David Landis, just back from Europe where I met with my Public Relations Global Network (www.prgn.com) colleagues at our semi-annual meeting in Paris. PRGN, by the way, is a network of 38 leading independent public relations agencies now spanning six continents across the globe.
So, what’s the news from Europe? (In not any particular order). . .
· PRGN has new agencies in Singapore (Mileage Communications, www.mileagecommunications.com), India (Aspire Communications, www.aspirepr.in) and The Netherlands (Evident PR, www.publicrelations.nl).
· PRGN’s new President is Irish-born and bred Frank Cullen of Cullen Communications (www.cullencommunications.ie) . Top of the morning to ya, Frank!
· The word at our conference heard around the world: the slowing of the economy – except, that is, in Brazil, China, India, Russia and Poland.
· Bring a TANKLOAD of money. A normal T-shirt was 30 euros (i.e., about $51). Breakfast in hotels (a croissant and coffee) was 25 euros (about $42). Oy vey. . .
OK, in honor of Europe, here’s my Buzzworthy list from the Loire Valley, Paris and Barcelona:
· Hotel Le Manoir Les Minimes bed and breakfast in Amboise, France – a great, gay-owned bed and breakfast on the banks of the Loire. Charming, delightful, clean – ask for the corner room upstairs with a view of the river.
· Domaine des Hauts de Loire – great Relais & Chateau property in Onzain – go for the ten course dinner tasting menu, but you’ll have to forego your kid’s college tuition. It’s worth it.
· The chateau at Chenonceau stretches across the River Cher – divine! Have lunch at their L’Orangerie, but order the local wine to save money.
· Priorat – the hot new Spanish wine – and you can get one delicious varietal at Bev Mo on sale for $13.99!
· All the Gaudi architecture in Barcelona, but especially Casa Battllo
· The Axel Hotel in Barcelona – gay owned and operated and their motto is “hetero-friendly”
· Flauta in Barcelona – great tapas
· The Joan Miro Foundation in Barcelona – beautiful collection, gorgeous building and breathtaking views from the grounds
· La Maison – great neighborhood restaurant near Notre Dame in Paris and the restaurateur is a hoot!
· Being back in San Francisco where $1 buys you something. . .
Adios and Au Revoir for now!
Dare I say a tremendous organization of PR professionals from around the world. There’s comfort knowing one has resources in places such as Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Warsaw, Tokyo, Mexico City, Vancouver and Stockholm, to name a few… and that doesn’t even include the stellar agencies throughout North America!
Hi David,
you should come to Germany. Breakfast (and taxes) are included in the price for a hotel room. Paris is really an expensive place in Europe. Best wishes Uwe
Hey David (and fellow PRGNers) – I figured you’d be the first one to post a blog about our Paris trip! Hope you didn’t buy any of those tee-shirts at 51 bucks a throw! It was good to see you all again; I know we operate in a world of sound-bites but I feel genuinely proud to be President of such a great network of people. Here’s to achieving our targets over the next 12 months and beyond. Let’s keep in touch. A bientot, Frank
Frank:
Hate to burst the bubble, but I wasn’t the first to blog about Europe – our pal Scott Hanson in Arizona was. Check him out at: http://www.hmatime.com
Cheers,
David