#AMECSummitTonight I’m leaving on a jet plane for one of the greatest cities in the world: London!

Yup, I’m heading across the pond for what promises to be one of the year’s best conferences, the AMEC International Summit (as in: the same Summit that, some years ago, saw the Barcelona Principles become a household name… if you work in PR, that is).

I’m super-excited, because this will be my first time at the Summit! So what better way to kick the week off than to feature some of the world-class speakers and their thoughts on integrated communications, which is the theme of this year’s Summit? Here you go.

1. PR Measurement and Evaluation – an interview with Richard Bagnall

Why: “The real problem [that I think the industry has] is that there aren’t educators educating our industry, and in that absence we are confusing salesmen of different products as educators,” That’s my good friend and CEO of Prime Research Richard Bagnall, discussing why updates to AMEC’s valid metrics framework need to include integrated communications, in conversation with Philippe Borremans of “Wag The Dog FM.”

2. Lessons from NATO for Leading the Way in Digital Communication

Why: “Are your followers going to see photos or other media they don’t see anywhere else? For instance, NATO cross-promotes across a variety of channels, but they also upload exclusive content on Flickr that you can’t find on their other networks,” says Steven Mehringer, Head of Communications Services in the NATO Public Diplomacy Division, in this Socialbakers post.

3. The future of digital and social media in government comms

Why: “Whether it’s a new social media network, advertising platform or technique, we need to spot it, understand it and adapt to it if we’re to reach the audiences who use it,” writes Stephen Hardwick, Director of Corporate Communications for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, in this still relevant post.

4. AVES – we moved on years ago!

Why: “Our mission is to educate about measurement best practice. To make sure no one thinks of PR measurement as a ”˜nice to have’ rather than a critical business activity,” says the incredible Barry Leggetter, CEO of AMEC.

5. Breaking Out of The Box Only To Be Put in Another

Why:  “I like integrated communication strategy. I love integrated communication strategy. And when I can measure it and show its benefits to the bottom line, I’m happier than a dog rolling in poop,” I wrote in this classic WUL post.

6. Want to Adopt a Measurement Mindset? Focus on Improvement, Not Success

Why: “Make sure you have systems, processes and protocols in place that make measurement an ongoing exercise that is constantly feeding back into the organization about what is and isn’t working, both from a channel and audience perspective,” writes Ben Levine, Vice President of Ketchum Global Research & Analytics, for PRSA Tactics.

7. The Measurement Life: An Interview with Jim Macnamara

Why: “As governments and corporations discover the importance of engagement to redress loss of trust and disengagement by citizens and consumers, specialists in consultation, behavioral insights, ”˜big data’ analysis, and so on will take the lead,” says Jim Macnamara in this still relevant interview with The Measurement Standard (once you read it, you’ll see how I might have saved the best for last).

If you’ll be at #AMECSummit, please join us for a LIVE rendition of the #measurePR Twitter chat from the Summit venue! If you’ve never hosted a Twitter chat before, you’ll learn a lot, as I’ll explain just how to do this. Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 14, 12-1 pm ET (5-6 pm BST), and please contact Nicola Gardiner to book your LIVE spot (they’re limited, so contact her quickly).