Ahmad Odeh- Director of Turjuman Media Consultancy

The 2nd annual Arab Forum for Best PR and Corporate Communication Practices, organised by Turjuman Media Consultancy (TMC) in cooperation with PR Academy in London, will kick off on Sunday 29 May 2011 at the InterContinental Festival City in Dubai, UAE.

The three-day forum will be held with the participation of local, regional and international institutions, together with renowned experts in public relations, corporate communication and media. It will host renowned industry experts who will touch on a number of important topics, including best practices in running media campaigns.

Speaking of the upcoming Forum, Director of TMC and public relations expert said, "Although spending on the public relations sector in the region is still modest, the increasing growth rates demonstrate the significant role played by public relations in most economic, government, service and social sectors."

Odeh, who is also Director of the British Royal Institute of Public Relations, underlined the need to keep pace with the latest global trends in the public relations and corporate communications sector by making the best use of experience, and training human resources in this field. He stressed that the training should be in line with both market changes and the plans and policies set in place by companies and governments for the next period.

The Forum will open with a presentation by Mohammed Krishan, news anchorman and TV presenter for Al Jazeera, who will speak about his vast experience in television interviews. This will be followed by a working paper, presented by renowned media expert Dr Abdullah Jawdat, that will cover the latest professional practices in managing media institutions. The day's third session will be a working paper delivered by Reem Obaidat, presenting leading public relations and communication models, touching on UNESCO Chairs, Dubai e-Government and various civil society organisations.

The first day's activities will conclude with a working paper on the role of corporate communication in crisis management, focusing on Emirates Airlines' experience in managing the volcanic ash crisis that hit the aviation industry last year. It will be presented by Dr Khayrat Ayyad, Head of the Public Relations Division at Sharjah University's College of Communication.

Day two will kick off with a discussion of the UAE Corporate Social Responsibility Group model, entitled 'The Social Responsibility Horizon in the Arab Region', which will be presented by Group Head, Adel Al Shamri. The second session will see the presentation of a working paper by Ahmed Odeh himself, dealing with the basics and skills of communication across organisations, including values and beliefs, corporate identity, image, and the concept of reputation from a communication perspective. The third session will focus on horizons of new media and social media in the Arab Region through a working paper on the experience of the Al Jazeera Channel's 'AljazeeraTalk' programme, presented by Ahmed Ashour.

The second day will conclude with a presentation by Oussama Ould Samrah, Director General of Sharjah Media Centre, highlighting the experience of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority and the Sharjah Media Centre in placing the emirate of Sharjah on the world's tourism map, and the role of media and public relations in this regard.

The third and final day of the Forum will begin with a presentation on 'Ghiras', the Kuwaiti national drug prevention campaign, delivered by project director Ahmed Al Shatti. Following this, the fundamentals and skills of media monitoring will be addressed through examining the model used by the Middle East Media Monitoring services in a presentation by Mohammed Ellewah. Next will be a presentation by Khadeeja Al Marzouqi, Director General of Noor Dubai Radio, a local radio station that established an excellent presence in the UAE community within a very short time. The presentation will shed light on Noor Dubai Radio's experience, its effect on UAE society, and its role in correcting concepts and promoting awareness of certain public issues.

The Forum will conclude with the presentation of a working paper discussing the role of cultural values and social beliefs in shaping the image of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The paper will be presented by Dr Ali Al Khushaiban, researcher and expert in Saudi community issues.

More than 12 public relations and corporate communications models will be discussed during the Forum, which will feature a diverse range of topics that will help public relations and communication specialists gain knowledge and improve their performance. All sessions and working papers will be presented in Arabic.