Posts

BNC Publishing to host GM Leaders Conference

/in , /by

Hotel News Middle East, part of BNC Publishing, is set to host the second edition of the GM Leaders Conference on May 16, 2016 at the St. Regis Dubai. The half day conference will be presented by Broadcaster, Presenter and Journalist Stephen Marney and will cover topics as well as developments specific to the hotel industry. Rikan General Trading will be the presenting sponsor for the event, with other sponsors including; Unique Precise International, TSSC, Assa Abloy and Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management.

“In today’s business environment, where we face challenges posed by de-valued currencies, low oil prices and huge levels of supply, it is even more important for the industry to gather and discuss business strategies and best practice,” says Melanie Mingas, Group Editor, BNC Publishing. “We have a line-up of fantastic speakers from across the industry and we are incredibly excited for them to share their insight with our delegates.”

 

Shortlist for Young PR Lions MENA announced

/in , /by

PRCA MENA has released the shortlist for the Young PR Lions MENA competition to find the best young PR professionals in the Middle East and North Africa. Eight teams have been shortlisted to win the accolade this year and one of them will be heading to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to take part in the international competition on June 19, 2016. The shortlisted teams of two PR agency professionals aged 30 or under are from; Memac Ogilvy, MCS Action, Edelman, Grayling META, Golin MENA, H&K Strategies, Memac Ogilvy and Weber Shandwick.

On May 17, the shortlisted teams will be asked to deliver a five minute presentation explaining their PR campaign at Motivate, located in Media One, Dubai and the winning MENA team will be announced on May 19.

 

Buzzeff reveals new rebrand

/in , /by
Digital communications solutions and video advertising company Buzzeff Middle East Africa (MEA) has launched a new corporate identity as part of its 2019 growth plan. Buzzeff.com will now be rebranded as Buzzeff.tv, with the new brand representing Buzzeff’s video advertising tools and enhanced inventory offering more options to advertising agencies and companies with the aim to ensure that adverts are viewed by the right people on the right platform.
“The rebrand has been on the cards for a while now and when we realised our inventory now reaches 50 million unique visitors, we thought it was the perfect time to launch Buzzeff.tv,” says Jerome Mouthon, Founder and Chairman, Buzzeff MEA. “The colours in our new logo communicate our values; red signifies action, blue is rational and green is communication. The circle gathers and consolidates our solid business values. Brands are no longer interested in investing in cheap view-ability in content-generatred mass-environments. Advertisers are looking at premium targeting and a quality environment that fits their brands’ values for scalable audiences and we have exactly what they need.”

Havas Worldwide Middle East appoints new General Manager

/in , /by

Havas Worldwide Middle East has promoted Bronson Smithson to the role of General Manager of its UAE operation, following the departure of Piero Poli. Previously Global Planning Director, Bronson brings over 16 years of experience with strategic brand development across five continents to his new role. As General Manager, he will work to further establish Havas Worldwide Middle East as a creative business partnership agency and build on the Havas global network to consolidate the newly integrated Havas village concept.

“I would like to congratulate Bronson on his new role,” says Rachid Mtaini, Middle East Regional Managing Director, Havas. “He is an experienced leader who knows our business extremely well. Bronson and his team will work alongside myself to foster the integration. I would also like to thank Piero Poli for his hard work over the past year and wish him all the best in his new endeavors.”

Bronson adds “I am thrilled to have this new opportunity and challenge. There has never been a better time to set our agency up for the future. We need to understand the importance of creativity for business as opposed to chasing awards or answering the next media and creative brief. Creativity should be at the core of our client’s business.”

Hill+Knowlton appoints new General Manager for Saudi Arabia

/in , /by

Global communications firm Hill+Knowlton Strategies has welcomed Matthew Dessani to the role of General Manager for Saudi Arabia. Matthew brings over two decades of multinational brand agency management experience to his new role, having previously lived and worked in the UK, Romania, Kuwait and Dubai. He will now be responsible for leading the firm’s Saudi team, under the chairmanship of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz Turki Alfaisal, focusing on strategy development, creativity and client service.

“Two decades of global marketing experience and international brand building provide Matthew with a fundamental understanding of how to frame an issue, define and target audiences and how to develop and deliver compelling campaigns across multiple platforms,” says Sconaid McGeachin, President and CEO, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Africa, Middle East and Turkey.

Matthew adds “There is probably no greater or more exciting challenge globally for a communications professional than that presented by Saudi Arabia right now. The Kingdom is on the cusp of a remarkable economic transformation, while its position at the centre of global geo-politics and its size as the preeminent economy of the Middle East makes this a compelling opportunity.”

