History

From 2006 to the Present

	8th November 2006: Foundation of the EACD The European Association of Communication Directors (EACD) was established on 8th November 2006, by over a 100 founding members from 23 different countries. Thus, the first Europe-wide network for Communication Professionals and Spokespersons in European companies, associations and political institutions was born. Dr. Herbert Heitmann, Head of Global Communications at SAP AG, was elected President.
	31st January 2007: EACD Board Meeting I/2007 The EACD was created with the aim of representing Communication Professionals on a pan-European level, thereby developing uniform standards of communication across Europe. It was also designed to foster qualification in Communication issues, with the use of educational resources and tools, including the establishment of eight working groups. These were formed around issues of Education, Energy, European Institutions, Evaluation, Finance and Insurance.
	5th April 2007: The European Communication Survey With a rapidly growing membership, the Association entered 2007 with a bang. It developed dynamic plans for progression, including, in April 2007, the launch of the first ever comprehensive survey of the Communications Profession. Conducted in cooperation with the renowned Institute for Media and Communication Management at the University of St. Gallen, the survey reached out to Communications Professionals to ask them the questions that matter to them the most.
	11th June 2007: The European Communication Summit 2007 Come summer, and it was time for the inaugural European Communication Summit, on June 11th and 12th in Brussels. This event was a huge success, bringing together the leading Communication Professionals from across Europe for two days of networking, debating and exchanging ideas. At the Summit the first General Assembly of the EACD was also held, initiating its democratic process of board member election.
	11th June 2007: The European Communication Award 2007 The 11th of June also saw the launch of the European Communication Award. This glamorous event celebrated the achievements of Communication Professionals in successfully promoting the European idea. For 2007, the award went to the European Football Organisation UEFA, for its efforts to democratise Europe's most popular sport, and its use of football as a tool for trans-national integration.
	22nd November 2007: The First Anniversary of the EACD + EACD Board Meeting II/2007 On the 22nd November, 2007, the EACD was pleased and proud to celebrate its first anniversary. The celebratory gathering and talks were an opportunity for both fun and learning, and were widely attended by members. Upon this occasion, the EACD board meeting was also held, to discuss the Association's ambitious plans for 2008.
	8th February 2008: The Second European Communication Survey In an extension of last year's highly successful scheme, the EACD is currently gathering the opinions of its members for the second European Communication Survey. The idea of this is for Communication Professionals to get a completely up-to-the-minute look at the state of their profession.
	29th February 2008: The First EACD Working Group Meeting on European Institutions By the start of 2008, the EACD's plans were coming to fruition. One of the foremost ideas was for the European Institutions Working Group to hold a workshop on EU Institutions, which took place on 29th February in Brussels.
	14th March 2008: The First Half of the EACD's Regional Debates 2008 The calendar continued to fill up with EACD events as the Association launched its brand-new Regional Debates, which took place in capital cities across Europe. The purpose of the Regional Debates is to provide a forum for members to discuss communication issues on both a localised and a pan-European level.
	24th April 2008: European Communication Award 2008 This year's proud European Communication Award winner is the European Central Bank. By successfully launching and managing one of the EU's key unifying elements, our single currency, the ECB has been instrumental in communicating the European idea. The award was ceremonially presented to ECB Director of Communications Elisabeth Ardaillon-Pourier, on 24th April at the Concert Noble in Brussels.
	24th - 25th April 2008: European Communication Summit 2008 The annual European Communication Summit gathers the leading Communication Directors and Spokespersons for a two-day-conference in Brussels. This year's participants came from business, politics, associations and media all across Europe. They attended presentations and discussions delivered by over 60 expert speakers, debated strategies and tools, methods as well as best cases within the fields of Corporate Communication, PR, Media Relations and political communication.
	25th April 2008: General Assembly + Election of the EACD's new Board On the 25th of April the EACD General Assembly took a look back at what the Association has achieved, and discussed plans for future activities and events. On this occasion full members of the EACD were asked to vote for the new EACD President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer and the Assessors. Together with the new Board, the EACD will continue to be a source for creativity, as well as the kind of innovative organisation which fosters an idea-rich environment.
