Organisers of the Middle East’s first ever event dedicated to the MICE, Events and Entertainment industry, the Middle East EVENT Show, have announced a change in plans recently. The show will now be held from 1 – 2 June 2011 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre – the award winning, purpose built venue with modern facilities designed to host complex and large scale international events.

“This decision has been made in light of the overwhelming response and interest that we have received from the industry, not only within the Middle East but also from Europe”, said Samantha Kane-Macdonald, Exhibition Manager for the Middle East EVENT Show.

BACKGROUND: It is no secret that the Middle East events industry has been growing at a rapid pace.  This growth has been fuelled not only by the increased international interest in this oil rich region, but also due to its ideal location at the crossroads to Asia, Africa, Europe as well as easy access to Australasia.

A multitude of events, including trade and consumer exhibitions, international conferences and seminars, festivals and fairs, corporate and private functions and world class sporting events take place across the Middle East throughout the year. Due to massive industry demand for event related products, equipment and services; the Middle East EVENT Show was launched at the second Middle East Event Awards that were held in May this year.  

The UAE government has invested heavily in promoting both the capital city - Abu Dhabi, and its well known neighbour Dubai, to a global audience. Further catapulting the region to a global audience is the 2011 grand opening of the Qatar National Convention Centre, a world-first green-technology venue and Qatar’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup™  

The Middle East EVENT Show will provide a much needed platform for suppliers and service providers to meet with events industry professionals from across the region.  For the first time, the entire industry will have the opportunity to meet and network in the same arena.  

The EVENT Show will be taking place from the 1-2 June 2011 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.  The established and highly successful Middle East Event Awards will now be part of the show and will take place on the 1st June 2011.

For details and enquiries, please visit: www.me-eventshow.com

Media & Advertising Exhibition 2010 will be organized once again from the 25th to the 28th of September, and will take place at Oman International Exhibition Centre. The exhibition is considered a first of its kind in Oman. For the second time, this exhibition will stoke the interest of the public and all the rest of the corporate world who rely on the media for advertising and publicity.

The Media & Advertising Exhibition is for all kinds of media and advertising agencies in Oman, knowing that this field is booming and is poised to grow phenomenally in the next few years. It will also be the perfect platform for all those associated with the media and advertising field and will give them the opportunity to showcase their services and capabilities.

Giving the opportunity to all the Newspapers, Advertising Agencies, Publishing Houses, Magazines, Television Networks, Radios, Internet Companies, Graphic Designing/ Website Designing companies as well as Teachers who specialize in the field of Multimedia (both for Print Media as well as for the TV and Internet) in the country to come under one roof, which is the main objective and purpose of the exhibition.

Also, accompanying the exhibition will be an award ceremony," Muscat Advertising Awards Ceremony 2010", which will be held on the last day of the event.

Included among the entries for the ceremony were all kinds of Ads, print materials (outdoor & indoor) as well as designs. These entries can either be in the form of single entries or as campaigns designed for a specific cause. Website designs are also amongst the entries, as well as a special category dedicated to students from colleges and universities.

In a significant regional first, the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) has joined hands with Cairo International Film Festival to further strengthen the Arab film industry. Aimed at lending momentum to regional film production, DIFF is partnering with Cairo Film Festival through a collaboration of the co-production markets of the two festivals.

DIFF's successful co-production market, Dubai Film Connection (DFC) - established in 2007 - will partner with the newly formed Cairo Film Connection to provide Arab filmmakers access to potential financial and infrastructure support as well as valuable industry connections.

With the new partnership, filmmakers can apply to both DFC and Cairo Film Connection for support in realising their film projects. DIFF will award a selected project from Cairo Film Connection and invite the selected filmmaker to attend DIFF to explore further funding opportunities at DIFF through meetings with established industry players who attend the festival.

Abdulhamid Juma, Chairman of Dubai International Film Festival said: "DIFF pioneered the concept of the co-production market in the Arab world with Dubai Film Connection, which has  showcased 46 projects in the past three years 10 of which have been completed with a further 9 in production. We believe that to promote a regional film industry it is extremely important to bring Arab filmmakers into direct contact with the international and regional film industries, which is facilitated by DFC. The partnership with Cairo Film Connection will further expand our reach across the Arab world, giving more opportunities for filmmakers to accomplish their projects."

The Dubai Film Connection offers directors of Arab origin more than US$120,000 in prize money and invaluable industry connections. The co-production market also matches the short-listed director/producer teams with specialists in film production, sales, distribution and funding to further their projects.

Winners at DFC receive three DIFF Awards each offering US$25,000 and the US$25,000 Desert Door DIFF Work in Progress Award. This year, Film Clinic Egypt extends support to DFC projects with an award of US$10,000 for a first-time feature filmmaker.

The seventh edition of Dubai International Film Festival 2010 will be held from December 12 to 19. DIFF 2010 is held in association with Dubai Studio City and supported by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority. Dubai Duty Free, Dubai Pearl, Emirates Airline and Madinat Jumeirah are the principal sponsors of DIFF. 

(Modern Media, LTD – Dubai) As one of the premier social media agencies in the Middle East, The Online Project highlighted its key achievements and milestones at Click 4.0 in Dubai this month, including designing the social media strategies of key brands in the region.

Exhibiting alongside other high profile companies in the digital world, like Maktoob/ Yahoo, Zawya and other sponsors, The Online Project highlighted its unique offerings, which allow it to manage the digital communities of over 200,000 fans on social networks.

Co-founder & Creative Director Zafer Younis cited the company’s approach to social media as he displayed The Online Project’s services to key marketing players in the region. “While other agencies only look at social media from specific angles – be it from a PR point of view, or only a customer service point of view – we approach our strategies with a holistic point of view to make sure every aspect of the brand benefits,” he said.

The company, which passed its one year mark this month, announced at Click 4.0 that it is excited to partner up with leading non-profits this year to advance good causes through social media.