ProCom – the Finnish Association of Communications Professionals – is an organisation for professional corporate and institutional communicators. Its purpose is to foster the professional development of its members and promote the status of communication in Finland. The Association has some 2100 members comprising information officers, communications managers, directors, entrepreneurs and consultants.

The abbreviation ProCom comes from the words "Professional Communicators", which refers to the membership, as well as from the concept Pro Communication, which underlines the Association's goal.

ProCom operates at the national level and co-operates with local communication organisations throughout Finland.

Activities

Key events organised annually by the Association are:

• The ProCom seminar in June
• The Northern Finland Communications Seminar PLUSSA in September
• The Human Resources and Stakeholder media review and seminar in November.

A participation fee is charged for these seminars. Corporate and media company visits are organised for members free of charge.

ProCom edits the magazine "Profile" and produces and electronic member newsletters and an annual yearbook for members.

Administration

The Association’s supreme decision-making body is the Annual General Meeting held in the autumn. The Board of Directors comprises 10 members and a President who represent Finnish companies and organisations and Finnish communications know-how. The Operating Director, assisted by the Organisation Coordinator and Training and Communications Manager, is responsible for day-to-day operations.

Training

The Association founded its own training company in 2004. The training company organises some 20 short communication courses each year on issues of topical interest. The company also organises customised corporate courses.

Short History

ProCom is the oldest communications association in Europe with roots going back to 1947. Its predecessors were Tiedotusmiehet (1947) and the Association of Finnish Employee Magazines (1955). They merged under the name of the Association of Finnish Communicators in 1978. The current name was adopted in 2004.

 In 2012, ProCom´s 65th anniversary year, the book Vuosisata suhdetoimintaa – Yhteisöviestinnän historia Suomessa was published. This book “A Century of PR in Finland” covers the complete history of PR in Finland. The book received the Golden World Award of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) for 2012.

The book provides a comprehensive overview of the development of communications in Finland from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. As yet it has been published only in Finnish.

This paper "History of Public Relations in Finland – Extracts from the Book “Century of PR in Finland” is a significantly shortened, edited and translated overview of the main aspects of Finnish PR history and is intended as a helpful instrument for PR history researchers.