UAE Arab Woman Awards nominations now open

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The Arab Woman Awards UAE is now accepting nominations for its 2016 awards, which will take place in late November, in Dubai. People can nominate themselves, friends or family members by completing the form on the Arab Woman Awards website, www.arabwomanawards.com/nominate. Nominees should be female, of Arab descent, have achieved something significant in their field over the past 12 months and be positive role models – each award will then have its own specific criteria, which can be obtained by emailing arabwomanawards@itp.com. Nominees will be included in a presentation to the Awards’ board of judges, lead by HE Ameera bin Karam, Chairperson on Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC) and the closing date for nominations via the website is Friday, 30th September.

“There are three different ways people can be nominated – these are from our own research, from one of the members of the judging board or they can be nominated via our website by themselves or others,” says Sue Holt, Founder, Arab Woman Awards and Executive Director, ITP Consumer. “We introduced this latter method in 2013 and have seen a large number of our ultimate winners come via this route. At first women were quite reluctant to put themselves or others forward however in the past two years we’ve seen a steep increase. Personally, I think it is wonderful that we are reaching a stage where, as a woman, it is acceptable to say that you believe you deserve an award for all your hard work. It also heartens me that family members and friends are being so supportive.”

APO launches MENA Wire

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APO, the press release wire for Africa and media relations relating to Africa, has launched MENA Wire, a press release distribution and monitoring service dedicated to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The new service aims to be the market leader in press release distribution and monitoring in the region within the next 24 months and has a network that extents to print media, broadcasters, blogs and social media in 18 countries. Content from MENA wire is redistributed by several Middle Eastern and international partners, including; SyniGate, the Middle East North Africa Financial Network, Bloomberg Terminal, Thomson Reuters Terminal, Lexis Nexis and Dow Jones Factiva.

“The unprecedented success of Africa Wire, APO’s press release distribution service in Africa, has catalysed an increase in client demand for a Middle East service with the same quality and return on investment,” says Nicolas Pompigne-Mognar, Founder and CEO, APO. “At APO we listen to our clients and mould our service according to their needs. If our clients are happy, we are happier. I’m confident that MENA Wire will become the market leader within the next 24 months.”

Insignia launches Traverger

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Insignia Worldwide Group has launched Traverger, a digital brand engagement agency dedicated to the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. The agency aims to propel travel and destination brands to the forefront of online conversations through equipping clients to engage with increasingly elusive guests and time-poor travellers.

“Travel and hospitality brands have complex and unique marketing needs that are different from traditional FMCG products,” days Gaurav Sinha, Founder and CEO, Insignia Worldwide Group. “Online visibility and engagement is at the heart of driving innovation in brand communication and marketing Our expertise in strategic planning and understanding of key feeder market dynamics is complimented by our insights on how potential guests or customers interact with online brand messages.”

Q Communications and PRCA MENA launch Qcademy

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Q Communications, in partnership with PRCA MENA, has launched Qcademy, a training academy that will provide each member of Q Communications‘ 18-strong team with access to PRCA MENA events alongside a rigorous, tailored programme of both internal and external training. PR and Communications professionals will be allocated a training budget as well as a bespoke guide and staff will be able to learn new skills, develop best practice and stay abreast of the latest developments in areas that they already operate in. The CPD-acredited programme includes both face-to-face training in the region as well as webinars and will be overseen from PRCA MENA’s office in Dubai.

“We are delighted to launch Qcademy, the first of its kind in-house training academy in the region,” says Katie Harvey MPRCA, Managing Partner, Q Communications. “In collaboration with PRCA MENA, the Qcademy initiative has been in the works for several months and we have designed a programme tailored for the UAE market and our team. At Q Communications, our team is the most important component of the agency; so developing a training academy is high priority for Elsa and myself.”

Leanne Foy MPRCA, General Manager, PRCA MENA, adds “I am thrilled that Q Communications have put together a comprehensive training plan and are investing in their staff with both internal and external training, developing talented PR and communications professionals.”