In a bid to strengthen its footprint in the region, Munich-based Serviceplan Group, Europe’s largest and most-successful independent agency group, formally launches Haus der Kommunikation Middle East via its spanking new offices at the prestigious Dubai Design District (d3). The 5,000 sqft premises showcases smartly designed floor plans that promote productivity and creativity in a collaborative environment.
Haus der Kommunikation is the integrated communications concept established by the Serviceplan Group in Germany in 1971. Haus der Kommunikation Middle East will operate under the trade name Serviceplan Group Middle East, and will offer integrated innovative communications, innovative digital solutions, brand-individual media and experiential brand storytelling, through its four pillars – Serviceplan Middle East, Mediaplus Espresso, Plan.net and Serviceplan Experience.
“The Middle East is an important market for us, and the decision to expand our regional office demonstrates our commitment to strengthening our position in this region,” said Florian Haller - Chief Executive Officer, Serviceplan Group who kicked off the inaugural celebrations at the d3 offices. “We strongly believe that integration is key to creating a unified seamless brand experience for consumers across channels. Given the fact that target audiences and markets have become highly fragmented, it is crucial for us to stay tuned to the market realities by embracing new trends and adapting our communications approach.”
Rami Hmadeh, Managing Partner - Serviceplan Middle East added, “With the regional market rapidly growing, our decision to expand comes in response to a proven demand for an integrated communications approach,” said Rami Hmadeh. “We have grown from strength to strength as an agency, and anticipate further development and increase in our client portfolio. Our expanded and integrated team will aim to better serve clients, whether they are looking for integrated communications, or touchpoint-specific brand offerings.”
Festival of Innovation
To mark the inaugural celebrations, a ‘Festival of Innovation’ event was organized to showcase the latest digital trends and high-tech innovations. The event also offered an opportunity for guests to experience the world of virtual reality first-hand, and hosted key opinion leaders from various industries, including BMW, Google, Samsung, and purpose-bulit creative community, d3, who gave inspirational speeches across the two-day event.
The climax of the event was the announcement of the strategic partnership between Serviceplan Middle East and Samsung Gulf Electronics to bring virtual reality services, in terms of content, platforms and devices, to clients across the region. As part of this agreement, Serviceplan will conceptualize and manage customized Virtual Reality business-to-business projects across various sectors including education, real estate, including the development of experiential marketing ideas for roadshows, exhibitions and events, using Samsung’s latest technology.
“We are extremely delighted to collaborate with one of the leaders in innovative technology. Virtual Reality offers exciting opportunities for brands to look beyond just broadcasting stories. They can now leverage the power of technology to bring their stories to life, and provide a more captivating experience for customers,” said Rami.
“This alliance will allow us to work cohesively with Serviceplan Middle East to ensure future generations grow up supported by VR experiences both in the classroom and in the workplace. For instance, we are collaborating to create an easily deployable VR educational platform in hopes of rolling it out to schools in the UAE,” said Mohammed Gharaibeh, Regional Director IT & Mobile (IM) B2B Sales Group of SAMSUNG GULF ELECTRONICS.
This partnership will leverage Serviceplan Group’s global association with Samsung by using its expertise and knowledge of best-practices to offer the best VR solutions to local and regional clients.
With the formal inauguration of Haus der Kommunikation Middle East, Serviceplan Group Middle East is now poised, more than ever, to provide fully integrated services to clients in the Middle East and North African regions. The inauguration also underlines the success of the Serviceplan Group as the first independent agency group from Germany to successfully operate globally, with presence in key international cities including Moscow, Delhi, Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul.