Press Release: 1st May 2011
UAE’s first ‘Celebrating Marketing Week’ announced by
University of Strathclyde Business School
- 40th anniversary of University’s Department of Marketing to be marked by series of activities bringing together alumni, academics, practitioners and students
- Topics of discussion to include contemporary social media use and marketing practice in light of current Middle Eastern developments and sports marketing in light of the Qatar World Cup, 2022
- Competition to be held in association with Dubai One open to UAE-based undergraduate university students
To mark the 40th anniversary of its Department of Marketing, the University of Strathclyde Business School in the UAE has announced a series of activities running from 19 – 21 May, which will bring together the UAE’s marketing community. The Celebrating Marketing Week (CMW) event, the first of its kind to be held in the UAE, will feature a workshop, a panel discussion, and a competition held in association with Dubai One, alongside the first gathering of the Department’s alumni based in the Gulf region, and a talk to members of the British Business Group.
The events, most of which will take place at the University’s Dubai campus, will be free to individuals with an interest in the field. Focusing on the particular challenges faced by practitioners in the Middle East, guests will be addressed by a number of government and private organisations, including the Jumeirah Group, alongside academics from the University’s Marketing Department.
Shedding light on the topics for discussion at the event, Professor Kevin Ibeh, Head of the Department of Marketing at the University of Strathclyde Business School, said, “The series of planned activities reflect the Marketing Department’s commitment to leveraging its status as a leading international provider of marketing education to foster top quality discourse on some of the most topical marketing issues currently facing the Middle East. From the role social media and sports marketing in contemporary Middle East, to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm internationalisation, our Celebrating Marketing Week will open up debate on the future role and development of marketing throughout the region. Being the first event of its kind in the UAE dedicated to marketing, we hope to involve as much of the relevant community as possible.”
Addressing the Department of Marketing’s Gulf-based alumni during their first-ever gathering, Vice-President of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at the Jumeirah Group and Strathclyde MBA alumnus, Piers Schreiber, will be speaking on the CSR activities of the seven star Burj Al Arab hotel in a talk entitled, ‘“What does a turtle have to do with a luxury hotel brand”, whilst at a gathering of British Business Group members, Professor Kevin Ibeh will be giving a talk entitled “Winning in international markets”.
In addition to the intellectual debates, the University of Strathclyde will also be holding a one of a kind competition in partnership with Dubai One. Open to UAE-based university undergraduates, participating students will be required to develop a marketing campaign idea in line with Dubai One’s social media strategy and increase traffic to their social media websites. The idea should further a ‘social good’ and as such incorporate CSR. Taking place over the course of a day (Friday, 20 May), students will be briefed in the morning and have the afternoon to develop their ideas, with Strathclyde University’s teaching faculty and MSc Marketing students on hand to support. The student teams will then be required to present their ideas to a panel of judges. The team with the winning concept will earn themselves an internship with the marketing team at the leading, broadcast station, whereby they will get to turn their idea into reality.
Professor Kevin Ibeh added, “40 years of brand leadership is a truly wonderful milestone to attain, particularly as it offers us the opportunity to celebrate the pioneering and continuing contributions of our faculty, the growing impact of our alumni, and our strong links with businesses and other external partners. With the involvement of the wider marketing community alongside our own teaching faculty, we hope that the CMW event will provide an important platform for knowledge exchange as well as contributing to the development of marketing as a field in the region.”
The CMW event, which is also being used as a platform to announce the next intake for the University of Strathclyde's postgraduate MSc in Marketing programme in the UAE, will also include other academics from the Strathclyde Business School including Professor Alan Wilson, former Vice Dean (Academic) of the Business School and immediate past Head of Marketing Department, Dr Sean Ennis, Director of the Master’s in Marketing programme (UAE), and Dr Catherine Demangeot, CMW Programme Chair. Individuals interested in the MSc programme will be able to attend an information session on the course on Friday 21st May.
For more information and registration requirements please go here or download the CMW Flyer in PDF format.
University of Strathclyde’s Marketing Week schedule is as follows:
- BBG Marketing Focus Group talk. Prof. Kevin Ibeh, Head of the Department of Marketing, on “Winning in International Markets”. 7.30-9.00am, The Palace Hotel, Thursday, 19 May 2011
Contact: British Business Group
- Gulf Alumni dinner – Media Welcome. 7-10pm, Thursday, 19 May 2011, Khaimat Al Bahar, Madinat Jumeirah
An opportunity for Gulf-based alumni from the Department of Marketing to get together and celebrate the achievements of their department, network and establish more formal connection; an opportunity for all members of the Strathclyde family to celebrate their alma mater’s pioneering leadership and achievements in the Marketing field.
Contact: Sheena Mohideen, 04 208 9280, sheena.strath@hct.ac.ae
- Dubai One Student Competition. 10am to 5pm, Friday, 20 May 2011
Students to develop the best marketing campaign idea for Dubai One. The student with the winning concept wins a one month internship with Dubai One
Contact: Susan Frew, 04 208 9282, susan.frew@strath.ac.uk
- Roundtable Workshop on Marketing in the Middle East. 10am – 2pm, Saturday 21 May
An opportunity to get involved in practicing, researching, studying and teaching marketing at a networking and brainstorming session to share ideas about the special challenges and opportunities of marketing in the Middle East. Each table will explore a specific theme to then present key issues to a plenary session. The themes are:
- Social Media impact and taking stock after Tahrir Square
- Multi-cultural consumers, marketplaces and servicescapes
- Sports Marketing in light of Qatar 2022
- Islamic marketing and its relationship to other forms of marketing
Contact: Dr Catherine Demangeot, 050 531 9049, catherine.demangeot@strath.ac.uk
- The Strathclyde Dialogues: 40 years on, what role can marketing play in business and society? 4 – 6pm, Saturday 21 May
A panel of distinguished academics and practitioners will host the dialogue with the audience on whether marketing can play a larger societal role. Speakers will include Tim Walmsley from Impact Porter Novelli and Sam Husaini from Impact BBDO Abu Dhabi.
Contact: Dr K. Sankaran, 050 050 990 9405, sankaran@strath.ac.uk
- Ends -
Notes to Editor
For more information go to the MSc Marketing UAE home page.
The University of Strathclyde was established in 1796 as 'the place of useful learning' and this remains its mission today: to combine academic excellence with social and economic relevance. As 'the place of useful learning' the University is committed to the advancement of society through the pursuit of excellence in research, education and knowledge exchange, and through creative engagement with partner organisations at local, national and international levels.
The UAE campus, which was established 1995, has excellent, state-of-the- art facilities which will enhance the learning experience for the programme participants. Staff from the Business School have extensive experience of teaching in the Gulf region on the University of Strathclyde’s MBA programme since 1995, MSc in Marketing programme since 2008 and MSc Supply Chain and Logistics Management programme since 2010. The university has also forged strong links with many aspects of the UAE economy and has developed an understanding of the strategic imperatives for the marketing profession in this region.
Contact
For more information contact:
Maya Moussly on 0506342377 or mayamoussly@gmail.com
OR
Camellia Bojtor on 0501157726 or camellia.bojtor@hotmail.com
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The University of Strathclyde's Masters in Marketing has not only allowed me to expand my knowledge on the subject but also eliminate any misconceptions I might have had. The program has instilled in me the right skills and tools one needs to compete in today's market, thus allowing me to make the career change I needed in the course of the programme.
