Events

Sign & Graphic Imaging Middle East (SGI) 2009 opens

editor — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:46:22 -0800

The Middle East's premier signage and imaging event opened in Dubai today, 15 February, 2009, and runs until 17 February at the Dubai Airport Expo. This is the 11th annual Signage & Graphic Imaging Middle East, with over 300 exhibitors, from 28 countries and over 10,000 visitors expected.

SGI 209 showcases the latest products and emerging technologies within the industries of Advertising, Architectural hardware, Banners & Posters, Digital Imaging, Electronic Message Centre, Electric Signage, Graphic imaging industry, Graphic services, Large format Printing, Printing on Paper, Printing, Photo Imaging & Printing, Sign Substrates/Equipment and Signage etc.

Entries deadline for Dubai Lynx Awards is extended to Thursday, 19 February

editor — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 04:15:16 -0800

The 3rd Dubai Lynx Awards, which forms part of the Dubai Advertising Festival, will honour and celebrate creative excellence in TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Interactive, Direct & Sales Promotion, Media and Integrated advertising.Entry deadline is extended to Thursday 19 February 2009. Visit Enter Now to submit entries and to find key information on fees, competition rules, materials and much more.

In 2008, 2023 entries from 17 countries competed for the 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards. The work of all 181 trophy winners, as well as shortlisted entries, can be viewed in the Winners section.

Presented by the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, together with regional partners Motivate Publishing and sponsored by Gulf News, Dubai Lynx is held with the support of Dubai Media City (DMC) and in association with the UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA).

The Dubai International Advertising Festival brings together advertising talent from across the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), as well as from around the world. A series of high profile seminars, workshops, exhibitions and screenings are held, aimed at providing creative inspiration, learning and networking opportunities to the advertising and allied industries.

Marcus Evans to launch 2nd Annual Social Media Marketing Conference 2012

editor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:37:56 -0800

Marcus Evans launches the 2nd Annual Social Media Marketing Conference in Dubai on the 13th and 14th of May 2012. A buzz from the first annual and large turnout, this conference will be bringing together top experts in the field internationally and regionally from the Middle East to share best practises for companies in the Middle East region to maximise each penny spent on social media besides gaining the maximum impact strived for.

The goal of Social Media Marketing Conference is to grasp the understanding that the social media platforms work on the faith of people. It utilises the existing fan brand and making them the brand army to viral on the effects. According to the Marcus Evans Conference Director of the Middle East division, Mr. Joachim Soon, “Question here is: How do we know if it is effective or how do we measure the effectiveness? This conference will focus on the creation of good local contents and defining the effectiveness of the social media platforms. Does hitting 50 000 hits on your YouTube video means you have succeeded? Is it translating to sales? Keep this in thought. “

Speakers to present at this conference include Sonia Carter, Head of Digital Kraft Food, Europe, Vanda Chan, Interactive Media Executive of Nestle, Malaysia, Claudius Boller, Business Development Director from Universal Music, UAE, Sandipan Ghoosh , Head of Marketing of Tiffany Foods, UAE, Bruce Li, Channel Manager, Digital and Social Media of Standard Chartered UAE, Akvile Pareigyte , Digital Marketing Manager of Jumeirah Group UAE, Noaman Al Saleh, Media Relations and CSR Manager of Emirates National Oil Company UAE and Timothy McDonald, Digital Marketing Manager of Nokia UAE.

Featuring a half-day workshop by Mr. Stephen Jio who is the Global Mobility and Vostro Merchandising Manager of Dell, Ireland on total customer experience in the social media way, participants would also be at the forefront of revolutionizing social media platforms to lure more traffics to organisation’s communication platforms and supercharging social media platforms through coordination between all platforms with the organisations marketing campaign.

For more information, check the event listing here.

Product Launch Excellence: Combining modern and traditional vehicles in marketing campaigns

editor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:15:00 -0800

Supported by mediaME.com and organized by Marcus Evans, the Product Launch Excellence conference has been scheduled to be held on the 22nd and 23rd of April 2012 in Dubai, UAE.