	13th November 2008: The EACD's Second Anniversary On the 13th November, the EACD celebrated its second anniversary with a meeting in Brussels. The meeting featured a Panel Discussion on 'Communication in the Time of Economic Crisis' featuring four expert speakers. Four EACD Working Groups held meetings prior to the discussion (plus the Anniversary saw the first appearance of the EACD Working Group 'Risk and Crisis Communications'). At the end of the evening, a celebratory reception was held for all of the attendants in honour of this milestone, and to give attendants a chance to network in a less formal fashion.
	2nd and 3rd July 2009: The European Communication Summit The European Communication Summit 2009 was held at the Renaissance Hotel in Brussels on the 2nd and 3rd of July. Over three hundred communications professionals from across Europe attended the event, which featured sixty notable speakers presenting Best Cases, Panel Discussions and Workshops. The event focused on six major strands of communications: Strategy and Planning, Execution and Measurement, Next Media and Innovation, Internal and Change Communication, Crisis Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility. Each strand had its own keynote speech, as well as Best Case presentations from seasoned industry figures.
	2nd July 2009: The European Communication Award The highlight of the European Communication Summit 2009 was the presentation of the European Communication Award in a gala ceremony after the first day's activities. The winner of this year's award was euronews. The channel was recognised for its solid contribution to communications across borders and for the way in which it emphasises the notion of an Europeanised format of communication. The award was accepted by Phillippe Cayla, Chairman of the Executive Board of euronews, in front of several hundred guests from the worlds of politics, business and the media.
	3rd July 2009: The European Communication Monitor 2009 On the final afternoon of the European Communication Summit 2009, Prof. Dr Ansgar Zerfass, Professor of Communication Management at the University of Leipzig and Executive Director of the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) announced some of the findings from the European Communication Monitor 2009. This was the first year that the EACD and Communication Director partnered with EUPRERA on the study, and the full findings were published in Autumn 2009.
	12th and 13th November 2009: The EACD's Third Anniversary The EACD expanded the format of its anniversary celebrations to include a two-day conference, as well as the traditional Evening Reception and Working Group meetings. The conference concentrated on 'Regaining Trust: Reputation Management through Strategic Communication', which looked at the nature and foundations of trust, and how trust could be gained or recovered through communication policies. Six of the Working Groups met as part of the anniversary (including the new CSR Group, which met for the second time). The Evening Reception featured the traditional Panel Discussion, which focused on the issue of the internet as a potential reputation trap for organisations.
	1st and 2nd July 2010: The European Communication Summit 2010 The European Communication Summit 2010 was held at the Square, the redeveloped conference centre in Brussels in July. Over 500 communications professionals from across Europe attended the event, which featured sixty notable speakers presenting Best Cases, Panel Discussions and Workshops. The event featured keynotes from EU Commissioner Viviane Reding, Alastair Campbell (former Director of Communications and Strategy for the ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair), the World Economic Forum’s Adrian Monck, Hürriyet Daily News’s David Judson, Advanced Technology Investment Company’s Brian Lott, and Deutsche Post World Net’s Christof Ehrhart.
	1st July 2010: The European Communication Award 2010 The highlight of the European Communication Summit 2010 was the presentation of the European Communication Award in a gala ceremony after the first day’s activities. Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat, received the fourth annual European Communication Award, which was presented by the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD) in recognition of the impact his communications strategy had upon the resurgence of Chrysler, the struggling American auto manufacturer who Fiat were charged with returning to profitability.
	2nd July 2010: The European Communication Monitor 2010 The European Communication Monitor 2010 collated the data collected from nearly 2,000 PR professionals from across 46 countries, which was obtained in March 2010. Released on the second day of the European Communication Monitor 2010, the survey answers the most pressing questions within the communications field, and compares the figures obtained with those over the past years to create a picture of how the European communications industry has developed, as well as projections for how it will continue to develop over the coming years.
	2nd July 2010: General Assembly and the Election of a New Board After the European Communication Summit 2010 drew to a close, the EACD General Assembly 2010 took place, taking a look back at what the Association has achieved, and discussed plans for future activities and events. The members gathered in attendance voted to expand the number of Assessors on the board to eleven, with the aim of making the board larger and more diverse, so that is even more representative of the members it serves. This was agreed with the aim of providing greater impetus and fresh blood to drive the association forward over the next two years.