This is a guest post by Jessica Bates, who attended #FutureofPR, Vocus and Cision’s coming out event.
On a humid October night in Washington, DC, an excited group of PR professionals and social media influencers gathered for an announcement from Vocus and Cision.
We spotted Tinu Abayomi-Paul chatting with Mayra Ruiz-McPherson and Shashi Bellamkonda. Patrick Pho exclaimed over meeting Shonali Burke for the first time; Gini Dietrich and Colin Storm laughed over their cocktails; and both Shana Glickfield and Greg O’Neill tweeted photos of the partygoers.
Jessica Bates, Tiziana Barrow, Tinu Abayomi-Paul and Mayra Ruiz.
Want to see more pictures from the event? Check out our Facebook page!
The boisterous gathering hushed when Peter Granat, CEO of Vocus, appeared at the front of the room, microphone in hand. Granat welcomed the group and thanked everyone for being there for the Vocus and Cision news that promised to change the #FutureOfPR.
Peter Granat
He briefly recounted how the two PR companies had begun to merge over the summer, and explained that the process was now complete. The new entity, he announced, would be called Cision.
The new headquarters for the international company, as they move both the Vocus (Beltsville, Maryland) and Cision (Stockholm, Sweden) offices, will be in Chicago, Illinois. Granat explained that “locating the new global headquarters in Chicago gives the company access to talent and a strong customer base to fuel that expansion.”
Partygoers with cowbells.
The announcement brought cheers as well as the merry clanging of cowbells that had been thoughtfully provided by the hosts.
Want to learn more about the union of Cision and Vocus? Check out this press release!
