Signé Society

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Team TMN catches up with Roshin Rahman, Editor-in-Chief at luxury publishing house Ad Maiora Media, to find out more about the new Signé Society, launched in partnership with Signé Magazine.

What is the concept behind Signé Society?
Signé society is the brainchild of Signé magazine, created to translate the magazine’s philosophy – Craftsmanship, heritage and a unique experience of the luxury industry – into tangible experiences.

What made you decide to launch Signé Society in Dubai?
This is an interesting story – we used to gather over a cigar/dinner with friends and, sometimes, even a few readers who would like to know more about Signé magazine. These gatherings had been happening for a while before it occurred to us that it would be really great to do similar things on a more organised basis, involving the brands/personalities who were the topics of our discussion. From those gatherings and conversations, Signé society was born. 

What will the society offer in addition to Signé Magazine?
Our objective is to offer members an insight into the world of luxury, by providing in-depth knowledge as part of unique and exclusive experiences for the gentlemen in the region. 

How will you make Signé Society stand apart from similar member organisations?
Unlike many traditional members-only organisations, there is no membership fee – the selection of members is based purely on their level of knowledge of the luxury industry and passion for the finer things in life. This means that we are all likeminded. The launch event was a success because of this, with members from different backgrounds meeting for the first time and getting along well together.

Upon joining Signé society, members are provided with slippers bearing a Signé society monogram and these must be worn to all events. We believe this to be a very stylish and elegant way of showing unity within the organisation.

How will Signé Society events be organised?
Signé society events will be highly exclusive, comprising of a maximum of 20 selected members. The criteria for the members who will attend these events will be their areas of interest – some men may like events involving watches and fashion, for example, whereas others may prefer those with a focus on art.

Will the events be covered in Signé Magazine/online?
Yes, of course. The events will be covered both in print and online, as part of Signé magazine. Our launch event has been published in the magazine’s June edition alongside a beautiful video, to give viewers a better insight into the atmosphere at our society events.

How can PRs get involved with these events?
PRs will be welcome to get involved with the brands they represent and discuss potential involvement of their clients, so long as said brands are in line with Signé Society’s values.

Are there any advertising/promotional opportunities?
Yes, we are open to these kinds of discussions, as long as they add value to our members’ experiences and make them even more unique and personal. 

Are there any future plans for Signé Society?
I believe the future will tell us. At the moment, we are concentrating on organising exclusive and one-of-a-kind events for our members and bringing Signé magazine’s philosophy alive through these.

Are there any further brand extension plans for Signé Magazine?
We have a few in the pipeline and will definitely discuss in the near future!

Senior Editor at Swiss Media Group, Hayley Skirka

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Name: Hayley Skirka            

Age: 32 

From: Scotland

Current Job Title: Senior Editor at Swiss Media Group

When did you first arrive in Dubai? August 2007

Where did you work prior? I pretty much came to the UAE straight from university, initially working as an English teacher in Al Ain and doing some travelling before moving to Dubai a year later. I went back to Al Ain to work with The Source and Oasis Living Magazine before returning to Dubai for a few crazy years at Time Out. 

What were your first impressions of the media industry in the Middle East?
It was definitely still in the growing stage. 

Has your opinion changed much?
It’s a lot more established and there is such a range of diverse media available now. That said, it is still relatively small compared to other regions and has a lot of potential. I think one of the best things about the UAE media industry is that it’s a great hub for change, development, new titles, fresh ideas and that things can change very fast compared to more established media sectors in the world.

Tell us about your role as Senior Editor…
As Senior Editor I’m spearheading the editorial side of our publications (Equestrio, SWR and Prestige) to make sure we deliver up-to-date, fresh, original, exciting and relevant content.

What challenges do you face?
Having not spent much time around horses since I was a kid, it’s a steep learning curve to get me up to speed on the equestrian world! That said, the horse world is so niche here that I’ve constantly got a great group of friendly faces around me, helping me get to grips with it all.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Seeing the printed magazines with no errors! And securing Eddie Redmayne as our SWR cover star just a few weeks before he clinched his Oscar win was also pretty sweet.

What do you think of the quality of media publications in the region?
It varies hugely – some titles have super high standards while others definitely need major tweaking, though that’s often due to a skeleton staff base.

How do you find PRs in the region?
As a whole, they are friendly and informative although there are a few you have to chase down for information – something that would never happen in the UK. I prefer it when I get the chance to get to know a PR personally – both parties definitely benefit from investing this time.

What’s your pet PR peeve?
Follow up calls to see if I’ll be attending an event, just a few minutes after sending the initial email. There’s no need to call at all – if it’s relevant and someone from the team can make it then we’ll definitely let you know we are coming.

What advice can you offer PRs seeking coverage in your magazine?
Even though things are crazy busy in the PR world, it helps if you can find a bit of time to research the title. What’s the name of that fable, The Boy Cried Wolf? If you send over 20 or 30 entirely non-relevant emails, I’ll eventually get bored opening them and may end up missing something that we could have actually worked on together.

Work calls via landline, mobile or both?
Landline, unless it’s an emergency, although email trumps both.

