House of Comms welcomes Rana Malek

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Rana Malek has joined UAE-based integrated communications agency House of Comms as Senior Arabic Consultant. Having worked across the GCC for over 10 years with PR and digital agencies, Rana most recently worked at Viola Communications as PR Account Manager. In her new role, she will be responsible for overseeing the Arabic capabilities of House of Comms across the Middle East.

“House of Comms has a reputation in the marketplace for delivering real results and for driving strategic creativity, which is something I really wanted to be a part of,” says Rana. “By adding strength to the agency’s existing Arabic capabilities, I’m looking forward to continuing to enhance our client offering and broadening the agency’s reach and network.”

Q Communications begins expansion programme

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Dubai-based communications consultancy Q Communications has begun a new operation in Abu Dhabi – the first step in its expansion programme across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). With a portfolio of current clients including Jumeirah Restaurant Group, Al Gurg Group, and the Accor Group, Q Communications will be building on its reputation upon the launch of its Abu Dhabi office, known as Q Communications ME. The office is planned to open on October 1, 2015 within the twofour54 hub, and will provide fully integrated public relations, social media, digital and event services.

“Abu Dhabi and Dubai are both cities of innovation and vision, among the most forward-thinking in the world,” says Elsa Roodt, Director and Co-founder, Q Communications. “For us there was no question our second office should be in Abu Dhabi. The hospitality sector is expanding and thriving and this provides and excellent opportunity for Q Communications ME with our unrivalled experience within this sector.”

Katie Harvey, Director and Co-founder, Q Communications, adds “We’ve been working behind the scenes over the last few months building a strong team to run Q Communications ME in Abu Dhabi. We have great talent joining the team, they will bring global knowledge, experience of working with some of the world’s most well-known brands and talent, as well as a wealth of cutting edge techniques to the consultancy. We’re really excited to announce the team over the next couple of weeks, so watch this space.”

Meltwater to host live webinar with IKEA

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Global media monitoring and analysis platform Meltwater is set to host a free webinar with Usama Qasem, Regional Digital Marketing Manager, IKEA UAE, Egypt, Qatar and Oman, on the subject: The Three M’s of Social Media Success – Manage, Measure & Maintain. The webinar will be hosted tomorrow – Wednesday, September 2, 2015 – at 12pm UAE time and will feature tips on maintaining an effective social media strategy and maintaining a stream of successful content.

To register for the webinar, go to http://goo.gl/IrLTiV

WatchTime Middle East launches app edition

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Watch and horology magazine WatchTime Middle East has launched the first fully interactive digital app edition of the title, available exclusively for iPad in the Apple App Store. The app edition, which launches with the latest issue of GN Publishing’s quarterly magazine, is available to download across the GCC. It will include the same content as the print edition, as well as app-only content such as videos featuring regional collectors and industry experts. Future issues of the app edition will publish simultaneously to the print edition and are priced at AED29.99 for a single issue, or AED69.99 for an annual subscription.

“It was important that the reader has a completely new experience on the iPad with interactive content and exclusive videos; I’m happy to say that we’ve managed to do that on our digital app edition of the magazine,” says Nitin Nair, Editor, WatchTime Middle East. “It’s an exciting new format for us and initial feedback from readers and the industry has exceeded our expectations.”

James Hewes, Publishing Director, GN Publishing, adds “I’m delighted that WatchTime Middle East has extended its reach with the new fully interactive digital app edition. It is our first move into fully interactive, paid-for apps as readers look for more than just digital page-turner replicas of their favourite magazines. The interactive format of the app also gives us the ability to offer clients an exciting new platform to reach engaged watch enthusiasts in the GCC.”

Bahrain to host Arab Aviation and Media Summit

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The 2015 Arab Aviation and Media Summit (AAMS) will be held in Bahrain. The event will take place on December 7, 2015 and December 8, 2015 in the Kingdom of Bahrain’s capital, Manama. AAMS is an industry initiative committed to improving the state of Arab aviation and tourism, embraced by many organisations such as Airbus Middle East, Air Arabia Group and CNBC. This year it will be held in partnership with the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications and Bahrain Airport Company.

“We are delighted that Bahrain has been chosen to host the fifth annual Arab Aviation and Media Summit which holds great significance to us on both aviation and tourism scales,” says Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah, CEO, Bahrain Airport Company. “This step reflects Bahrain’s legacy and status as a leader in Aviation and Tourism and will showcase the Kingdom’s experience in developing its travel and tourism sector.”

Active PR promotes Mara Carpencu

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After two years of working as Communications Consultant for Active PR, Mara Carpencu has been promoted to the role of Senior Communications Consultant. In her new role, Mara will continue to support her team and clients, but will additionally drive the company’s B2B and B2C communications campaigns.

“Active PR has been an exciting and rewarding experience so far and I am very grateful for the dedicated and passionate team I work with,” says Mara. “I look forward to growing with the agency and contributing to its success.”

DPQ Communications rebrands

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Dubai-based integrated PR and digital communications consultancy, DPQ Communications has rebranded as Q Communications. The consultancy has expanded since launching in Dubai in 2010 and now employs a 20-strong team, with the new brand identity building on this growth. Q Communications will continue to offer fully integrated public relations, social media, digital and event services to its clients, including Lush, the Accor Group and Tweezerman.

“The rebrand is a natural evolution of the brand,” says Katie Harvey, Director and Co-founder, Q Communications. “We originally launched DPQ following the launch of our sister company DubaiPartyQueen. The business and the client portfolio has grown and changed over the past five years, and it was time for the name to reflect this. No longer are we a Dubai centric agency, instead we work across the region in a number of industries including education, oil and gas, retail and hospitality.”