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Dubai Media Council hosts knowledge-sharing session with senior Serbian govt officials

Mona Al Marri said the visit paved the way for a new phase of bilateral collaboration in media and strategic communications

The Dubai Media Council today hosted a knowledge-sharing session with senior Serbian government communications officials as part of the Serbian delegation’s UAE visit. Organised at the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO), the session was part of the two nations’ endeavours to strengthen their relations by exploring opportunities for bilateral cooperation and exchange of expertise and best practices in government excellence with a focus on future-focused sectors, including media and strategic communications.

At the beginning of the session, Mona Al Marri, Vice Chairperson and Managing Director of the Dubai Media Council, welcomed the Serbian delegation and highlighted the importance of the visit. She said the visit paved the way for a new phase of bilateral collaboration in media and strategic communications. She underscored Dubai’s keenness to share its domain expertise and document how it translates its leadership’s vision to make Dubai a global media hub.

Al Marri said the Dubai Media Council is keen to implement the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to boost collaboration in various sectors, including the media sector, which is one of the leading sectors to promote this drive further. She said Dubai had successfully reinforced its status as a regional media hub and constantly strived to collaborate globally to keep pace with the industry’s technological and professional evolution.

During the session, Nehal Badri, Secretary General of the Council, gave a presentation highlighting the roles and objectives of the Council. She said that the Council is tasked with enhancing strategic relations with local, regional and international media organisations and overseeing programmes, projects, and initiatives to further promote the development of Dubai’s media sector, among others.

The session also covered the GDMO and highlighted key projects and initiatives implemented through the various departments of the Media Office, including Dubai Press Club (DPC), Strategic Media Affairs (SMA), and Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the GDMO.

During the session, DPC’s Director, Dr. Maitha Buhumaid, highlighted key events and activities of the DPC, including Emirati Media Forum, Dubai PodFest, Arab Social Media Influencers Summit, and Arab Media Forum, the largest regional media gathering which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year.

Alia Al Theeb, Director of the GDMO’s Strategic Media Affairs Department, discussed the key tasks of the departments in terms of further raising GDMO’s status as the primary source of reliable news and information related to Dubai and its leadership. She also shared the GDMO’s experience in media crisis management, highlighting its collaboration with the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai. Al Theeb summarised how the GDMO successfully handled crisis communication during the Covid-19 outbreak, liaising with local and federal entities to maintain the flow of accurate information and supporting the UAE’s recovery from the pandemic in a record time.

Shaima Jassim Al Suwaidi, Director of Brand Dubai, presented how the GDMO keeps pace with global trends in harnessing strategic communication as a form of soft power, especially since Dubai is a hub for professionals from more than 200 nationalities and a key tourism and investment destination.

At the end of the session, the Serbian delegation expressed their appreciation of the presentations, which they considered an inspiring model to follow in terms of media and strategic communication.

Following the session at the GDMO, the delegation visited Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), where it was welcomed by Chief Content Officer Salem Belyouha, Chief Commercial and Partnership Officer Abdulwahed Juma, Director of News Centre and Editor-in-Chief of Al Bayan newspaper Saud Al Derbi, General Manager of TV Channels and Radio Sarah Aljarman, Director of Digital Media Khadija Al Marzouqi and Director of the News Centre Reem Al Marri.

Team DMI briefed the delegation about the news organisation’s operations and local, regional and international news coverage through bulletins thanks to its network of correspondents worldwide.

The delegation also visited Dubai Media City, where it was welcomed by Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, and Dubai Production City. The delegation was briefed about the media free zone that hosts 4,000 companies and serves as regional headquarters for many media establishments.

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