The Media Department at the College of Social Sciences at Umm Al-Qura University organized a workshop entitled: "Public Relations Between Reality and Ambition", as part of its virtual cultural and scientific activity for students studying in the field of public relations at the master’s level. The workshop aimed at enhancing the role of public relations in institutions and societies, outlining its importance in the public life of individuals under the knowledge of information and digitization, and stressing the need to provide specialized cadres in this field, including both its areas: theoretical and professional.

A member of the academic staff in the Media Department, Dr. Faisal Al-Shimairi, explained that the workshop focused on five main themes in the fields of public relations, which included the role of public relations in the field of tourism during the Hajj and Umrah seasons and improving its mental image. Other themes dealt with the status quo of public relations, its effectiveness in the government sector, and its confrontation with challenges during crises, as well as its role in the academic field and the practice of its specialty in higher education institutions. This is in addition to the role played by public relations in the security, diplomatic and charitable fields, and their positive impact on solving social problems.

The participants stated that public relations is an art based on scientific foundations that searches for the most appropriate and successful methods of how to deal with different entities and sectors to achieve their goals and spread their culture. They pointed out that the future of public relations revolves around the internet and the transition of public relations from its traditional pattern to the field of digital science through content repurposing via social media, blog marketing content, and managing the reputation of the enterprise.