HONG KONG - April 7, 2006 - With a theme of "Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk," nearly 70 Burson-Marsteller executives from around Asia Pacific attended the latest Burson-Marsteller University training conference.

Held from March 30 to April 2 in Singapore, this year’s theme was literal as well as figurative. The "walk" element of the conference asked participants to self-select themselves into one of seven brainstorms on important and emerging topics to create practical knowledge or potential products for Burson-Marsteller’s clients in Asia Pacific. The "talk" section was participation in seven small-group role-plays with "actors" who progressively outlined details for attendees as part of a fictitious client assignment. Senior executives from offices around the region facilitated the brainstorms and role-plays, with the overall conference led by Andy Eklund, Managing Director of Burson-Marsteller University Asia Pacific and Regional Creative Director.

Burson-Marsteller University is based on years of experience Burson-Marsteller has garnered developing communications training programs and curricula for companies around the world. Last week’s conference was the 8th internal Burson-Marsteller University conference to be held over the past five years in Asia Pacific.

Over 550 B-M executives have now graduated from B-M University sessions held in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai and Oman. Over the years, the conference has trained participants on a wide range of topic through interactive sessions including campaign development, consultancy skills, strategic and creative thinking and business management.

Attendees have come from all over Asia Pacific and the Middle East, including Australia, China, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and the UAE. The Asia Pacific team has also welcomed colleagues from the U.S, Europe and Latin America, fostering an excellent cross-cultural exchange between the regions.

“Training has always been one of the hallmarks of the Burson-Marsteller experience,” says Bill Rylance, Burson-Marsteller’s Asia-Pacific President and Chief Executive Officer. “On a global level and within Asia Pacific, Burson-Marsteller has the most extensive and broad-based training programs in the communications industry. Training is also a primary reason how and why we attract and retain the very best employees.”

Burson-Marsteller University conferences are supplemented by several in-country training sessions each year, with senior coaches from around the region offering a range of training such as presentation sills, consultative skills, strategic and creative thinking, media relations, crisis communications, negotiation skills, leadership development, interview sills and business management.

Burson-Marsteller Asia Pacific also offers its employees additional opportunities to enhance their expertise through a comprehensive suite of e-courses, ranging from writing skills to time management.

Burson-Marsteller University for Clients
Burson-Marsteller Asia Pacific has extended its internal training to offer tailored and personalized courses for clients to help them address communications challenges in their markets using consistent and clear strategies. Burson-Marsteller brings communications techniques to life using actual, anonymous client experiences and best practices in workshops conducted as lectures, group discussions, and role-playing and team exercises.

"Burson-Marsteller is at the forefront of a trend in corporate learning," says Andy Eklund. "By leveraging our brand and expertise to provide corporate learning education in a specific professional domain, public relations and corporate communications practitioners find it a welcome new source for professional development.”

Four Burson-Marsteller University training conferences for clients have been held in Asia Pacific over the past two years. Other Burson-Marsteller University client conferences are scheduled throughout the region in 2006.

###

About Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marsteller, established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and public affairs firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, advertising, and web-related services. The firm’s seamless worldwide network consists of 54 wholly-owned offices and 46 affiliate offices, together operating in 58 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Brands, a subsidiary of WPP Group plc (NASDQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s leading communications services networks.

First established in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo in 1973, the Burson-Marsteller network in Asia Pacific includes offices in Bangalore, Beijing, Chennai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Melbourne, Mumbai, New Delhi, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo; with affiliates in Auckland, Bangkok, Islamabad, Karachi, Manila, Taipei, and Wellington.

For the third time in five years, Burson-Marsteller’s Asia-Pacific team was named “Network of the Year” at the 2005 annual Asia Pacific PR Awards, the industry’s top award recognizing outstanding public relations work across the region. Burson-Marsteller Australia’s work for Novartis’ Elidel was named Campaign of the Year at the same awards. The company was also top-ranked in Media Magazine’s 2005 Asia Pacific Consultancy Report Card.