Winners announced for Arab Woman Awards KSA

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The Arab Woman Awards KSA 2014 winners were honoured at a red carpet gala reception held at the Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh. The awards ceremony was attended by over 300 women from the Kingdom. This ceremony marks the first ever Arab Woman Awards to be held in KSA, however the awards have been held in three other GCC countries in the past five years including; the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. The awards taking place in Saudi Arabia this year, aim to provide a culturally acceptable platform to recognise sixteen inspirational winners from diverse industries including Business, Education, Literature, Entrepreneurship, Humanitarian, Art and Fashion.

“Since launching in the UAE in 2009, the Arab Woman Awards have recognised some of the region’s most outstanding women and provided a platform for further achievements,” says HRH Princess Reema Bandar Al Saud, patron of the Arab Woman Awards KSA 2014. “Accordingly, it was an honour to be asked to be the patron of the inaugural Arab Woman Awards in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am pleased to see these awards highlighting the endeavors of many hardworking Saudi women in their various fields, and also providing inspiration for the next generation of young Saudi women.’’

Established in 2009 by ITP Consumer, the Arab Woman Awards are now held annually in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait now Saudi Arabia.

MediaCom appoints new Bid Media Manager

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MediaCom MENA has appointed Clare Thornton as its new Regional Bid Media Manager to head up its search and bid media product. Clare joins MediaCom MENA from MEC London, where she played a pivotal role as a lead on accounts such as Johnson & Johnson and Lloyds Banking Group and was responsible for several award-winning projects including the Lloyds Torchview campaign.

“It’s a very exciting time to be joining MediaCom MENA,” says Clare. “The digital side of the agency is growing at an incredible pace and I’m looking forward to being part of the successful future of the agency.”

Dan Chapman, Regional Head of Digital adds: “It took a while for us to find Clare, acquiring the right talent and charisma in the office is sometimes very hard and with Clare we have struck gold. Clare has joined us to head up our search and bid media product and comes with a wealth of experience ranging from the banking sector through to FMCGs across multiple markets in Europe, providing a full spectrum of knowledge and insight across the search landscape and how to implement across multiple markets”

INTERGALACTIC$ exhibition

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Team TMN caught up with Dubai-based artist, Jim Wheat, to find out what’s in store for his upcoming INTERGALACTIC$ exhibition, that launches at Media One Hotel on March 2, 2014… 

Last year’s exhibition caused quite a stir by addressing day-to-day experiences in Dubai, as well as questioning what money means to people. Can we expect something similar with INTERGALACTIC$?
INTERGALACTIC$ is more of a celebration of the UAE’s achievements, such as the Khalifa Sat project to send a rocket into space in 2017. One piece that is an example of these achievements, celebrates the Dubai 2020 Expo bid alongside a retro 2000 A.D. annual, 20 pence pieces from the U.K, and an original 1980 VIC 20 computer.

Can you give us a hint of what will be included in the new collection?
The collection largely includes science fiction and technology, and how they have all been affected and challenged by commercialisation. I aim to reveal elements of my personal journey from a world where little was known of technology or space travel, to today, where technology has made the dreams of yesteryear a reality.

The influence of the dollar remains prevalent after the success of your last exhibition ‘The Money Collection’ in 2013 – what was the inspiration for your new collection?
The inspiration for my new collection came from an exploration into the influences I had growing up, from Star Wars and Star Trek, to my first gaming experience on the Atari 2600 and owning my first computer – a ZX spectrum, 48 k no less. I hope it speaks to a lot of people about the ‘throw-away’ society we live in, but will also bring some nostalgic memories whilst showcasing the latest technology.

What crowd are you expecting to attract?
From tech enthusiasts to nostalgic expatriates, those who work in and around Media City to tourists passing through Dubai, as well as families at weekends, everyone is welcome.

What do you hope that people will take away from the exhibition?
Putting together collectable items from the 1970s and 80s really hit home to me about how times and technology have changed – what astounded us a decade or two ago is taken for granted now. Art is all about getting a reaction, and hopefully inspiring others to follow their passion.

Apart from viewing the collection, what else can we expect from the INTERGALACTIC$ exhibition this year?
For one thing, there is a chance of winning up to $64,000 of art in prizes. Hand-embellished unique variations of the 28 original art works on display are up for grabs, including the masterpiece of the original ‘UAE $pace Raiders’ (valued at US $20,000), featuring Alienware gaming software (valued at US $8,000) which someone will win for $1!

