DUBAI MEDIA CITY SET TO BRING EXPERIENCE OF FACILITATING EAST-WEST DIALOGUE TO DUBAI STRATEGY FORUM Dubai Media City one of six Organising Partners; Leading media personalities join Forum to discuss reg

In its role as a key organising partner of the second Dubai Strategy Forum, Dubai Media City (DMC) is set to bring to the table its international experience in promoting interaction and dialogue between media organisations from around the world, according to its chief executive officer, Abdulhamid Juma.

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DUBAI MEDIA CITY SET TO BRING EXPERIENCE OF FACILITATING EAST-WEST DIALOGUE                                                     TO DUBAI STRATEGY FORUM
Dubai Media City one of six Organising Partners; Leading media personalities join Forum to discuss region comprising 31 countries; one third of world population

DUBAI: September, 2002
In its role as a key organising partner of the second Dubai Strategy Forum, Dubai Media City (DMC) is set to bring to the table its international experience in promoting interaction and dialogue between media organisations from around the world, according to its chief executive officer, Abdulhamid Juma.

He confirmed that leading members of the global media corps. are to play a key role at the meeting scheduled to be held in Dubai October 28-30 2002, : Dubai Media City would like to bring to the Dubai Strategy Forum its experience in facilitating communication and dialogue between the East and West through the numerous media channels open to us."

The Forum has already secured the presence of a number of notable media voices, including Robert, International Editor of Fortune magazine; Hameed Haroon, chief executive and publisher of Pakistans leading house and daily news title, Dawn and Douglas Holmes, editor of E-government News," he advised.

The 'open debate meeting has also attracted the interest of more than 40 leading government, business and academic leaders set to attend as speakers representing the interests of 31 countries across North and East Africa, Central and South Asia, and the broader Middle East, including the Gulf States. The region represents a third of humanity and has a combined GDP of $1.5 trillion.

Dubai Media City, with the full support of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defense, has proven its position as a forum for productive interactions between media institutions from around the world. We believe that we will be able to make an important contribution to achieving the goals of the Forum, which are based on open dialogue, discussion and debate."

Juma stressed that DMCs role as an Organising Partner of the Dubai Strategy Forum 2002 is key in meeting its objective of playing a guiding role in the interaction of Dubai and the greater region in global media communications, relations and activities.

We are keen to be involved as the 'media specialist of the Dubai Strategy Forum in the creation of a strategic plan that will inspire and guide the future of the greater region.

We are particularly excited by the scope of this years Forum, under the banner, 'Creating Networks of Growth, which we view as a significant step in the creation and implementation of opportunities for development in this vast region of ours," he added.

Progress, he said, cannot be achieved in isolation. In the knowledge economy, growth is built on partnerships and collaborations. Countries in this region need to interact meaningfully with the developed world and its institutions. One of the key means of facilitating this interaction is the media."

In addition to DMC, the meeting has also interested other leading brands on board as Organising Partners to help steer the Forum in achieving its goals.

These are : ENOC, a leader in upstream and downstream activities in the oil and gas sector; Emirates, the UAEs national airline; the GCCs leading English newspaper, Gulf News; National Bank of Dubai, Dubais national bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers, the international firm of auditors and business advisors.

Activity sponsors include : Booz Allen Hamilton; General Motors; Jumeirah Beach Residence; Mashreq Bank; Oracle and Visa.

In the year and a half since its opening Dubai Media City has grown into a community of 450 media companies and 3,000 knowledge workers that include over 170 freelance media professionals. Media giants like CNN, Reuters, Sony Broadcast and Professional, CNBC, Bertelsmann and Lowe Worldwide have established their regional headquarters here.

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About Dubai Media City
Strategically located in Dubai at the crossroads of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Dubai Media City is rapidly emerging as a global media hub. The City provides an advanced infrastructure and supportive environment for media-related businesses to operate globally out of Dubai. Dubai Media City is the place where every kind of media business, specifically - Broadcasting, Publishing, Advertising, Public Relations, Research, Music, New Media and Production and Post Production, will thrive. The facility offers an environment that allows companies and individuals to operate with collective synergy and freedom. Dubai Media City - The Freedom to Create

For further information please contact:
Amira Abdulla
Assistant PR Manager
Dubai Media City
Tel: +971 4 3914578
Fax: +971 4 3914589
e-mail: amira.abdulla@dubaimediacity.co.ae
web: www.dubaimediacity.com

Editors Note on Dubai Strategy Forum :
The future of a regional population, comprising 1.8 billion people, 31 countries and a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimated at US$1.5 trillion, will be tabled at the second annual Dubai Strategy Forum in Dubai from October 28-30, 2002.
The Forum will bring together government and business leaders, along with key representatives from academia, media and civil society, to engage in open dialogue, discussion and debate about the challenges facing the region. The region incorporates North and East Africa, Central and South Asia, the broader Middle East, including the Gulf States.

His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, is scheduled to play an active role at the three-day Forum, earmarked to attract almost 1,000 participants.

The first day of the three-day event will focus on governance and what countries can do to facilitate economic growth and address the issues confronting the region. Day two will spotlight business and economic issues. The final day sees learning, innovation and technology under the spotlight, as well as a panel discussion on the future of the region.

For more information and registration to Dubai Strategy Forum 2002, please visit the Forum website at www.dubaistrategyforum.ae or call +9714 -- 3166622.

Dubai Strategy Forum PR Representative : Susan Furness, tel 97150 6556126, 9714 3915391 email susan@dubaistrategyforum.ae

For further information on Organising Partners visit: Dubai Media City www.dubaimediacity.com; Emirates www.emirates.com; ENOC www.enoc.com; Gulf News www.gulfnews.com; National Bank of Dubai www.nbd.com; PriceWaterhouseCoopers www.pwcglobal.com/me