Festival of Media MENA Returns to Dubai for its Third Edition

Building on the hugely successful second edition in 2016, the Festival of Media MENA is returning to Dubai on Wednesday 26th April 2017 at the Waldorf Astoria on Palm Jumeirah. The third edition of this global conference and awards program will bring together senior level executives from the world’s biggest brands, marketing agencies and media houses to discuss the latest trends under the theme ‘Understanding Media Transformation.’ The conference will be followed by a celebration of the region’s best media work during the Festival of Media MENA Awards ceremony at MusicHall, Zabeel Saray Hotel.

The day-long conference will see a line-up of 35 high-caliber speakers from global media forces including LinkedIn, Google, Nielsen, MOAT and Unilever shedding light on the future of the sector, and bringing attendees up to speed with the trends and techniques that are currently shaping the media scene. Proceedings will be kicked off with an opening speech from Jeremy King, COO of the Festival of Media, who is confident that the event will deliver deep insights into the constantly evolving media landscape and equip speakers with insider knowledge of how to keep pace with rapid regional and global media transformation.

Keynote speeches will include deep dives into the current media environment, such as ‘Is the current agency model broken?’ from Will Swayne, Global President for Carat, as well as insights into the digital trends that are shaking the foundations of the media world with ‘Investing in Digital Success’ from Nick Graham, Global Digital Marketing and Media Director at Huawei; ‘The Attention Economy’ by Aniq Rahman, President of Moat; and ‘The digital connection – right brands, right tech’ from Mailine Swildens, Creative and Technology team at Google and Director of Zoo EMEA. Jason Miller, Global Content Marketing Lead at LinkedIn, will also share thoughts on how to build a world-class content marketing engine with a speech on ‘Curate, engage and connect.’

Serving as a global networking opportunity for attendees to exchange views and gain invaluable knowledge and best practice tips from the world’s leading industry experts, the event will also feature thought-provoking panel discussions that serve to bring the sector’s hot topics to life. Shula Sinclair, Global Strategy Partner at MEC, and Glen Calvert, Founder and CEO of Affectv, will explore the all-important consumer perspective during ‘Walking in the footsteps of the consumer’, with other topics up for discussion and dynamic debate including ‘If media is heart, data is the heartbeat’, ‘Uncovering the secret of the region’s media hotbeds’ and ‘What next for established media owners?’.

Alexandre Hawari, Co-CEO of Mediaquest, commented: “We are extremely excited to be hosting the third edition of the Festival of Media MENA here in Dubai, where the sector is undergoing exciting transformation and growth. Media is one of the world’s fastest growing and changing industries, and the agenda for this year’s event aims to make attendees the leaders of that change. By understanding media transformation, we can shape the future of this ever-evolving sector and strengthen the MENA region’s global reputation by celebrating its exceptional contributions to the marketing, advertising and digital fields at the Festival of Media MENA awards.”

In line with the entrepreneurial spirit of the region and to encourage fresh ideas, the Festival of Media MENA Awards rewards the region’s very best media work across four categories: Media, Content, Technology and Insight. Judged by a senior panel of agency heads and regional brand marketers led by jury chairs Nick Graham from Huawei Technologies and Asad Rehman from Unilever, the awards programme has become one of the foremost marketing events in the region, helping winning agencies and media owners to secure new business and grow their influence in the marketplace.

Festival of Media MENA is also proud to partner with the emerge platform, which has been created to provide a platform for the globe’s hottest ad tech start-up companies to showcase their products and services to the world’s most senior and biggest spending figures in the international advertising sector.

The third edition of the Festival of Media MENA is sponsored by Rotana Media Group, MCN (Middle East Communications Network), and MEC Media Company, among others.