Those days when product launches were just a matter of just putting news release over the wires are over. Consumers are no longer depending on cable TV or news prints for information, but on a wide variety of platforms. These product launches need to be integrated with traditional marketing tools with the social and online marketing tools. Product launch that is effortlessly recalled by public had proven that the brand will have a staying power. Globally, there are about 250,000 new product launches, therefore the creation of one that would wow the crowd could be a tough job.

Mr. Nasr Sulaiman who is the Director of Marketing and Business Development of RTC Coca- Cola, Kuwait and also presenting at this conference comments, “With the market expansions within the region there are a lot of new business entities as well as current operating entities trying to seed more products into the market to have or to increase their market share. A huge number of various products is being launched every day with limited success opportunity due to the heavy competition.”

His topic of presentation will be focusing on customising product launch and marketing campaign according to target markets and he goes on to explain, “This situation has created the need to have proper product launch with a unique marketing campaign using the right combination of both traditional and modern media vehicles. Marcus Evans has realized the importance of organizing this event to meet the current needs of the marketing professionals to face the challenge of making their products launches effective and successful within the current aggressive competition environment.

This event is unique and different than other traditional training events, as guest speakers from various fields will share with the delegates their own practical experience and success stories which will represent more valuable information for the delegates to help them develop their marketing strategies and improve their performance towards having future excellent product launches."

The goal of this Product Launch Excellence is to enable companies to find various avenues to promote these launches. Thus with reduced cost in their product / service launch, they are able to invest more into product development and of course in enhancing their marketing plans before and after the launch. Another speaker at this conference, Mr. Ergin Akman who is the Marketing Director of Nestle Waters, Turkey supports this conference advising, “Although most of the innovation and customization projects -- especially the ones that haven’t been based upon strategic insights -- don’t always meet most of the expectations in the marketplace, they are and will continue to be among the most dominant topics of the business world.”

Other speakers included at this conference will be from Universal Music, UAE, Zenith Watches (LVMH Group), UAE, Tiffany Foods, UAE, Unilever, UAE, Samsung Mobile, UAE, Dubai Media Incorporated, UAE and Galadari Ice-cream Co, UAE.

The Product Launch Excellence Conference is part of Marcus Evans’ comprehensive portfolio of the Middle East conferences that offer professionals the unique one-to-one networking opportunities while featuring top speakers of the industry.

For more information, check the event listing here.

Top trends revealed at Digital Media Forum 2012

editor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:04:31 -0800

The inaugural Digital Media Forum - Dubai 2012, an event to discuss the rapidly growing digital arena, has revealed a number of key trends predicted for the coming year. The event served as a meeting point for industry leaders to share concepts and ideas, as well as forecast developments in the fields of social network marketing, e-commerce and e-education, mobile applications and digital media regulations.

In addition to a number of international experts, speakers who participated in the event included UAE-based advertising and media heavyweights Raja Trad, CEO of Leo Burnett Group MENA, and Joseph Ghossoub, Chairman and CEO of MENA Communications Group (MENACOM). Commentary was also provided by Osman Sultan, CEO of du, who explored how 'social media is a tsunami that has changed everything', and Khalifa Al Shamsi, Senior Vice President of Technology Strategy for the Etisalat Group, who offered an insight into the telecommunications industry, whose expression 'customer data is today's new oil' resonated profoundly with the audience and on Twitter channels.

Those attending the forum included a mix of industry peers, business executives and students, all active participants in the region's digital growth. In addition, the event was well-received by Twitter users across the GCC, predominantly in the UAE. Discussions on the social media platform resulted in #DMF2012 (the official hash tag for the event) becoming a top trending topic in the UAE on both days of the forum, with revelations of the event being shared and distributed with a wider audience.

