Vinton Cerf, Google's Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist is set to address MENA leaders on the future of the Internet and innovation in emerging markets on February 10th. Targeting C-level executives and government leaders, the event will focus on driving awareness around the challenges and prospects for the Mena region with regard to helping spur innovation and growth in the online space.

According to Google, Cerf's arrival in the Middle East comes at an exciting time in the evolution of Middle East Internet development. Global Internet penetration currently stands at approximately 17%, however Arab online content is considerably lower leaving significant potential for development.

"It is a widely known fact that the Mena region currently produces less than 1% of content online in Arabic. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for the region to take a leap of faith and embrace the benefits of the Internet. The Internet is an amazing tool that encourages the free flow of information, the sharing of ideas, the ability to advance businesses across geographical borders and ultimately empower more individuals in their everyday lives," stated Vinton Cerf, Google's Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist.

The main objective for Google Day is to actively engage and educate MENA leaders on the importance of driving online content and highlight the future of the Internet. By creating a forum through which industry leaders from a variety of sectors including, government, ITC and business can get together, Google is looking to advance the sharing of creativity and innovation in the region.

Widely known as a "Father of the Internet," Cerf is the co-designer with Robert Kahn of TCP/IP protocols and basic architecture of the Internet. In 2005, Vint and his colleague Kahn received the highest civilian honor bestowed in the U.S., the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It recognizes the fact that their work on the software code used to transmit data across the Internet has put them "at the forefront of a digital revolution that has transformed global commerce, communication, and entertainment."

Highlighting the importance of Google Arabia 2.0 and the arrival of Cerf in Dubai Mohammad Gawdat, Managing Director of SEEMA and Head of Emerging Markets Council, Google added, "The future of the Internet in Mena is evident by the increasing growth of users coming online. Bloggers, specially design social networking sites for Arab users, and a host of other online tools are rapidly becoming more visible in our market.

Google Arabia 2.0 should prove to be a great platform to get community leaders together to discuss how we can collectively advance the 21st century knowledge economy across MENA."

Google Arabia 2.0 will take place on February 10th and is a by invitation only event.

Maryam Bint Fahad, Executive Director - Dubai Press Club

A few days after the announcement of the closing of participation in the 9th edition of the Arab Journalism Award, Dubai Press Club has unveiled the details of the extent of participation, its geographical distribution and other pointers in the various award categories.

Maryam Bint Fahad, Executive Director, Dubai Press Club, has said that the figures available confirmed the validity and appropriateness of the new structure of the award program.

"The extent of participation in the newly introduced 'young journalist' category proved how important it was. A total of more than 3500 entries from 19 Arab countries have been nominated this year, in addition to participation from Arabic language periodicals from six non-Arab countries. The entries this year represent 13% increase from last year and 339% from the year of the launch of the award," she disclosed.

She said that while 9% of the entries came from online media, the rest was from the print media. "This 9% is significant given that online journalism was introduced into the award program for the first time this year. That 32% of the entries came from women journslists is a welcome development, an increase of 9% from last year," she added.

The largest participation this year also came from Egypt, with 30% of all entries, followed by Saudi Arabia with 11% and the UAE with 10%. Syria and Jordan share the fourth place with 7%. Lebanon maintained the previous year's tally at 6%. Kuwait, which sent last year the third largest number of entries, made it to the sixth place this time with only 5% of the total entries turned in for participation. The Maghreb countries strengthened their participation remarkably this time with the total of entries from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco taking up 10% of the entries.

The Young Journalist category had the lion's share of the participation, constituting 22% of the entries, followed by Specialised Journalism with 20% and Investigative Journalism with 11%.

The entries will now be handed over to the members of the judging committees, whose details will be kept confidential until the day of the announcement of the award. Once the names of the nominees are finalized by the members of the judging committess, they will be endorsed by the governing board of the award for the final annoucnement of the winners. The award comprises 12 categories.

H.E. Mohamad Khalaf Al-Mazrouei, and Edward Borgerding, Chairman and CEO respectively of Abu Dhabi Media Company, announced today the programme for the Abu Dhabi Media Summit. The invitation-only inaugural Summit, under the patronage of H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, will be held at the Yas Hotel from March 9th-11th 2010.

The Summit has been created by the Abu Dhabi Media Company to reflect the emergence of Abu Dhabi as a global media hub. The programme features a unique combination of high-profile sessions, closed-door discussions and private conversations, bringing together top-tier global media players and their counterparts in fast-growing markets.

H.E. Mohamed Khalaf al Mazrouei, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Media Company, commented on the Summit:
"The inaugural Abu Dhabi Media Summit will bring together media leaders from every continent to the UAE Capital. Our programme of events and discussions reflect both our region's immediate media industry ambition, and longer-term opportunities for the sector worldwide. We believe that this summit will become one of the most important industry forums of its kind anywhere in the world, reaffirming Abu Dhabi's place on the new global media stage."