Augmented reality will also feature strongly to add an interactive digital element to the exhibition and form part of the competition linking each piece with a clue. A sensory Oud-based experience by Dollarsandart partners, Fragrance Du Bois, will also feature – another first for an art exhibition in the region.

This is the second time you have exhibited at Dubai Media City’s Media One Hotel. How did this partnership develop?
It was down to a chance meeting at a Facebook social media course at International House, Dubai. I was introduced to Sally Meech, Director of Marketing and Communication at Media One Hotel, and two days later we had a coffee in Café M; four weeks later we opened The Dubai Dollar Project 2013.

With every piece of Dollarsandart sold, a donation is made to Joining Jack, a charity working to find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Do you feel this shows how art should go beyond unappreciated consumption?
Yes I think it definitely helps, and supporting GCC charities such as Gulf4Good enables me to give back to Dubai. This charity aspect gives Dollarsandart more of a purpose and makes it all the more rewarding when works are sold at auction.

Do you have any tips for aspiring local artists?
To enjoy the artistic process, and express yourself with your heart without worrying about what others might think. Believe in your own ability and accept that every day is a learning opportunity from which to grow. Working with traditional local media and embracing social media are powerful forms of validation in the early days, both of which I’m grateful for.

Do you have any plans to expand within the Middle East in the future?
Yes, I’m very open to holding a Dollarsandart exhibition elsewhere. I’m in the process of learning more about the various sands in the region (no two grains are alike!

Are you working on anything else at the moment?
As well as creating new art pieces for private commissions and special occasions, I’ve been working on a number of collaborations for individuals and venues in Dubai and the UK. I am even creating a unique piece in collaboration with former WBO Heavyweight Boxing Champion, David Haye, to mark the opening of the sports star’s new gym in Downtown Dubai. I’m also planning The Dubai Dollar Project 2015 – $UPERHEROE$, which I’m looking forward to.

 

For further information, visit http://www.dollarsandart.com/

Somayya Jabarti new Editor-In-Chief of Saudi Gazette

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Somayya Jabarti has been promoted to Editor-In-Chief of the Saudi Gazette, becoming the first female journalist to be appointed Editor-In-Chief of a national newspaper in Saudi Arabia. Somayya previously held the position of Deputy Editor-In-Chief of the newspaper, and takes over the position after more than thirteen years in the industry.

“While there already are Saudi women who are Editor-In-Chiefs of magazines, such as Halah Al-Nassir of Rotana Magazine and Enas Hashani of Jeddah Destination, this is a first time appointment of a Saudi woman as Editor-In-Chief of a daily Saudi newspaper,” says Somayya. “It is important that my appointment not be treated as singular or exceptional but as a starting point for the advancement of all fellow Saudi women in the media industry in the Kingdom.”

Catherine Watson joins Harvey Nichols PR team

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Catherine Watson has joined the Harvey Nichols Dubai team as PR manager. Catherine, who previously worked as Communications Manager for Havas PR, joins as part of Al Tayer Insignia, the largest luxury retailer in the Middle East.
“I’m delighted to have joined the team at Al Tayer and Harvey Nichols Dubai and am looking forward to getting settled into my new role,” says Catherine. “2014 looks set to be a great year for the brand with some really exciting things on the agenda!”

Give me quality over quantity

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Companies are increasingly using social media as a measurement of their success, determined by their number of ‘fans’. But should businesses succumb to peer pressure by purchasing followers and fans? Rhiannon Downie offers her thoughts… 

When you see your competition sailing ahead of you with ‘likes’ in the hundreds of thousands, it’s easy to panic and take up these shifty offers

On a weekly basis, my email inbox is subjected to desperate pleas from so called ‘social media’ experts claiming they can help me gain 10,000+ new Facebook ‘likes’ (fans) on my business fan page. As someone who is pretty online savvy myself, and often consults for and advises my advertisers on how to utilise social media in the most effective way, I am not duped by this, but many SME’s and larger corporations are.

