More global presence at Dubai Media Show

The fourth Media and Marketing Show in Dubai has gone global, with more than a third of registered companies coming from the international arena.

The event, which will take place later in the year at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, was announced by Mohammed Al Mulla, Executive Director of Dubai Media City (DMC). "Media is the fastest growing industry in the country, especially in Dubai, and the Media and Marketing Show is a reflection of this growth," he said.

"As strategic partners of the show, we are conveying our commitment to the media industry as such and all our business partners in the DMC," said Mulla.

Elaborating on the growth of the annual event, Maysoon A Abulhoul, Managing Director of the organising company, The Domus Group, said: "This year the show is covering six of the 11 main activities of media and we are sure the remaining will join the list soon. So far the participation from international companies amounts to 38.5 per cent and the same percentage of companies from the local industry have registered with us." The remaining participants are regional firms with strong ties in the emirate.

And participation by international companies is expected to rise even further by the time registration closes, said Abulhoul. But she added that numbers do not tell the whole story. "We are looking at quality over quantity. This year, the show will have more to offer to all the participants as we have created communication zones within the exhibition area and every participant can attend all the seminars and conferences that are taking place at the show."

This year's edition will be looking to lure Emirati youth to join the media industry, according to Arab Media Group, the media partners of the show "Our group covers all the major activities of media including print, broadcast [TV and radio], outdoors advertising and event organising, and we are constantly looking for skilled professionals in the field," said Ahmad Al Hammadi, Executive General Manager of AMG. "A show like this is an eye opener for outsiders as much as it's an opportunity for media people to showcase their talent and capabilities. We have been their [MMS] partners in the past and we will continue to support them in future endeavours. We hope this show will also contribute to enhancing the local pool of skilled media people," he said.

Organisers maintained that Dubai is the perfect place to host such an international event. "Diversity of the demographics of Dubai makes it a very fertile place for the growth of media, but we will also seek and support media companies from other emirates," said Abulhoul. "While the objective of the show remains information and education, networking will be high on the agenda of all the participants."

2007 show

The 2007 show attracted about 10,000 visitors from 47 countries over the three days, the majority of whom (60 per cent) were senior management people who were decision makers in the media field.

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