Media industry grows rapidly despite current global crisis

The fourth edition of the Media and Marketing Show (MMS) with a more proactive format opened its doors to the public and media professionals yesterday.

The three-day event was inaugurated by Hasher bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Director General, Department of Information, who expressed a keen interest in the latest developments in the media and marketing field.

MMS was unveiled in the midst of the current international financial turmoil and the industry seemed to be undeterred by the current crisis as was evident by the participation of all the major players in the market.

In an opening address in the long list of special presentations by industry professionals, Joseph Ghossoub, President and CEO of The Holding Group (THG), praised the industry and its rapid growth "even under the current international circumstances". The show will play host to many other professionals from the region and beyond, including Hollywood playwright Ellen Sandler, writer and executive producer of Everybody Loves Raymond.

Organised by the Domus Group, MMS 2008 is playing host to over 200 participating companies from 30 countries.

The organisers have expanded the exhibition area by 40 per cent to accommodate the two-fold increase in exhibitors this year. Every sector of the communications industry has a strong representation at the event, including TV stations, website portals, media auditing, media companies, satellite communication, production companies, publishing houses and more.

The thriving television industry in the region is out in full strength at the event, with big names such as Future TV, New TV, Manar TV, Al Aan TV, Nour TV and Sharjah TV taking part.

Future TV has gone a step further by having a live broadcast of its famous Alam Al Sabah program from the show.

Among the new TV stations on board this year is Sajaya TV, a Sharjah-based satellite TV catering to the generic Arab viewer, with a specific focus on the Emirati populace as it highlights the heritage and traditions of the UAE.

Speaking at the launch, Mohammed Al Weis, the Media Consultant at Sajaya TV, said "we are very proud to be launching the TV station from a dedicated platform like MMS.

"It gives us a good measure of the industry, and since it attracts such a knowledgeable audience we can learn a lot through the first impressions our channel makes."

Today, the second day of the event features the MMS Internal Conference, featuring a variety of industry experts speaking on industry-relevant topics.

Speakers from Google on online advertising, Ayna Corp on optimising online advertising budgets and the Korean Communications Commission on producing popular TV dramas will be the highlights of the show.

Another attraction on day two is Hollywood in Dubai, who will start their two-day workshop titled "Everybody Loves Sitcoms" presented by Sandler. Market research pioneers IPSOS will
continue the workshops they began day one, stressing on effective outdoor and broadcast advertising measurement. Applied Digital Media Services will add to the event-filled day by conducting workshops on Apple and Adobe products such as Apple Motion 3, Photoshop CS4 and more.

The event is being held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from November 3 to 5 and features a star-studded list of the biggest and best media houses from across the globe.

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