UAE: Post-Arab Spring media strategies in spotlight

Wadah Khanfar former Al Jazeera chief Malaysia's former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, British PR guru Lord Bell and former head of Al-Jazeera WadahKhanfar will participate in a discussion on "From the Arab Street to Wall Street, Communications in the Age of Dialogue" at 20th Public Relations World Congress (PRWC) being held at the Grand Hyatt Dubai from March 13-15.
The event, which is being organised by the International Public Relations Association-Gulf Chapter (IPRA-GC) in partnership with the UAE National Media Council, will also bring an impressive lineup of 35 speakers from the area of politics, PR and the media.
"We are delighted that the first Congress to be held in the Middle East can boast not only an impressive list of speakers, but also a hugely exciting program" Faisal Al-Zahrani, president of IPRA-GC, said at a press conference held at Grand Hyatt in Dubai on Thursday.
"Given the events of the past year, these themes are especially relevant to those of us who practice public relations in the Middle East, and we are sure that industry professionals will be extremely keen to hear these diverse voices debate the real issues facing PR today," he added.
"In the wake of the Arab Spring, the financial crisis and the digital revolution, politics, business and media in the Middle East are all undergoing significant upheavals" said Sunil John, chairman of the organising committee of PRWC Dubai, and chief executive officer of ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller.
Other high profile speakers include Lord Chadlington, chairman of the Huntsworth group and Mohamed Abu Hamed, vice president, Free Egyptians Party and Member of Parliament in Egypt.
Abdullah Jum'ah, the former president and CEO of Saudi Aramco, will deliver the welcome keynote for the congress.