Patronage confirmed for Arab Woman Awards UAE

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His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, has confirmed his patronage and attendance at the Arab Woman Awards UAE 2014. The awards aim to raise public awareness of significant achievements by Arab women in the region and to provide young women with inspirational role models.

Established in 2009 by ITP Publishing, the Arab Woman Awards has awarded over 220 inspirational women from the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia across a diversity of fields that include business, fashion, entrepreneurship, charity, media, government and literature. The Arab Woman Awards UAE 2014 will be presented on November 25, 2014, at a red carpet gala dinner, and will be attended by His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, over 400 female VIP guests, as well as members of the royal family.

“The Arab Woman Awards play an important role in recognising the contribution of women across all walks of life to this nation,” says Her Excellency Ameera Bin Karam, Chairperson of the Sharjah Businesswoman Council and honorary Chairperson of the Arab Woman Awards UAE Judges Board. “I am pleased to be involved with the Awards, and am impressed with the strength of the nominations we have received this year. It is also an honour to have His Excellency Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan offer his support and patronage to the 2014 Awards.”

Other members for this year’s Judges Board include Dr Manal Taryam, CEO of Health Care Services & Noor Dubai Foundation; Manal Atayal, Director General at Sharjah Museums Department; Nada Al Lawati, Founder of S.E.E.D Group and Board member SBWC; Alia Mazrouei, COO of Mazrouei Holdings and Co-Founder of Just Falafel; Nadine El Chaer, Editor-in-Chief of Ahlan! Arabia and Nadine Y. Maalouf, Owner of the SME Advisory Group.

Sue Holt, Deputy Managing Director of ITP Consumer and Founder of the Arab Woman Awards adds, “We are delighted that the Awards yet again fall under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, and that he will be present at the actual awards ceremony at the end of November. His Excellency has been actively involved in encouraging and supporting women’s education and contribution to the growth of the UAE and so he is an ideal patron for our awards.”

Orient Planet and Irish Academy launch PR venture

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The Irish Academy of Public Relations is partnering with Dubai-based Orient Planet to create the first online PR and communications academy in the Middle East. Orient Planet Academy – www.opacademy.com – will provide the Irish Academy’s courses to students exclusively across the Middle East, Levant and North Africa regions.

Orient Planet Academy will facilitate internationally recognised certificate courses in public relations, journalism, event management and English grammar. Offering a wide degree of flexibility to its prospective students, Orient Planet Academy’s courses can be completed in a time span of 10 to 20 weeks. All courses offered by Orient Planet Academy have been designed by The Irish Academy of Public Relations and will be tutored by communications professionals in the Middle East.

“The Irish Academy has an ever-growing footprint across Europe, the United States, Latin America and Africa,” says Ellen Gunning, Director, The Irish Academy of Public Relations. “Over the years, we have seen the immense potential of the online education market in the Arab world, and we believe now is the ideal time to establish our presence in the rapidly expanding industry. We entered into a joint venture with Orient Planet to mark our expansion in the Middle East and serve a market of more than 314 million people through our comprehensive courses; Orient Planet Academy will be an added value to the growing industry. Initially, the courses will be taught in English, with a view of offering them in Arabic in the coming weeks.

Nidal Abou Zaki, Managing Director of Orient Planet adds, “Although the Arab region’s PR and communications industry has been continuously growing, we realised that there was no online platform in the region that provides professionals and students alike the chance to further develop their skills in PR, communications, marketing and social media. Orient Planet Academy not only aims to provide flexibility but it also offers employed individuals and young students an opportunity to earn an internationally recognised certificate. We have localised all courses to address the cultural requirements of the region, and will offer a modern educational platform for a new generation of communications experts, capable of meeting the needs of Arab and global markets.”

Ibrahim Ahmed joins Edelman

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Ibrahim Ahmed has joined Edelman UAE’s technology division as Account Manager. Having lived and worked in the UAE for five years, Ibrahim brings to his new role a solid understanding of the technology landscape in the region as he joins the Edelman team from DABO & CO, where he worked across a variety of B2B and B2C technology brands.

“I am thrilled to be joining the technology division at Edelman,” says Ibrahim. “My experience in PR so far includes working on tech brands such as Canon, Nokia and Linksys. Having previously worked on other sectors such as interiors, e-commerce, oil & gas and education, I am excited to see what my future holds at Edelman.”

NPI renews strategy focus for 2015

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Following a rebranding campaign in the summer of this year, npimedia (NPI) now plans to focus on the development of its concierge portfolio of magazines as of 2015. NPI currently has the largest single portfolio of audited titles in the UAE, with all five concierge editions – including concierge Arabic, Chinese and Russian – standing alone in the market as the only magazines in these languages with a guaranteed circulation. NPI will be further developing these titles, as well as enhancing its offering with a new and innovative digital platform, launching at the end of the year.

NPI’s strategy for 2015 will be centred around consolidating and developing its existing media brands, having decided to refocus efforts and move away from contract publishing works that are not directly aligned with long-term development objectives. In line with this, NPI has made the decision to cease publishing The Dubai Mall Magazine, produced on behalf of Emaar Malls Group.

