The ninth Public Relations Committee of Iran’s Iron and Steel Industry was held on the morning of the 25th of Ordibehesht at the Mahour Hall of Simorgh Hotel. The event was attended by Mr. Dr. Ramezani, Deputy for Communications and Information of the Office of the First Vice President, Mr. Ahmadreza Sadr, Public Relations Manager of IMIDRO, Dr. Asadpour, Director of the Virtual Space Development Center, senior managers from the Iranian Steel Association, and public relations managers and experts from steel companies.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Mr. Khalifeh Soltani, while congratulating World Communications Day addressed the numerous challenges and tensions in the steel industry, such as currency fluctuations, energy issues, and systemic registration problems. He emphasized the need for collaboration through corporate public relations to communicate and address these issues effectively to the authorities.
Mr. Khalifeh Soltani stated that currently, organized virtual communication is lacking, and PR teams need to be proactive in addressing and resolving issues within their organizations. If a matter requires follow-up and no response is received from the responsible party, PR should take action to pursue it until resolved.
He further mentioned that the Iranian Steel Association proposes monthly collection and submission of electricity consumption data by companies, to assess and publish the country’s steel production energy consumption accurately.
He stressed that having monthly data would prevent us from being caught off guard.
Continuing the event, the PR manager of Khuzestan Steel mentioned the necessity of maintaining mental peace currently, as sometimes a single tweet from the PR department can challenge the entire organization.He emphasized the importance of collaboration, cohesion, and overlap among PR teams.
He proposed the formation of a High Council of Public Relations, comprising 5 to 7 members, to facilitate discussion and exchange of ideas.
Suggestions from the meeting participants:
Conducting monthly training courses by the Steel Association.
Providing a list of reputable steel exhibitions.
Enhancing communication among PR departments and organizing more meetings
Membership in the Iranian PR Association.
Designing a model or system for media evaluation.
Presenting a database of managers by the Steel Association.
During the continuation of the event, Dr. Ramadan, while congratulating Public Relations Day, mentioned the need for regularly reporting issues to overcome production obstacles in steel complexes. He emphasized that PR departments should handle this communication transfer.
He highlighted the weak communication of positive developments within companies, which adversaries exploit as opportunities. For instance, Mobarakeh Steel is constructing the largest solar power plant, but its reflection in the media is inadequate.
Furthermore, during the event, a workshop on artificial intelligence in PR, conducted by Dr. Asadpour, concluded with the presentation of gifts, group photos, and a lunch.