Raja Trad offered his insight, commenting, "The growth of advertising on social media channels in the next few years will be profound. It is now more important than ever for professionals to find ways to make communication innovative and fresh in order to captivate their audiences across various mediums."

Zafer Younis, CEO of The Online Project, elaborated on the importance of a studied and focused approach in terms of social media, saying. "Professionals need to first evaluate what the message, audience and themes are before jumping on to the digital media bandwagon. For example, Facebook does magic for FMCGs, while B2Bs will benefit more from LinkedIn. Social Media is not all or nothing."

Dan Stuart, Managing Director of Living Social Middle East, discussed emerging e-commerce in the region, saying "The key to its success is support and collaboration with local business in order to attract a resident consumer base."

Najla Semaan Mazboudi, Managing Director of SPOTON Media Services and Events, commented on the success of the forum, "We were pleasantly surprised by the feedback we witnessed on Twitter (@DMForumDXB). Our number of followers increased drastically over the two-day period that the forum took place, and still continues to grow. Looking at this positive response, we have already started making preparations for Digital Media Forum 2013."

Nogoum FM and Nile FM bring first kids' radio station to KidZania Cairo

editor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:57:35 -0800

Budding young radio hosts now have a place to hone their skills while having fun as KidZania Cairo signed a partnership agreement with Nile Radio Productions, owner of popular Nogoum FM and Nile FM, bringing the first Kids' radio station to the city where children will have the chance to be part of a versatile informative and amusing radio programs.

"Adopting a philosophy based on exclusivity and innovation, KidZania Cairo is bringing its young patrons a miniature radio station that will teach them about the fascinating world of radio broadcast. A unique experience that will go a long way towards building-up their self-confidence and giving them a unique opportunity to voice their thoughts and articulate their ambitions," said Mr. Tarek Zidan KidZania Cairo Governor.

"With a station planned to be broadcasting throughout the city and listened to by all visitors, children can get over the well-founded fear and anxiety of setting behind the microphone and talking on the radio," added Mr. Zidan.

"Kids will read out news, comment on sports events and even interview celebrates and well-known figures. What's more, KidZania radio station hosts will have a keen eye on spotting singing talents of their fellow visitors. They will be given the chance to demonstrate their talents and perform to the listeners. As personal experience is a powerful learning tool and in order to make it a memorable escapade towards better planning for a future job, little associates of KidZania radio station can keep a copy of their contributions for the station on a CD of their own to take home and keep," Mr. Zidan clarified.

Ms. Hala Hegazi - Managing Director of Nile Radio Productions - was thrilled at the new cooperation with a miniature Nogoum FM and Nile FM radio stations coming into existence inside KidZania. "Putting that new twist on the learning process by allowing our kids to live true-to-life experiences through role-playing a wide range of jobs is such an awe-inspiring educational concept. I am absolutely glad with this partnership as it will push the knowledge horizons of young ones and help them learn about the know-how of the radio profession. The educational value offered by KidZania radio will provide far-reaching benefits for children. They will become familiar with creating radio shows, receiving calls from audiences, and understanding intricacies associated with radio broadcast, which are all of the essence on the path to radio professionalism," Ms. Hegazi explained.

"KidZania radio will present versatile programs ranging from news bulletins, climate broadcast, traffic updates, all the way to commentaries on sports games, and even star-studded interviews. There will also be entertaining music shows on the airwaves," Ms. Hegazi added.

KidZania, coming to Cairo shortly and now present in eight cities including Mexico, Tokyo, Jakarta, Seoul, Lisbon, Koshien and Dubai, will be the first in Africa and the Second in the Middle East.

KidZania Cairo is an entire kids-scale city built to simulate real life. Children between the ages of 4 to 14 are able to choose from more than 70 real-life jobs in a wide variety of sectors including retail, media and entertainment, construction, culture, sports and industry. Children can role play activities such as doctors, firemen, pilots or chefs in fully-equipped facilities, move around the edutainment city in cars or via public transportation, practice driving at the driving streets within the city, dine at restaurants, or explore their talents at the theatre. As in the real world, children perform jobs and are either paid for their work or pay to shop, or to be certified, or entertained.