Delegates have been invited from a broad cross-section of business sectors, including mobile, broadband, broadcast, publishing, entertainment, news, music, advertising & marketing, venture capital & equity finance. Abu Dhabi is geographically located at the nexus of East and West, making it an ideal meeting point for media players from around the globe.

Day one will be made up of key discussion sessions debating globally salient media issues; 10 of the Summit's co-chairs will take part in the sessions. In the morning, Dirk Meyer, President & CEO, AMD, will be discussing the pace of technological change. Didier Lombard, Chairman & CEO, Orange, will discuss smart phones and mobile trends. Dr. Prannoy Roy, Executive Chair, NDTV, will discuss expanding the reach of Television. In the afternoon, Tim Armstrong, Chair & CEO, AOL, and Jon Miller, CEO Digital Media, News Corp, will delve into the next wave of Web-based business models. James Murdoch, Chair & CEO, Europe & Asia, News Corp, will join a discussion on media investment and growth.

Day two will focus on geographic media trends. Three Summit co-chairs will be joined by experts to lead discussions on China, India, the Middle East and global media issues. In the morning, Kai-Fu Lee, Chair & CEO, Innovation Works, will join a discussion on radical new media in China. Maurice Levy, Chair & CEO, Publicis Groupe, will contribute to a conversation on building brands in a fragmented media world. Kishore Lulla, Chairman & CEO, Eros International, will discuss the burgeoning media scene in India. In the afternoon, Karim Sarkis, Executive Director of Broadcast, Abu Dhabi Media Company, will round off the discussion sessions with a conversation on the rising star of Middle Eastern media.

Dirk Meyer, president and CEO of AMD commented on the forthcoming event: "The Abu Dhabi Media Summit represents an unprecedented gathering of global media and technology leaders enabling the next wave of innovation that is poised to drive global media.  I'm proud to be a co-chair at this seminal event in one of the world's fastest growing markets for technology and media."

 

The 12th annual Sign & Graphic Imaging Middle East 2010 (SGI) opened on Monday 25th January with an upbeat mood and exhibitors from 22 countries demonstrating a range of new products and technology.  

At SGI 2010 the trend is clearly for new, larger, quicker, cleaner, cost efficient and environmentally friendly products and services. On show are not only professional super wide format UV printers such as the newest member of the award winning VUTEk QS family from EFI, innovative Tetra PowerStrip LED lighting solutions for backlighting applications and box signs from GE Lumination, but also complete business start-up systems from Masonlite such as the Imprintor Professional System and the Power8 Workshop for home or commercial use.

SGI 2010 is at the Dubai Airport Expo until Wednesday 27th January – with products and applications for professional print and graphic designers as well as advertising agencies and end users of any signage, display or printing requirements.

Open from 11am to 7 pm daily.

Other key exhibitors include HP, Gandi Innovations, Fujifilm Sericol, Avery Dennison, Aqua Tinks, Colorjet India, Giffin Graphics, and many others.

 

At the opening ceremony for Sign & Graphic Imaging Middle East 2010 at the Dubai Airport Expo, Abdul Rehman Falaknaz, President International Expo Consults (IEC) announced the creation of the SGI Awards 2011.

Designed to reward innovation and creativity in the sign and graphic industry throughout the Middle East, the SGI Awards 2011 will focus on the use of outdoor applications for brand promotion. Categories will include Most Innovative Marketing Campaign, Most Innovative Fleet Graphics, Most Innovative Outdoor Signage, and Most Innovative Green Outdoor Campaign, with the emphasis on creative and innovative use of products, technology and environment.

‘As pioneers of the SGI Awards 2011, we are seeking to further encourage the innovative use of outdoor media for brand promotion. Whether it is the signage designer, creator, advertising agency or corporate brand manager submitting the nomination, it is the campaign creativity and innovation we will be rewarding.  All are eligible to submit nominations, and guidelines for the requirements will be available shortly.

Having successfully run SGI for 12 years, we have witnessed many superbly creative uses of outdoor media – such as vehicle and tall building wraps and hoardings, for example, and we believe the developing talent in the region is capable of setting new trends and  producing even more exciting uses and applications in the industry - and should be recognised by their peers accordingly’. Commented Falaknaz

‘Not only will we be rewarding excellence in creativity, but also creating a platform for the exchange of ideas, development of new mediums and growth of innovation in the regional sign and graphic industry.’  He continued

Under the patronage of Dubai Municipality, nominations for the awards will open from April 2010 with the award ceremony taking place during SGI 2011, where the winners will be honoured by their industry peers.

SGI 2010 showcases the latest products and emerging technologies from the industries of Advertising, Architectural Hardware, Banners & Posters, Digital Imaging, Electronic Message Centres, Electronic Signage, Graphic Imaging, Graphic Services, Large Format Printing, and Signage.