When you see your competition sailing ahead of you with likes in the hundreds of thousands, and there you are, plodding along with a few hundred, it’s easy to panic and take up these shifty offers. I’ll admit, even I was tempted at the start; however, I believe doing this would be detrimental to your business.

What is important is that your fans, likers, followers – whatever terminology one wishes to use – are genuine. Genuine fans will interact with your brand and/or service directly on your social media pages and will become your company’s natural brand ambassadors. What does matter is interaction. There is absolutely no use in having 20,000 Facebook fans, if 19,000 of those fans are fake and not interacting with your updates; for many, it’s blindingly obvious that the ‘likes’ on your page have been purchased.

According to Cyber PR, the ratio of engaged followers to overall followers really does matter: “If you have a Facebook page with 100,000 ‘likes’ but 2 people talking about the page, Facebook will still look at this page as small in terms of influence and will likely weigh it very poorly in their EdgeRank algorithm, making it far less likely that your page will ever be seen by fans in their News Feed”.

In the space of one year, I have gained over 11,000 genuine likes on my business Facebook page, and my business is extremely niche. How? By simply uploading interesting and informative content, by marketing my Facebook page on my own website, signature, business card, creating exciting competitions, posting informative content, spending a little of my marketing budget on Facebook advertising and so on.

I do believe however, that the key to gaining more genuine likes on your business Facebook page is to put energy into posting something interesting, instead of relying on some dodgy company claiming that the 10,000 fans they are about to sell you are ‘real’. You may need to pay Facebook now and again to boost your postings, as these days less and less people are likely to see them, but it’s better than having lots of fans and zero interaction.

In short, fake Facebook likes will deliver no real value to your business and serve only as vanity figures. It’s quality over quantity for me, always.

 

Rhiannon Downie is the Founding Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of BrideClubME.com. Follow her on Twitter @brideclubme

Art Editor, Mark Setchfield

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Name: Mark Setchfield
Age: Stage age 34, real age 43
From: London
Job Title: Art editor, Friday magazine

When did you arrive in the UAE?
I moved to Dubai from London on December 18,2013, so still pretty new to the city. I landed, got to my hotel in the early hours, and started work the same day.

Where did you work prior?
I was freelance for the year prior to my move. I’ve worked at various titles including Grazia UK and I worked at Heat over the summer covering for the Art Director and working on the redesign. I’ve also worked at the Daily Mail as well as working on the ipad edition, creating the digital versions of the paper and supplements. I have designed websites for clients including my own food site, gasmarksix.net.

What were your first impressions of the media industry in the Middle East?
My first impression was the lack of digital media. All the major UK publishers have invested heavily in non-print media, and for the last three months I was in London I didn’t work on print at all, just online and digital. So I think the UAE’s media companies have some catching up to do, but it’s a very exciting time and I think the region has a lot of potential.

Tell us about your new role…
My new role at Friday is working with a fairly small team, art directing and designing the magazine. I’m happily working with my previous Editor Karen Pasquali Jones, who I launched love it! magazine with in the UK. Karen brought me over to revamp Friday and we have made some initial changes, but are planning for a huge revamp and re-launch this spring, so watch this space!

How do you plan to make your mark?
I think I can definitely make a mark with a fresh new design and stronger, slicker photography. By introducing better working practices and showcasing the skills I’ve acquired from working in the UK industry for over twenty years, I think this will help to keep the magazine top of the market.

What do you think of the quality of media publications in the region?
I think overall the titles in the UAE are of a great quality. I know the region has a very diverse culture and circulation can be limited, but I am looking forward to seeing more international brands launching.

How has magazine design changed over recent years?
Magazine design has changed dramatically, certainly in the last three or four years. The advance in technology means that a lot of work that was previously outsourced is now part of the page production process, and with new technology it’s easy to do cut-outs, colour correction and retouching as a page is designed. A lot of companies in the UK have switched over to sharing publishing systems, which makes the repro side of the job redundant.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
It’s never the same. I love being able to be creative working on a serious reportage feature one minute, to art directing shots with babies, to setting up still life shoots!

Describe yourself in five words…
Cook, geek (well a little bit), smiler, sun lover, great dancer.

What’s your most overused saying?
‘I’ve forgotten more than you know!’

Five things you can’t live without?
Shoes, trainers, gym, iPad, my family.

If you weren’t an Art Editor, what would you be?
A cake chef!