GCC governments ready to embrace social media

editor — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:20:17 -0800

Governments in the GCC are preparing for increasing use of social media to interact with citizens, spread government messages and gain feedback on policies.

In 2011 the world saw how social media has changed the world we live in: the instant dissemination of news, giving a voice to the masses and, in the Middle East, aiding the mobilisation of citizens in the Arab Spring.

While here we saw social media being used to rally people against governments, in 2012 governments in the Arab world will be embracing social media as a means of communicating with the people, according to Fadi Salem, Director and Fellow at Dubai School of Government.

"Government attitudes to social media are changing. They recognise that, like the Internet this will become an essential part of how they operate. Attitudes are changing and whereas at one time social media was distrusted, Governments are starting to recognize its potential as a communication tool," he said.

Driving this change is a social media savvy GCC population. The adoption of social media is at its highest ever rate. The UAE has the highest penetration of Facebook in the region at 30%. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum led the way with social media, embracing its use years ago. However, it has taken governments a while to follow his lead. Salem puts this down to control and distrust.

"Government departments are very concerned with privacy and cautious of new technologies so it will take time for widespread use but a change in attitudes is now coming," he said.

Ibrahim El Badawi, from Emirates eGovernment, has been expecting this shift for a while now. "In 2010 we started collaborating with government entities to produce policy guidelines on how to use social media effectively to maximise the value delivered to the public and manage potential risks and concerns attached with using social media. We launched the guidelines in early 2011 and have seen high interest from UAE government entities."

Social Media is ideal for governments who are providing services to residents and use the medium to interact with end users. Emirates eGovernment, and Dubai and Abu Dhabi Police are examples of government entities that are currently doing this. Emirates eGovernment has a Facebook and Twitter page, where users can view their current activities, connect to their portal and communicate with them. Facebook and Twitter are engrained in their communication strategy.

To support this shift in attitudes towards social media, governments across the GCC will be attending the GCC Government Social Media Summit from 9-12 April in Dubai. Communications staff will gain a 'crash course' in social media and learn how they can implement social media best practice.

Salem, who will be speaking at the conference comments, "The summit has come at a timely moment in the development of social media use. It is an excellent way for government staff to increase their knowledge on social media tools and techniques."

Sharjah Media Centre announces two-day agenda for first Government Communication Forum

editor — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:28:12 -0800

The first Government Communication Forum to be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, will seek to benchmark the emirate's government communication standards against global best practices and examine ways for infusing fresh methodologies into the communication mechanism among government departments in Sharjah.

The forum's objective is in line with the overarching mandate of Sharjah Media Centre, the communications arm of the Sharjah government and the organisers of the two-day event.

Scheduled to be held from 26-27 February at Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Government Communication Forum will witness dignitaries and experts in government communication as well as top-tier regional and international media headlining the workshops and panel discussions. Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, will deliver the keynote speech during the opening session of the forum.

The first 'Government Communication Forum' will include eight sessions and two workshops. Globally accredited certificates will be given away to participants of the workshops comprising mid-managerial executives from the Sharjah government departments.

Osama Samra, Director, Sharjah Media Centre, said: "The first edition of the forum will deliberate upon a series of topics that focus on best practices for upgrading intra-departmental as well as external communication among government entities in Sharjah. Towards this purpose, the forum will highlight the latest tools, skills and applications to practitioners and professionals, besides offering government institutions in Sharjah with a guideline for improving its standards."

Day-1 of the Government Communication Forum will open with a session on 'Management of Risks and Crisis in Government Media Communications' that will include panelists Dr. Nabil Al Khatib, Executive News Director at Al Arabiya, and Brad Staples, President of APCO International, Chair of Global Development. In addition to outlining the strategies and mechanisms for risk analysis and crisis, the two industry thought-leaders will analyse best ways to build an integrated risk management system as a proactive approach to managing risks. The session will also tackle participants' professional skills in crisis management and throw light on how to transform potential crises into real opportunities.

