UMD PRSSA Co-Hosted ICON 2025 in Washington, D.C.

ICON was a successful conference for UMD PR students!

UMD Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) co-hosted ICON with students from American University and Howard University. The conference was held in Washington D.C. from October 27-30, 2025. 

ICON is the largest annual conference for communications, marketing, and public relations in the U.S. The event brought together hundreds of students and professionals from around the world for professional development and networking.

Students at ICON in D.C. 

Two UMD students, Alex Spencer and Bri May, were on the planning committee. They helped organized nine sessions with speakers on a variety of topics from news media to tech to travel to sports PR. 

Alex Spencer reflected on the experience, "I felt it was a very educational experience insofar as learning how to make contact with people and maintain relationships over a (relatively) long period of time in the build-up to the conference. I also enjoyed getting to know and working with the rest of the committee."

Bri May provided 5 major takeaways from her time at ICON: "(1) Always say “Yes, if…” NOT “No, because..." (2) You don’t go on because you’re ready; you go on because it's what you're supposed to do. (3) Don’t let anyone tell your story before you can. (4) Always be clear, concise and conversational. (5) Make friends, don’t just network." She also expressed gratitude for PRSSA for being "so formative for students and professionals alike."

UMD Student Bri May at PRSSA ICON 

Finally, Julianne Garnett was particularly struck by a quote from a breakout session on modern influence with Tracey Cassidy and Corey R. Martin. It said, "People don't buy what you make, they buy why you make it." For Julianne, it demonstrated the power of organizational storytelling and using purpose-driven communication.

Julianne enjoying PRSSA ICON

We are proud of our UMD students for all of their very important work at ICON 2025! Congrats on an excellent year!