The Dubai Lynx Academy, a joint initiative between Leo Burnett and Dubai Lynx, is currently underway at the Dubai Lynx Festival in Dubai Media City, offering 20 creative students selected from across the Middle East and North Africa region a three-day educational programme focusing on all aspects of the communications industry. This year marks the second time that the highly successful Academy takes place.

During the programme, which includes seminars, screenings, exhibitions and workshops, the students are guided by a dedicated tutor - Marilyn S. Roberts PhD, Dean and Professor, College of Communication and Media Sciences, Zayed University.  The students also have the unique opportunity to attend master classes and tutorials with leading industry figures from around the globe, including Mark Tutssel, Leo Burnett’s global chief creative officer. Tutssel will be giving the students a seminar on HumanKind - Leo Burnett’s innovative philosophy which involves putting people and human behaviour at the heart of a brand’s strategy.

The three best performing students across the three days, selected by Marilyn Roberts and representatives from Leo Burnett, will be offered a summer internship with Leo Burnett, while all of the students that participate in the programme will receive a certificate of attendance during a graduation ceremony at the close of the event.

“Leo Burnett recognises that creative, young, talented students are the future of the industry, and as a leading communications group, it is imperative to inspire and nurture creativity among today’s talent,” noted Raja Trad, CEO of Leo Burnett Group Mediterranean. “By hosting the Academy at the region’s leading advertising event, we are not only helping to prepare a new generation of young people for an exciting career in the communications industry, but we are also demonstrating our commitment to supporting industry best practices.”

Last year, 21 students participated in the Dubai Lynx Academy. One of the students, Reem Al Shakaa, who went on to complete an internship with the Leo Burnett group said: “The Dubai Lynx Academy was a fantastic experience. It taught me a lot about the way the industry really operates, and gave me a level of industry understanding that proved invaluable. I’d thoroughly recommend this programme to students looking for a career in the industry.”

Mr. Steve Lane, Festival Director, Dubai Lynx Festival said: “Each year, the Dubai Lynx Festival celebrates the best of the region’s creative talent and it is only fitting that we use this forum to motivate and inspire young, creative minds. After a highly successful Academy last year, we are excited to once again join forces with Leo Burnett to further help the development of the region’s communications industry.”

Twofour54 Tadreeb, the region's premier media skills training academy, has diversified its portfolio further through an alliance with L'institut National de L'audiovisuel (INA), the world leader in archiving, digitisation, and specialist professional training.

Media professionals working throughout the Middle East will now have access to a range of world class training solutions including archiving and media management consultancy services. These courses add value to organizations that need to effectively preserve their audio visual history. Media companies can now address with confidence one of the key challenges that they face, the management of their digital content; ensuring it is available on the right device, at the right place, time and in the right format.

"The alliance with INA is another boost for Twofour54 Tadreeb," commented Tony Orsten, CEO Twofour54. "As one of the world's most respected authorities in audiovisual and digital archiving, the addition of these courses strengthens further our considerable portfolio of media training and related courses, which are available to sound and image professionals across the Middle East and North Africa region."

David Hivet, Business Development Director, INA added: "The media industry across the Mena region is rapidly developing, and through this strategic partnership with Twofour54 Tadreeb we look forward to serving the interests of the industry and improving the skills of its professionals. We are confident that both INA and Twofour54 Tadreeb share the same vision and we are committed to working with the academy to provide quality training programmes and consultancy services to media professionals across the region."

Twofour54 Tadreeb offers a comprehensive range of professional training programmes designed to equip delegates with the specific industry skills required for best practice in their given media sector.

Twofour54 Tadreeb provides international standard, bi-lingual training courses across a wide range of media disciplines including Television; Broadcast Technology; Journalism; Digital Media; Radio; Media Business and Production.

The academy currently offers over 200 bi-lingual courses, all of which are outcome driven, practically-focused and of an international standard. Plans are also in place to extend this offering to include Animation, Web Application and Design, Games Development and Media Business courses as new training providers are identified.

Programmes are designed to add value, so that on completion, media professionals will immediately see improvements in their performance, which will ultimately have a positive impact on their company's business. In addition to a wide range of courses, the training academy also offers clients a bespoke consultancy service which focuses on assessing an organization's needs around archiving and multimedia requirements and delivering tailor-made solutions to assist them in achieving their business goals.

"Since opening our doors in early 2009 we have hosted over 60 courses for approaching 1,000 delegates and we are very pleased to be able to extend our English, Arabic and French course offering to media professionals across Middle East and North Africa" added Tony Orsten, CEO Twofour54.

CNBC announced today at the Bahrain Grand Prix, that it will create a regional editorial hub in Bahrain to cover the Middle East. The facility is expected to be operational in the second quarter of the year.

The hub will coordinate and produce business and financial newsgathering from the Middle East, with a studio and production facility linked to CNBC's global network. CNBC is in the process of recruiting an on-air presenter, reporters and production staff in the region.