Describe yourself in five words…
Friendly, driven, adventurous, optimistic and peace-loving.

Five things you can’t live without?
Family, close friends (they become your family when you’ve been an expat for so long), yoga, NKD Pizza (now Freedom Pizza) and coffee – lots of coffee! 

If you weren’t a journalist, what would you be?
I studied interior design before doing my degree in journalism so most likely that. I do love interiors – which comes in handy working on Prestige magazine – but I wasn’t very good at planning for the long project deadlines, I definitely work better under imminent pressure.

ExtraCake and Katch collaborate for Games 15

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ExtraCake, organisers of the Middle East Film and Comic Con and Games 15 have announced a strategic partnership with Katch International to help promote the 2015 edition of the marquee gaming event in a bid to maximise reach to fans and exhibitors alike.

While the event will again focus on early access to the latest games and demos from publishers like Sony PlayStation, XBOX and many leading games publishers, GAMES 15 will also incorporate many innovative and unique elements with the inclusion of eSports with ESL, Video Games Live, mobile gaming, table top gaming, workshops, merchandising, celebrity guests and much more making it an event that transcends boundaries.

“The scope we have for Games going forward is much broader than ever before.,” says Arafaat Ali Khan, Director of Public Relations at ExtraCake. “Like the Middle East Film and Comic Con before it, Games 15 will offer something for everyone and offer one of the most entertaining weekends out for families and hardcore gamers alike. To ensure that we reach every demographic and every communication channel, we felt that increasing our resources was a must and tying up with another strong agency like Katch seemed to be the obvious way forward.”

While the Games 15 event will be managed, organised and communicated by ExtraCake, Katch will add an extra layer of support.

MediaMost launches three-language news portal

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MediaMost Publishing launches www.aviamost.ae, the UAE’s first three-language (English/Russian/Chinese) news portal to mark the 20th anniversary of Aviamost Magazine. Aviamost is a niche publication in both Russian and Chinese providing the latest news about business opportunities, hospitality, tourism, shopping and lifestyle as well as in-depth articles on fashion, jewellery and watches.

The news portal will be a link to the tourist and business establishments in the Middle East, offering access to several important services and exciting features including: daily updated UAE news, diplomatic talk, economy and business reports, tourism articles, hotel news, spa special, red carpet coverage from around the world, celebrity interviews, and details on the latest beauty, fashion trends, runway reviews, jewellery and watch collections, shopping, fine dining, bars and lounges, launches and airline news. It is internally managed by the MediaMost English, Russian and Chinese editors.

“We are extremely pleased to launch this exciting news portal, in correlation with the title’s 20th anniversary,” says Fady Bostany, Executive Director, MediaMost Publishing. “We believe this site will offer a new type of connection for residents and tourists alike, especially with the ability to reach the Russian and Chinese audiences in their first language.”

David Brady joins DABO & CO

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DABO & CO has appointed David Brady as Group Account Director. Having previously worked at London-based strategic marketing and communications consultancy, freuds, David brings a wealth of knowledge and will be working with clients that include Nike, Yas Waterworld, d3, Miral and WWE.

In his new role, David will apply the experience he’s acquired from 14 years of planning and implementing integrated consumer brand campaigns in the UK, across DABO’s diverse client list.

“I wanted to join an agency that could offer its clients a truly integrated approach to PR and DABO & CO is the clear choice for me in this region,” says David. “The acquisition by Edelman can only strengthen its position, making this a very exciting time to start working alongside some of the most creative and strategic talent in our industry.”

SMG MENA appoints Mohit Lodha

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Mohit Lodha has been appointed as Regional Director of Human Experience at Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) MENA. Having been with SMG MENA for seven years, Mohit joined as Media Manager and in his most recent position as Human Experience Strategist at MediaVest MENA contributed in evolving the agency’s media thinking and delivering effective and award-winning campaigns, locally and internationally.

In his new role, Mohit will work alongside the agency network’s teams on Content@Scale – SMG’s proprietary real-time content marketing platform, and will drive effective and forward thinking work across client verticals to build on consumer connections. He has also been assigned to represent the MENA region in SMG’s Global Product Committee (GPC), where he will lead on raising the output and quality of the agency’s regional product.

Promotion at House of Enspa

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House of Enspa, a Dubai-based grooming company, has promoted Bianca Ellis to Assistant PR and Marketing Manager across two of the collection’s premium home grown beauty concepts, The Nail Spa and Marquee.

Bianca has been with the company since the launch of the Marquee brand in November 2013, when she was hired as PR & Marketing Executive to assist with the launch. In her new role, Bianca will continue to work across various marketing activities but with a focus on driving PR & events as well as the implementation of social and digital strategy across both brands.

“Digital has become such an important part of our daily lives and I am extremely excited about strengthening our online and digital strategy to enhance and support our overall marketing efforts,” says Bianca. “It’s a really exciting time to be a part of the The Nail Spa and Marquee team, with new location developments and new launches, our focus on online and PR will be extremely important to the growth of both businesses.”

For further information, contact Bianca at bianca@houseofenspa.com / +971 (0)4 323 2288