Dr Nabil Al-Sharif, Member of the Jordanian Senate, and Dr. Rafic Chlala, former Press Advisor to Presidential Office, Government of Lebanon, will lead the second session on 'Spokespersons in Government Institutions - Fundamentals and Skills'. Substantiating their viewpoints with case studies and real-time experiences, the experts will underline the competencies required for communication practitioners and reiterate the importance of continuous training for the purpose of stepping up the quality of government services.

Dr. Ahmad Al Dbeiban, Plenipotentiary Minister of the Secretariat General for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, and Firas Al-Khatib, Media, PR and Information Officer, UNESCO, Beirut Office, will headline the third session on the opening day of the forum. Titled 'Coordination Strategies of Communication Efforts among Government Institutions', the distinguished speakers will address decision makers in governmental departments and review international communication models that meet the gap for speed, quantity and accuracy, as well as ensure seamless coordination between organizational units.

Samir Al-Baha'i, Policy and Government Affairs Manager of MENA at Google, will talk about the future of 'Digital Media in the Government Sector' during the fourth session. The session comes at a time when industry experts are expecting digital content to be responsible for 17% of the total media spending (around $1.4bn) in the UAE. Digital commercial ads are expected to increase by 3% to 5% and reach 22% of total commercials by early next year. Against such projections, the session will highlight the use of social media outlets and e-commerce practices as well as analyse emerging trends in the sector.

The first day of the forum will conclude with a workshop led by international trainer Arwell Owen. The segment will focus on 'Skills of Dealing with Media for Senior Officials and Heads of Institutions'. It will primarily examine how public sector employees can develop their media-relationship skills. It will also look at best practices for building synergy with regional and global business leaders for the purpose of enhancing the government's image and manage its reputation.

The second day of the Government Communication Forum will also host four sessions. The agenda will kick-off with a segment on 'Case Study of the Governmental Awareness Campaigns in the US and UK'. Sue Wolstenholme, elected president of 2013 for CIPR, UK, and Gerard Francis, CEO of the Public Relations Society of America, will lead this session.

Ilker Ayci, President of Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT), and His Excellency Abdul Qadir Al Sheikh, Minister of Information, Malaysia, will take the podium in the second session. Both speakers will share Turkey and Malaysia's experience in developing the government media sector.

Turki Al-Dakhil, founder and owner of Dubai-based Al Mesbar research and study centre, along with Zaven Kouyoumdjian, Lebanese TV celebrity, talk show host and producer of acclaimed programme 'Sirée Wenfatahet', will highlight the 'Role of Broadcast Media in Supporting Government Institutions' Vision of Social Development' during the third session on day-two of the event.

'The Role of Caricatures in Correcting Misconceptions and Raising Levels of Awareness' will be discussed during the fourth session that will draw out the perspectives of Omaya Juha, Chairman of Juhatoon, Rasha Mahdi, Egypt's first female cartoonist, and Emad Hajjaj, well-known cartoonist in Jordan and the Middle East.

Nicolas Georges, Founder of Reputation Institute, will host a workshop on 'Organizing the Government's Image and Managing its Reputation'. This session will conclude the forum's agenda on the second day and bring the two-day event to a close.

Intaj, RSICA launch 'Creative Industry: Innovation Cluster' in Aqaba

editor — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:37:01 -0800

The Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (Intaj) is working with USAID Jordan Economic Development Program and The Red Sea Institute for Cinematic Arts (RISCA) to launch 'Creative Industry: Innovation Cluster' in Aqaba on Thursday 9th of February 2012.

The "Creative Industry: Innovation Cluster" is aiming at building Jordan's emerging screen industry and its linkages with the media, ICT, Education and digital content industries by engaging all stakeholders, initiatives, and financing sources for maximum impact.