The hub will contribute to CNBC's pan-regional programme Capital Connection, which will become tri-anchored live from London, Bahrain and Singapore, four days a week.

The show's remit will be to help global viewers understand the impact of market movements across European, Asian and Middle Eastern borders - on their portfolios, investment strategies and business decisions.

The new Capital Connection will broadcast from London, Bahrain and Singapore Monday to Thursdays airing between 06.00 - 07.00 (CET); 08.00 - 09.00 (AST); 12.00 - 13.00 (HK/Sing) and on Fridays will be co-anchored from London and Singapore. The new programme's launch date will be announced in due course.

The new show's global reach is considerable, broadcasting to 65 countries and more than 165 million households on CNBC in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in Australasia, New Zealand, on CNBC Africa and CNBC World in the United States.

CNBC's popular half-hour monthly programme Gateway to the Middle East, will also be produced from Bahrain. Since 2007 the show has spoken with the leading voices from the region, giving viewers insight into business trends and investment opportunities.

Mick Buckley, Managing Director EMEA at CNBC said, "Bahrain offers the ideal location for CNBC's hub, as the country's infrastructure and location enables us to effectively cover the news from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other major centres in the region.

"We are now well positioned, working with CNBC Arabiya our local-language affiliate channel based in Dubai, to tell the Middle East's business story to regional and global viewers in Arabic and in English," concluded Buckley.

Across the EMEA region, CNBC reaches more than 640,000 viewers a day and seven million viewers a month (EMS 2009), making it the leading business and financial news channel.

Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), welcomed the news saying, "I am delighted that CNBC has chosen Bahrain as its regional hub. Our location as the gateway to the Gulf, skilled national workforce, and liberal business environment has attracted many international companies. For a major media organisation to choose us reflects the high priority we place on openness and the steps taken to create an environment conducive to doing business in and from Bahrain."

The EDB has responsibility for formulating and overseeing the economic strategy of the Kingdom and creating the right climate to attract foreign investment. Bahrain's Vision 2030 and the National Economic Strategy are designed to drive the private sector as an engine of growth, support further diversification of the economy, and ultimately elevate national living standards by creating greater opportunities for Bahrainis.

More than 490 delegates from the media, technology and investment sectors returned home from the inaugural three-day Abu Dhabi Media Summit today, hosted by the Abu Dhabi Media Company.

CEOs and Chairmen talked of successful private meetings, and a strong turn-out of delegates on the final day ensured some lively panel conversations on emerging markets and the new challenges for media marketing in the digital age. The presence of more than 120 media from local, regional and global publications ensured that the Summit received widespread coverage across the world.

The third and final day of the Abu Dhabi Media Summit focused on the emerging markets of the Middle East, India and China, as well as the challenge of marketing to consumers in an increasingly fragmented media environment.

In the final session of the Summit, entitled 'Middle East Rising', a panel of experts from the region debated the opportunities for the region.

Participants included Karim Sarkis, Executive Director of Broadcast at Abu Dhabi Media Company; Osman Sultan, Chief Executive Officer of du; Ali Al Ahmed, Chief Strategy Officer at Etisalat; Yousef Mugharbil, President Digital Media at Rotana Media Group, and; Sam Barnett, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of MBC.

Topics debated in the discussion included the importance of creating quality content in the Arab world and the growing demand for broadband across the region, which is set to change the face of consumer demand for media services.

KnowledgeView, the leading multi publishing solution provider in Europe and the Mena region, was among the leading invitees to the Abu Dhabi Media Summit 2010 "New Ideas, New Mindsets" that took place in Yas Island Abu Dhabi from 9 till 11 March 2010.

The unprecedented event gathered over 500 international figures from the media industry around the globe that came to discuss new media technologies and trends ranging from print to mobile and online.

As trendsetter in the industry, KnowledgeView conducted various successful meetings during the event to shed light on many emerging knowledge industries that KnowledgeView helped creating over the past few years, namely, the "Publish live newsroom" that allows journalists, editors, communication officers in media, enterprise and government respectively to collect info from defined sources, share them and publish them seamlessly in one window and to print, mobile, SMS, website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube with ONE simple click!

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, was held at the Yas Hotel from March 9th-12th 2010.

During the three-day Summit high-profile public sessions, closed-door discussions and private conversations, bringing together top-tier global media players and their counterparts in fast-growing markets. Targeted sectors include mobile, broadband, traditional television, print, entertainment, news, music, advertising & marketing, venture capital & equity finance, with special emphasis on markets in the Middle East, the Subcontinent, East Asia and China.

Dr. Ali Al Assam, CEO, KnowledgeView, said: "The Abu Dhabi Media Summit is nothing but the natural progression of the promising vision of Abu Dhabi government that is keen to pursue its leading initiatives in bringing the newest technologies and best practices to the Middle East Region. The great mix of internationally renowned high profile speakers, panelists and guests mirror the commitment of Abu Dhabi Media Company, the event host, to empower media in the Arab world and furnish them with the best global practices."

