JEDDAH — For the first time Jeddah has been chosen as the venue for the fifth Digital Media Forum, which will be held January 21-22, 2015 at the Park Hyatt Jeddah. Digital experts and industry leaders from Saudi Arabia, the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region and around the world will gather at DMF Jeddah 2015 to discuss challenges and dynamics in their markets. It will also examine the digital powers that are driving the future of media and what it takes to make a strong impact to ensure fast market growth. The forum will be attended by around 500 industry professionals who will share the experience and hands-on guidance of the world's leading marketing and business minds. Najla Mazboudi, Managing Director of SPOTON Media Services and Events and founder of the Digital Media Forum, said: "We are delighted to bring the Digital Media Forum to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the first time, especially since the country has a predominantly young population that has made digital communications and social media a vital part of their everyday lives. Also it is the region's biggest market and the Kingdom's huge commercial and retail sectors have been quick to adopt digital media platforms to reach out and get close to consumers.” Founded three years ago with the inaugural event taking place in 2012 in Dubai, the DMF has already established itself as a must-attend event for anyone with a vested interest in the region's ever evolving media landscape. “Building on the success of our four previous events, DMF 2015 will be a fully integrated forum that presents the latest developments in digital media and offers delegates the opportunity to engage and network with each other,” said Mazboudi. “The wide variety of topics on the agenda will enable digital media stakeholders to embrace the latest thoughts and advances in brand engagement, advertising, audience involvement and community management.” DMF 2015 will include speeches, presentations, case studies and panel discussions by industry thought leaders and activists who will identify and examine the challenges and opportunities in a media world subject to constant change; show how to assess the impact of digital media and evaluate its effect on the bottom line; and explore ways to turn challenges into winning opportunities. Among the topics on the agenda for day one are Digital Customer Service Experience, Challenges to implement a Global Practice; Mobile: From Footprint to Fingerprint; and a panel discussion on coping with the speed of digital development. Day two will include a presentation on how integrate different digital media platforms for a successful marketing strategy; a presentation on a consistent measurement of audiences across platforms as the precondition for a successful marketing strategy; and a panel discussion on delivering the “right' digital experiences. The Digital Media Forum Jeddah 2015 is supported by a number of sponsors, including Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Digital Media Services (DMS) as strategic partners. Dotmena as Gold Sponsor. TRACCS is the PR partner for the event in Saudi Arabia. After the Digital Media Forum Jeddah 2015, the next big event in the DMF calendar will be the MENA Digital Awards (MDA) which will be presented at a gala ceremony on March 25, 2015 in Dubai. The MENA Digital Awards were first introduced in 2014 to promote digital innovation and media in the region and are the first awards to honor digital efforts in MENA. Coupled with the Digital Media Forum, the Digital Media Awards are the ideal platform to recognize excellence in the use of digital technologies and media, and honor the people and brands that are taking the communication industry into the future. — SG