“We have had a very successful collaboration with Emaar Malls Group over the last four years to establish a new title in the market that elevates The Dubai Mall brand,” says Rob Nicholas, Managing Director, NPI. “It is both well respected and well supported, and we leave the magazine in a fantastic position for 2015.”

MOJEH magazine to increase publishing frequency

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As of March 2015, MOJEH magazine will extend its publishing frequency to 10 editions throughout the year. Created in 2011, the luxury fashion title has recently progressed from bimonthly to monthly editions, and is soon to launch a standalone editorial platform – MOJEH.com – which will provide the same rich content as its print companion with dynamic exclusives, tailor-made for an online audience.

“We have a constant desire for improvement and a deep commitment to fashion and luxury,” says Mojeh Izadpanah, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, MOJEH. “So, we are delighted to announce that we will be publishing 10 editions of MOJEH per year from March, 2015.”

Laura-Jane Cooper promoted at ITP

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Laura-Jane Cooper has been promoted to Senior Sales Manager at Grazia Middle East. Formerly Sales Manager for the lifestyle publication, Laura-Jane has been with ITP Publishing since 2012, selling advertising, sponsorship, creative solutions, photo shoots and tailored bespoke packages for the fashion and beauty industry across the Grazia portfolio. In her new role, Laura-Jane will report to the Advertising Director and will continue to be responsible for managing an extensive client base, delivering top line revenue growth for Grazia Middle East.

Twitter redesigns Twitter for Business website

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Twitter has relaunched its Twitter for Business website – business.twitter.com – which includes a redesigned look and reorganisation of the platform’s content. In an official blog post, Russ Laraway, Head of Small and Medium Businesses at Twitter, offered a break-down of the redesigned website, which includes content now being split into four sections for easier navigation –

1. Basics: everything you might need to know to get started on Twitter, from terminology to creating an effective content strategy.

2. Solutions: step-by-step guidance on how Twitter Ads can accomplish five business objectives – growing followers, finding leads on Twitter, driving website clicks and conversions, boosting Tweet engagements and driving app installs or engagements.

3. Success stories: read about how businesses are using Twitter Ads to achieve a variety of marketing objectives.

4. Resources: access guides, research, videos and event programming to build your Twitter expertise, all in one place.

“Whether your business is just starting to use Twitter or you’re a seasoned pro, you can find educational resources, research, advertising solutions and real-life examples that are relevant for your business needs,” says Russ Laraway.

Over the coming weeks and months, Twitter aims to continue adding new content and features to the website.

Debonair magazine to launch online platform

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Following a successful launch last month, Debonair magazine has announced plans for the publication’s online platform – www.debonaironline.com –set to go live this coming November. Debonair is a Dubai-based print and online publication dedicated to men’s luxury lifestyle. The monthly publication strives to deliver independent, informative and visually impressive content, with features that celebrate the notion of timeless style rather than fleeting fashions. The new title circulates 16,400 copies across the UAE, offering a focus on arts & culture and showcasing the best in property, precision instruments and travel destinations.

The Debonair platform will include features that have run in the print publication, as well as online-only content, which is designed to create a more interactive experience. The website will feature, video, sound bites and a variety of images to offer a more comprehensive view of the stories and further the print offering. Significantly, the Debonair website will also host an online store for a soon-to-be-launched menswear brand that has been created by the Debonair team.

“Launching Debonair has been like filling a blank canvas with ideas for a new approach to men’s lifestyle journalism,” says Jihane Miller, Editor, Debonair. “We celebrate the enduring appeal of style as opposed to the fleeting nature of trends, and look to bring a more diverse offering in terms of subject ranges and cultural agenda. We’ve set out to produce a magazine that is confident, stylish and charming – the very definition of debonair.”

BPA Middle East releases semi-annual report

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BPA Middle East has released its semi-annual report. Included in this is the release of brand data across the region for the six-month period, which ended June 30, 2014. The brand data reports on figures for newspapers and magazines that have opted to be BPA-audited, and include the headline average qualified circulations and other channels such as web traffic “average unique browser”, social media and apps downloads from the most recent June 2014 – ending brand reports. The figures cover media with operations based in seven Middle Eastern countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar and UAE.

The semi-annual report also shares which communication agencies BPA Middle East has been engaged with throughout 2014, as well as the activities they have been involved with, in a bid to educate the market-place about the importance of a third-party audit. These include Starcom Mediavest, OMD, Mindshare Media, Drive Dentsu, Magna, Carat, Dubai Healthcare City, Four Communication and Mediabourne.

BPA Middle East touches on moving towards greater transparency in its semi-annual report, stating the need for accurate data to allow advertisers and media buyers to make valid decisions based on well-calculated return on investment. Significantly, the report notes how few Arabic publications have taken the opportunity to follow the international best practice of opening their processes to independent audits. Of the 95 media brands in membership at BPA Middle East, only nine (9.5%) are ‘Arabic’ publications.

As of January this year, the BPA Middle East office has 105 members and applicants, broken down into the following representation:

Consumer magazines – 50%
Business publications – 19%
Events and expositions – 15%
Consumer applications – 9%
Newspapers – 7%
Events/expositions confidential – 1%
Newspaper applicants – 1%

To access the complete data, refer to the BPA Worldwide Reports Library at www.bpaww.com.