The Arthur W. Page Society is expecting a record turnout for its 19th Annual Spring Seminar that will scan the current global landscape and the challenges faced by American business. The April 1-2 meeting at the Pierre Hotel in New York will provide perspectives from both U.S. and international speakers on the theme, "America in the World: Listening from the Outside In."

Richard Edelman, Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, who is the chair of the 2004 Seminar, says, "The challenge to American business is clear. Understand how the world perceives America, Americans and American business economically, culturally and politically or risk consumer boycotts, loss of contracts, adverse regulation, difficulty hiring local talent or even the risk of becoming targets of violence."

To make the case for listening to the rest of the world and to examine strategic responses that can change perceptions and even behaviors, the Seminar will feature distinguished speakers representing a broad range of perspectives. They include Olivero Toscani, the creative director of the Benetton Group; Irene Kahn, secretary general of Amnesty International and Shibley Telhami, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and Middle East expert. A report on the situation in Iraq will be provided by Tom Foley, director of Private Sector Development for the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Also on the program to talk about brand building in hostile environments will be John A. Quelch of the Harvard Business School and Geoff Frost, chief marketing officer of the Motorola Corporation.

An international panel of journalists will discuss how the media reflects and shapes public perceptions. Panelists include Lionel Barber, The Financial Times; Siu Way Cheung, Ta Kung Pao, Theo Sommer, Die Zeit, and Paul Steiger, The Wall Street Journal.

The Spring Seminar program will run from noon on April 1 to 11:30 a.m. on April 2. A dinner the first day will include the presentation of awards to the Grand Prize winner in the Page Society's annual case study competition which invites students from Business, Journalism and Communications schools to submit original case studies about corporate communications and the practice of public relations.

An added feature at dinner will be an appearance by the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater which has been described as one of America's greatest cultural exports.

The Spring Seminar is open to Page Society members and their guests.

About the Arthur W. Page Society

The Arthur W. Page Society is a professional association composed primarily of the chief communications officers (CCOs) of the world's top multinational corporations, and the CEOs of the world's largest public relations agencies. The organization's members also include academics from the leading business and communications schools.

The Page Society is dedicated to strengthening the management policy role of chief communications officers. The Page Society is upheld by management concepts, known as the Page Principles, which have been tested for more than half a century and have earned the support and respect of chief executive officers throughout the country. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Arthur W. Page Society.