Mediaquest, Motivate, ITP, Media Factory and CPI, five of the biggest independent publishing firms in the UAE, have taken a huge step towards improving workplace efficiency following an agreement to adopt Adstream's digital print workflow solution - Quickcut.

The new technology enables publishers to manage advertising copy digitally, speeding up the production process by eliminating returns and make-goods, and guaranteeing better cost control and total quality control.

It is the first time Adstream's solution, already in use in 42 countries worldwide by in excess of 18,000 publications, will be seen in the Middle East. The software carries out 280 checks on all files sent from an advertising agency to publisher, ensuring ads go to press to the right specs and knocking as much as 30% off the creative and production process.

'This is pivotal moment in Middle East publishing,' says Dominic McGill, Business Development Director at Q2 Arabia, Adstream's exclusive Middle East partner. 'It means publishers can ensure accuracy for the advertiser, save on production costs, and, ultimately, extend their deadlines. We are delighted to be working with the most progressive of Dubai's publishers.'

Between them the five publishers a range of marketing leading titles, including Time Out Dubai, Arabian Business, Grazia, Hello, Autocar, FourFourTwo and Gulf Marketing Review.

Adstream's products are currently used by the best in world-class publishing, including NewCorp, Time Inc., The Financial Times, Australian Consolidated Press, Wall Street Journal, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, The Times of India and IPC Media.

Q2 Arabia, a media solutions consultancy based in Dubai, says the relationships should lead to greater standardization across the region's print and publishing industry.

'The Middle East's printing and publishing sector is expected to be worth approximately $1.7 trillion by the end of this year,' says McGill. 'There is a great incentive for companies to employ best practices, work towards innovation and look to world class standards.'

The Middle East edition of one of the world’s most recognisable consumer media brands - Hello! – has published the results of its first circulation audit by BPA, the world’s only global media audit organisation.

Hello! Middle East, which, like its namesakes in other regions, combines news and photo-features with a regional flavour with news on international celebrities with a cross-border appeal, is published under license in the United Arab Emirates by Motivate Publishing. Its total average qualified circulation, according to BPA Worldwide, was 12,402 copies.

“In 2004 Motivate Publishing was a major driving force in pushing for a meaningful audit process for Middle East magazines,” explains Ian Fairservice, managing partner of Motivate Publishing.

“We decided to appoint BPA due to their strict methodology and the international recognition of their audits. Today Motivate continues to lead the way towards total transparency for its advertisers, which is critical to maintaining international standards and integrity. Increasingly, we are seeing a return on our investment in circulation audits through growth in advertising bookings but there is still some way to go before all agencies and MBUs plan their schedules based on the reliable data which these audits provide.”

“The publication of the first BPA audit of Hello! Middle East will not only provide regional and international advertisers with added confidence in their media decision making, it also underscores the important role that a circulation audit plays as an independent quality benchmark between an international licensor and its regional franchisee,” notes Stuart Wilkinson, BPA’s Managing Director for EMEA.