One of the major highlights of the second day was the exponential increase in demand for Arabic content in the Mena region. Thus, the need for long-term strategic investment across the sector was under the spotlight and thoroughly talked about in the different sessions and TV shows broadcasting right from the summit, a newly tapped area that KnowledgeView has conveniently started couple of years ago creating the right platforms that allow media and research centers to syndicate content and generate revenues.

"We are delighted to take part in such big regional event that enjoys global ingredients in terms of organization, guests and topics. KnowledgeView has always sensed the needs of the Middle East and North Africa region and been committed to provide the latest solutions and newest technologies to leading media organizations, enterprises and government bodies. Knowledge is the right and the duty of every individual and KnowledgeView makes the knowledge sharing "very" easy. This is our aim and commitment to the communities we operate in," he concluded.

The Abu Dhabi Media Summit 2010 was created by the Abu Dhabi Media Company, and leading Abu Dhabi partners, including the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Aldar, Etihad Airways, Mubadala, and twofour54°.

The Dubai Press Club (DPC) today announced it will launch its new membership package at a gala commemorative event for the media. To be held on 15 March at the DPC premises in Dubai Media City, the event will bring together representatives of media corporations, students, and teachers in the field of media.

Dubai Press Club's new membership package includes a bundle of first-time features and innovative services for journalists and members of the media residing in the UAE and the GCC region. It comes as part of DPC's new strategy that was launched to mark its 10th anniversary.

The membership initiative, which enjoys the support of over 100 business firms in the UAE, is designed to cater to the entire media fraternity across various platforms, including public relations firms and consultancies.
Through the new initiative, DPC also offers an avenue for UAE-based institutions to provide enabling services for reporters and other media professionals.

The Dubai Press Club was established in November 1999 under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. As part of its mandate, it will continue to develop programmes to remain in the forefront of the media sector in the UAE and the Arab world.

YouGovSiraj, a recognized thought-leader and innovator in online market research and survey design across the Arab world; and Analyseize, a Jordanian market research company providing customized marketing research programs, announced their signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to provide services to better serve the Arab World.

According to the MoU signed in Amman, Jordan, both organisations will cooperate on conducting joint research projects, exchanging data and expertise, and developing and producing unique projects that serve the exceptional needs of the Arab world, and specifically the Jordanian market.

Commenting on this collaboration, Chief Executive Officer of YouGovSiraj, Iman Annab, said “The speed and accuracy of our research has already resulted in a positive response to our products from clients of various industry sectors in the Arab world; however, this collaboration with Analyseize represents a major opportunity to grow our business and build on our existing panel in Jordan.”

The agreement with Analyseize is consistent with YouGovSiraj’s strategy of growing its business by applying its knowledge and expertise of online polling and market research to new markets.

Managing Director of Analyseize Research, Ghuzayyah Hijazi said, “We are confident that teaming up with YouGovSiraj, will facilitate our efforts in providing our clients with a proprietary look at more markets, and fulfill their aspirations’ in the field of research more accurately and in less time.”
 

The UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) today launched its professional development series in marketing communications for members and the communications community, with a full capacity audience at its Media City premises.

More than fifty industry professionals, from creative directors to account executive from both clients and agency gathered for an interactive workshop from Nicholas Chidiac, Strategic Planning Director of Leo Burnett Dubai. Entitled Death of an Insight, the workshop was specifically designed to develop knowledge and build expertise in the media activities of agency or client-side organisations.

"The quality of the participants was excellent, really high," said Chidiac. "There was a positive level of engagement and heated debate; some interesting takes and I felt encouraged that we have a lot of talent here in the UAE," he said.

The series designed to complement existing sources of training, and help develop wider skill sets for junior to mid-level communications executives, offers participants from media planners and buyers to account handlers and creatives the opportunity to choose the session most pertinent to them from a selection of highly contemporary, relevant topics.

Kamal Dimachkie, Chairman of the IAA UAE Chapter Events and Talent Committee, opened the session, explaining that the aim is to offer IAA Members and the industry engaging, interactive workshops that tackle key issues in a way that's meaningful and applicable in today's tough market.

Running from March to September 2010, the series will be moderated by professionals from a broad industry base, all leading players in their field, who will provide participants with perspectives and tools that are instrumental in the analysis and solution of many challenges confronting the industry. Individuals will have the opportunity to interact with local experts and delegates on a one on one basis.

In the coming months, participants can look forward to a diverse line up of topics from leading industry practitioners including: a master class in digital media, the media/customer journey, creativity and the role of PR.

In line with the IAA UAE Chapter's commitment to supporting the development of skills, talent and creativity in the industry, the fee is very competitively priced and further discounted rates are offered for group bookings of more than three delegates.

Each workshop session, to be held at the IAA UAE Chapter premises in Dubai Media City, will be limited to only 50 delegates, offering intimate close group sessions.