Abu Dhabi Media Summit Announces Additional Co-Chairs And Programme Details

H.E. Mohamad Khalaf Al-Mazrouei, and Edward Borgerding, Chairman and CEO respectively of Abu Dhabi Media Company, announced today the programme for the Abu Dhabi Media Summit. The invitation-only inaugural Summit, under the patronage of H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, will be held at the Yas Hotel from March 9th-11th 2010.

The Summit has been created by the Abu Dhabi Media Company to reflect the emergence of Abu Dhabi as a global media hub. The programme features a unique combination of high-profile sessions, closed-door discussions and private conversations, bringing together top-tier global media players and their counterparts in fast-growing markets.

H.E. Mohamed Khalaf al Mazrouei, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Media Company, commented on the Summit:
“The inaugural Abu Dhabi Media Summit will bring together media leaders from every continent to the UAE Capital. Our programme of events and discussions reflect both our region’s immediate media industry ambition, and longer-term opportunities for the sector worldwide. We believe that this summit will become one of the most important industry forums of its kind anywhere in the world, reaffirming Abu Dhabi’s place on the new global media stage.”

Delegates have been invited from a broad cross-section of business sectors, including mobile, broadband, broadcast, publishing, entertainment, news, music, advertising & marketing, venture capital & equity finance. Abu Dhabi is geographically located at the nexus of East and West, making it an ideal meeting point for media players from around the globe.

Day one will be made up of key discussion sessions debating globally salient media issues; 10 of the Summit’s co-chairs will take part in the sessions. In the morning, Dirk Meyer, President & CEO, AMD, will be discussing the pace of technological change. Didier Lombard, Chairman & CEO, Orange, will discuss smart phones and mobile trends. Dr. Prannoy Roy, Executive Chair, NDTV, will discuss expanding the reach of Television. In the afternoon, Tim Armstrong, Chair & CEO, AOL, and Jon Miller, CEO Digital Media, News Corp, will delve into the next wave of Web-based business models. James Murdoch, Chair & CEO, Europe & Asia, News Corp, will join a discussion on media investment and growth.

Day two will focus on geographic media trends. Three Summit co-chairs will be joined by experts to lead discussions on China, India, the Middle East and global media issues. In the morning, Kai-Fu Lee, Chair & CEO, Innovation Works, will join a discussion on radical new media in China. Maurice Levy, Chair & CEO, Publicis Groupe, will contribute to a conversation on building brands in a fragmented media world. Kishore Lulla, Chairman & CEO, Eros International, will discuss the burgeoning media scene in India. In the afternoon, Karim Sarkis, Executive Director of Broadcast, Abu Dhabi Media Company, will round off the discussion sessions with a conversation on the rising star of Middle Eastern media.

Dirk Meyer, president and CEO of AMD commented on the forthcoming event:
“The Abu Dhabi Media Summit represents an unprecedented gathering of global media and technology leaders enabling the next wave of innovation that is poised to drive global media. I’m proud to be a co-chair at this seminal event in one of the world’s fastest growing markets for technology and media.”

For details of attendees of all the discussion sessions see the full Summit schedule in the notes to editors below.

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