It co-founder and director, said "I am sure that other start-up consultancies like ours have been put off joining the PRCA in the past due to old criteria. We are very glad to be on board and look forward to taking advantage of the PRCA's comprehensive range of services, which will play an invaluable role in providing the tools and processes to develop Voice It's business model."

 

- ENDS -

 

Notes to editors:

 

Number of members to join the PRCA since the 1 January 2008: nine

 

About the PRCA

The PRCA (Public Relations Consultants Association) is the representative body for public relations consultancies in the UK. It has over 130 members and represents consultancies who account for more than 70 per cent of the consultancy fee income generated in the UK. The association provides support to PR consultancies to enable them to become better businesses and helps to demonstrate the value of public relations consultancy to clients.

 

About Voice It

Founded in 2006 with operations in the UK and France, Voice It Consultancy empowers Telecoms and IT companies to leverage key market influencers to drive business growth. We do this by blending multi-disciplinary communication skills with a ‘can-do' attitude and a highly customized approach. Synergizing Public Relations and Industry Analyst Relations, we create an environment for companies to shift opinion, build reputation, win mindshare, raise brand awareness and gain traction for new products and technologies. Web site: www.voiceitconsultancy.com


For more information please contact:
Richard Ellis
PRCA Communications Manager
E:  richard.ellis@prca.org.uk
T:  020 7233 6026

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