RSICA plays a major role in providing the skills that are based on industry-best standards and designed to provide graduates with a broad set of professional abilities to enhance employment opportunities and the Creative Industry development.

The event is structured to provide some background on the industry itself, in addition to identifying industry dynamics and echo system to set main priorities that will formulate the cluster main milestones to push for to better enable its growth.

Furthermore, the cluster will ensure bringing all stakeholders to work together and reveal potential opportunities which will help in clarifying the different roles and responsibilities of them.

Innovation clusters in general are currently packaged as a major tool for economic development, as in the core it's all about "Prosperity Pathway", which links innovation to increases in productivity, competitiveness, and ultimately prosperity. This methodology allows the members of innovation clusters to focus on the creation of prosperity, of which competitiveness is a natural progress, but not the end result. Countries can be competitive in one or more industries, but still not be prosperous as a whole. However, prosperous countries are almost always competitive.

The Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan - Intaj is an ICT and ICTES industry-support association founded in 2000 with the aim of improving the dynamics of Jordan's ICT & ICTES markets and developing the Kingdom's ICT & ICTES related activities, and includes more than 210 local and global companies working in IT, Telecom, and IT enabled services (Outsourcing).

Since its establishment, Intaj has been exerting a high effort level aiming at advancing the Jordanian ICT & ICTES sector. Intaj has been looking for various partnerships with different institutions on the local, regional and international levels aiming at creating better ICT and ICTES industry in Jordan, increasing the awareness of ICT and ICTES services and products and stressing on the benefits of integrating ICT and ICTES in other sectors.

Cabsat: A platform for innovation

editor — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:19:57 -0800

Cabsat MENA, the digital media event in the region, and third largest on the global calendar remains the biggest regional networking and sourcing platform for one of the world's most lucrative industries. The 18th edition of Cabsat MENA takes place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from 28 February to 1 March 2012.

Investors worldwide are eager to tap into a regional sector in which revenue of the commercial satellite capacity is expected to reach $17.2bn in 2020, up from $10.1bn in 2010, according to a report by NSR, a US-based market research and consulting firm specialising in satellite and wireless technology.

Cabsat 2012 is set to welcome leading companies from around the world including Advanced Media, Al Mazroui, Al Yahsat, Amaranthine, Arabsat, Blusens, EADS Astrium, Canon, Comtech EF Data, Eutelsat, FOR-A, GlobeCast, Glocom, Grass Valley, Gulfsat, Harris, Hitachi, Horizon Satellite Services, IDirect, Intelsat, Mediacast, Nilesat, Noorsat, Nynex, JVC Oasis, Paksat, SES, Skyband, Sky Stream, Sony, Televes, Telespazio, Thomson Broadcast, Turksat, twofour54, UBMS, VSATplus and many more.

Cabsat provides a showcase for 3D Animation, Content Creation, Downlink Facilities, DTH Solutions, HDTV & 3D TV Innovations, HD Receivers, IPTV, Mobile TV, Outdoor Live Coverage, Production Workflow Technology and Software, Satellite Capacity, SNG & Satellite Products, Uplink and VSAT Systems, to name a few.

"The broadcasting and satellite industry is one of the most vibrant in the region today and the creativity and commercial dynamics presented at the show are illustrative of the success of this thriving sector. Cabsat has grown to become the must-attend event the global industry," said Trixee Loh, Senior Vice President Exhibitions, Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of Cabsat.

Running alongside the exhibition, the show features Cabsat Academy, sponsored by twofour54 tadreeb, providing free-to-attend industry-lead sessions including the GVF Satellite Summit - which will focus on key issues affecting both the commercial and technical sides of growth in the Middle East.

The Industry Workshops return this year to the Cabsat Academy with specialist workshops in partnership with the BBC Academy who specialise in providing skills in the ever-changing media. Free Masterclasses conducted by INA, a specialist in digital archiving and digitisation are also available to trade visitors.

Cabsat 2012 will run from 28 February - 1 March 2012 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The exhibition is strictly for trade and business only.