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Talk about reeling them in. At the Public Relations Society of America’s 2013 International Conference last week in Philadelphia it was standing room only for two separate work sessions focusing on how PR pros can deploy video to enhance their communications strategy.

When one of the top ballet companies in the world, the Paris Opera Ballet, decided to perform seven shows in Chicago last summer, the Windy City’s arts patrons were ready to fork over for tickets, while the Harris Theater for Music and Dance set its sights on reaching well beyond the 1,500 people it could fit into its house for a performance.

Can Handle the Truth: More than two-thirds of consumers in the U.S., UK and China place a high value on honesty and transparency, according to a recent Cohn & Wolfe study.

I’ve worked alongside some of the best investor-relations professionals in the business. They are smart, focused and often jaded about the value that public relations can bring to the party. And in many cases, quite frankly, they are right.

Every year, thousands of marketers, agencies, media providers and buyers, branding consultants, industry press and even the occasional PR practitioner converge for four days of speeches, seminars, schmoozing and hyper-networking at the Association of National Marketer’s (ANA) Masters of Marketing Conference.

Despite the constant drumbeat throughout PR and marketing precincts to ramp up spending on social platforms, nearly 60% of senior-level PR executives said they are spending between just 1% and 5% of their overall revenue on social media, according to an exclusive study for PR News conducted by PR consultancy StevensGouldPincus.

Most PR professionals don’t need a whole lot of convincing when it comes to the value of media training. Rumors of the death of traditional media are greatly exaggerated, and media communicators still need the skills to face off with reporters.

At this stage in the evolution of social media, PR pros and communicators are fairly adept at crafting their messages for Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

The U.S. Presidential Library system began in 1939 and was developed to create living archives chronicling each president’s years in office.

Who better to tell the story about your organization’s philanthropic endeavors than the people who work there? After all, employees represent your organization every day at work, in industry and government