The show is supported by the Advertising Section of Dubai Municipality and industry associations like Visual Industries Suppliers Association (VISA), Australia.

SGI 2010 opens Monday 25th January and runs until Wednesday 27th January; opening 11 am – 7 pm daily.
 

HH Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum al Maktoum (left) and Mr. Abdul Rahman Falaknaz (right)

Opening the 12th Sign & Graphic Imaging Middle East 2010 (SGI) at the Dubai Airport Expo today was H.H. Sheikh Hasher Bin Maktoum al Maktoum, Director General Government of Dubai Information, welcoming local, regional and international exhibitors and visitors to this prestigious industry event.

Amidst industry reports of a decline of 27% advertising spend in the UAE in 2009 (Pan Arab Research Centre/ www.UAEInteract.com ), 2010 is nonetheless expected to see advertising growth of 6 to 10% compared with 2009.  This positive trend is clearly indicated by record exhibitors and visitors registered for SGI 2010, which opens its largest ever show today, 25th January and runs until 27 January, with opening hours from 11am to 7 pm daily.  Entry is free to industry professionals.

Assisting businesses in staying abreast of new technologies, Sign & Graphic Imaging Middle East is a specialised event, dedicated to the Middle East’s signage, outdoor media, screen and digital printing industries; the largest and longest running show in the region.

Exhibitor Registrations have dramatically increased from Asia, particularly India, Taiwan, Korea and China, who, together with local and regional Middle East-based companies and distributors, are representing some of the very latest technology.

Gold Sponsor of the show, Digi Matrix Technologies, from Dubai, is exhibiting for the 8th year and will be promoting the newly developed Digi Cam CNC/Laser Router and an expanded portfolio of flatbed seven-colour printers suitable for flat and rigid materials. Comments Mr. Bilal Al-Hattab, MD Digi Matrix Technologies:

“SGI is unique in attracting visitors from the region and no other show achieves such high quality attendees.  It is an excellent forum for us to meet with new and existing customers, and to display our improved 2D and green technology, digital dye machines for economical print runs of textiles for promotional gifts, and so on.” 

Dubai based GSS International LLC will be introducing digital printers and giant LED screens producing perfect colours in sunlight - ideally suited to conditions in the Middle East as well as hosting the Middle East debut of the new PolaJet PS-3206D large format digital printer, operating at a speed of 120-130 square meters per hour.

Verseidag Indutex MENA have participated in SGI since its inception in 1999 and will this year be showing new products addressing the environment – products considered as eco-friendly such as banner materials and the seemee® range. 

Other key exhibitors include HP, Gandi Innovations, Signtrade, EFI Vutek, Fujifilm Sericol, Avery Dennison, Aqua Tinks, Colorjet India, Giffin Graphics, Flex Europa and many others, with 80% repeat exhibitors, and 20% newcomers.

Exhibitors and visitors alike attend SGI to gain insight into new technologies, and benefit from the quality forum for exchange of technology information and sales and lead development.

SGI 2010 showcases the latest products and emerging technologies from the industries of Advertising, Architectural Hardware, Banners & Posters, Digital Imaging, Electronic Message Centres, Electronic Signage, Graphic Imaging, Large Format Printing, and Signage.

SGI 2010 will once again dominate Dubai Airport Expo which has proven to be a popular venue in part due to its ease of access and ample parking.
 

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (DCCI) Printing and Publishing Group (PPG), today announced that the final awards ceremony for the fourth 'Dubai International Print Award 2009 will be held on January 27th, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Dubai.

The gala dinner, which is being held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, will be attended by senior government dignitaries, PPG members and other VIP guests.

"The Dubai Print Award 2009 have been very successful with 600 entries from across the region. This year, we extended the Awards internationally to name few Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan as well as India among others and introduced new award categories. We have received some very exciting and innovative nominations and it's going to be a challenging task for our panel of judges to announce the final winners," said Ahmad Bin Hassan Al Shaikh, Chairman of Printing and Publishing Group.

The Dubai International Print Award, which started in 2006 as an initiative to offer companies operating in UAE's printing industry the first recognized benchmark of quality covering various categories in respect to management efficiency and contemporary technological advancements, has today grown bigger and currently offers 23 different award categories across offset and digital printing to international participants across the region.

"We have witnessed higher levels of interest in 'Dubai international Print Award' which indicates a positive growth in the print industry said Tarek Jawharji, Vice-Chairman of Printing and Publishing Group. "On behalf of the entire team at PPG I want to thank all our sponsors for supporting this year's event as well as the participants for presenting their nominations for this international accolade."

Dubai International Print Awards have continued to grow in award categories and taking up the reigns as main sponsors will be Masar Printing Press, Khaleej Times, Crystal Gallery, Printweek Magazine, Heidelberg, Dynagraph, Giffin Graphics, Xerox, Prestige Graphics, Canon, Gimpex, Presstek, Nina Paper, Gulf Commercial Group and Orchid.