In a multi-million dirham acquisition, Mediaquest Corp has taken the reins of both the publishing and events divisions of Gray Business Communications (IOM) Ltd (GBC).

The deal, inked this week and taking effect from 2 January, 2008 adds a number of respected brands to the Mediaquest portfolio including Gulf Marketing Review, GMR-Online, Al Tasweeq Al Arabi and RaceWeek. In addition, Mediaquest takes on board the GBC Events division and a number of specialist sports publications.

Mediaquest, headed by Alexandre and Julien Hawari, has an established stable of publications comprising Communicate, Trends, Saneou Al Hadath, Shaheen…. The group also includes Medialeader, the media representation division and data management division, Quest Communications.

Already one of the largest publishers in the region, with some 14 titles in three different languages, Mediaquest has reported 40% business growth during 2007 and forecasts significantly higher growth during 2008 with the recent acquisition of the additional titles from GBC.

Alexandre Hawari, Co-CEO of Mediaquest confirmed GBC director, Barry Gray will be working with the company on a consultative basis to aid the integration of GBC business and to support future developments of the company.

”Barry brings a wealth of publishing knowledge with him, having launched and run a diverse range of regional publications. He has a reputation for building publications that enjoy a strong readership and advertiser base.

“These additional products offer significant synergies with those already under the Mediaquest umbrella. Due to the high quality of their offerings, the acquisition seemed a natural progression for us, and a perfect fit with our current operations.

“Having the combined titles under one roof will enable us to build on and further innovate around them. We aim to increase readership appeal and simultaneously allow advertisers to better target their markets.”

The two-day event, entitled Sustaining Innovation in Marketing, is being organised by Gulf Marketing Review magazine and takes place on 11-12 December, Ramada Plaza, Doha, Qatar.

Innovation is the key to a company's growth and spending on it will continue to grow.

That's the message for the region's marketers as 2008 approaches.

Two-thirds of executives consider innovation a top-three priority, with 67% planning to increase innovation spending next year.1

And research shows companies that more closely align their innovation model with their corporate strategy perform better, with 40% higher operating income growth and twice the shareholder returns over the last three years.2
Leading global innovators outperform their peers by nearly 400 basis points per year in terms of stock price3 - highlighting the solid financial gains offered by lasting, sustainable innovation.
Marketers from across the Middle East can gain a fresh insight into innovation at the upcoming 8th Annual Gulf Marketing Forum in Doha.

It will include interactive workshops, panel discussions, and presentations from some of the biggest names in marketing from the region and beyond.

Colin Turner, President of Futuremedia plc, London, and Emeritus Professor of Entrepreneurship, Theseus Business School, France, will deliver the opening keynote address on creativity and innovation in marketing.

He will also give a workshop on how to sustain profitability from creative ideas.

Dr. Tim Jones, founder and CEO, Innovaro Ltd, London, will be jetting in to give a presentation on innovation leaders, which will examine how companies are successfully delivering the greatest innovation impact and engaging with consumers.

An insight into the ecological model for sustaining creativity and innovation will be offered by Tim Harle, Management Consultant, UK.

Dr Zeinab Karake-Shalhoub, Professor of Management and Information Systems at the American University of Sharjah and winner of the 2007 Emirates Businesswoman of the Year award, will examine innovations affecting the e-consumer.

Kamal Dimachkie, MD, Leo Burnett Dubai, Kuwait and Northern Emirates, will be looking at how to engage consumers with fresh ideas, while Tolga Sezer, Executive VP, Aujan Industries, Dubai, will examine the power of brand activation.