Nine specialised workshops at International Government Communication Forum

The ninth edition of the International Government Communication Forum, IGCF 2020, to be held on 4th and 5th March, at the Sharjah Expo Centre will host nine workshops targeting students, journalists, photojournalists and government communication employees.

Bringing together 64 leading global thinkers, top government officials and communication experts from the Arab region and around the world, the region’s leading forum on government communication is centred around four key pillars: Embedding a culture of engagement in government; Technology as a community enabler; Communication through culture; and Holistic well-being.

The nine workshops at IGCF this year follow on from its vision of enhancing government communication in the UAE and the Arab world and developing communication channels between governments and communities.

Day 1 of the event will commence with two training workshops for students. ‘Innovation in the field of Government Communication’ will enable participants to create distinguished government communication programmes and activities and develop their skills in drafting impactful government communication messages.

‘Analysing Communication Research Data’ conducted by Dr Ahmed Farouk, Faculty Member at the Public Relations Department, College of Communication, University of Sharjah, will introduce participants to the tools and methods of analysing data related to government surveys and opinion polls and will provide them with the skills needed to manage statistics in the field of data analysis.

Dr. Kai Chan, an expert in Data Analysis, and a founder and partner at Aiowala Technologies, a Montreal-based AI Company in Canada, will lead the training session on ‘Communication Treasures Extracted from Data Piles’ to foster government-public engagement based on a deep understanding of customer experience.

The workshop will shed light on how to collect and analyse data pertaining to customers’ experience to enable organisations to anticipate and manage public expectations, respond to their requests and inquiries, and maintain a close and interactive relationship with them. It will explore innovative ways of finding opportunities buried in piles of data, discuss how to avoid negative feedback on social media platforms, and will re-examine processes, procedures and services to place communication at the forefront of strategies to help organisations better understand their stakeholders.

The concluding day of IGCF 2020 will also host two training workshops for students. Participants will be introduced to information verification methods and learn to develop skills in detecting and dealing with fake news in the workshop titled ‘Verifying Information and Detecting Fake News’ presented by Dr. Hosam Slama is a Member of the Academic Committee of the International Government Communication Forum in Sharjah and a member of the Egyptian Media Association.

The session titled ‘How to Develop and Implement Government Initiatives’ by Dr. Essam Nasr Selim, Acting Dean of the College of Communication at the University of Sharjah and Professor of Media at Cairo University, will introduce participants to government initiatives and impart skills on promoting them. In addition, students will also receive training in developing the skills of preparing and implementing government initiatives in the field of sustainability.

Mohtab Arabiat, Head of Digital Development at UAE-based Astrolabs Academy will lead the workshop on ‘Social Marketing: Global Best Practices’ to explore how government marketing campaigns can be promoted on social media platforms which have today emerged as a major communication channel for government entities.

Apart from delving into global best practices, the workshop will also focus on proactive mechanisms to promote initiatives, services and campaigns; provide insights into the secrets of marketing and techniques of gaining new followers through the use of engaging content; explore ways of instilling corporate identity and building trust; and discuss ways of measuring the impact of promotional campaigns and initiatives on social media platforms.

ENEX Training, a specialised training centre and the international media partner of IGCF 2020, will host three workshops each on both the days of IGCF as part of its ‘News Hub workshops’ designed specifically for journalists and photojournalists. The workshops offered on March 4 and 5 covers topics such as Data in Publishing and Communications; Drone Filming; and Power of Podcasts.

The two-day global summit is organised by the International Government Communication Centre, a subsidiary of Sharjah Government Media Bureau. Since its inception in 2012, the IGCF has been successful in enhancing government communication in the UAE and the Arab world and developing communication channels between governments and communities.

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