Nervora moves offices to d3

/in , /by
Nervora, the media company behind Style.com/Arabia and POPSUGAR Middle East, has moved offices from Dubai Media City to Dubai Design District. The agency has a portfolio of web properties that span genres of luxury, lifestyle, travel and technology and works with publishers as well as advertisers to deploy media over a number of these sites.
“We’re bullish on the future of media and design here in Dubai and the MENA region at large.” says Shashi Menon, CEO, Nervora. “d3 has assembled a collection of like-minded organisations and individuals, and is also a strategic supporter of ground-breaking initiatives like our flagship Fashion Prize. We’re excited to see what’s to come of this growing community.”

IJNet Arab launches third mentoring center

/in , /by

International Journalists’ Network’s Arabic channel – IJNet Arab – will launch its third mentoring programme for individuals and organisations with digital startups in the Middle East and North Africa. The programme will equip eight mentees with the business, technical, managerial, digital and mobile media skills and strategies needed to help their existing media startups to thrive. Applicants for the programme must have already launched their startup, that targets Arabic-speaking audiences, in order to qualify and 16 semi-finalists will be selected to compete for the eight places available. At the end of the programme, IJNet will award US$5,000 in seed funding to the most promising of the eight projects.

Bloomberg expands into Middle East

/in , /by

Bloomberg is set to expand its media offering in the Middle East with a suite of new, regionally-focused editorial platforms to serve its audience of business and financial consumers based, or interested in, the region. The expansion will combine the resources of Bloomberg’s 80-strong Middle East editorial team, as well as new senior talent, with local expertise, giving business and financial professionals better access to the region’s newsmakers and market-moving news via a variety of new platforms including; a dedicated digital destination, original television programming, a new television studio and major new conference convening the Middle East’s most influential leaders in business and finance.

The expanded media offering in the Middle East includes a dedicated Middle Eastern edition of flagship online destination, www.bloomberg.com. www.bloomberg.com/MiddleEast will dedicate expertise to globally significant themes, appealing particularly to readers across the Middle East.

“Bloomberg’s latest regional editorial products build on more than 20 years of newsgathering across the Arab world to introduce new platforms for storytelling on the companies, markets, economies and politics shaping the Middle East,” says Riad Hamade, Managing Editor, Middle East and North Africa, Bloomberg. “Adding new media platforms will allow us to deliver more relevant stories to our growing audience of business and financial professionals across the region.”

YouNow launches in the Middle East

/in , /by

Live streaming platform YouNow has officially launched in the Middle East. The website and mobile app enables real time interaction between broadcasters and fans, while also offering influencers the opportunity for revenue. The platform has over 100 million user sessions per month and 150,000 hours of live video consumed every day, making it a creative hub that facilitates live content creation from performers, celebrities, social influencers and brands, to encourage personal interaction with fans across the globe.

“YouNow is an opportunity for the world to see what the Middle East has to offer,” says Chereen Zaki, Arab Markets Manager, YouNow. “There is so much culture, art and diversity in the region and it will allow individuals to not only display their talents, but connect with fans from all over the world.”

Candace Tossas, Head of International Markets, YouNow, adds “As far as I am aware we are the only social network out there that facilitates consumer-to-consumer payment. This means artists are given a good opportunity to earn a fair wage directly from fans who appreciate their skills. We have had broadcasters give up their everyday jobs to be a full-time YouNower because they are earning enough money to support themselves.”

Twitter and Sky News Arabia sign understanding

/in , /by

Twitter and Sky News Arabia have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch an interactive panel discussion on the social media platform – Twitter’s first partnership with an Arab media organisation. A panel discussion program featuring some of the top influencers on Twitter from different fields and industries will hold monthly discussions, each dedicated to certain regionally or globally trending issues, with each discussion running between 60 and 90 minutes. Participants will Tweet their input in forms of text or video, while a Sky News Arabia representative will moderate the whole discussion in accordance with a set of rules. Followers will then be invited to Tweet their opinions and questions using the program hashtag announced ahead of each session.

“In partnership with Twitter, I am happy to announce the launch of the Niqash Tag program in a bid to cope with the rapid advancements of our audience’s interactive communication patterns, while using innovative methods of content development,” says Nart Bouran, Head, Sky News Arabia. “Sky News Arabia is a media organisation that has always adopted a multi-channel content delivery workflow, whereby we broadcast live stories across all platforms simultaneously, and interact with the audience all along.”

Kinda Ibrahim, Director of Media Partnerships, Middle East and North Africa, Twitter, adds “Our partnership with Sky News Arabia represents a pioneering initiative to engage our users on important topics currently being discussed across the region. Twitter’s increasing popularity has given users a powerful medium through which they can express themselves. Our aim with the Niqash Tag program is to promote dialogue between users and raise awareness of the Twitter tool as a communication platform between individuals, companies and a variety of other users.”