Printing and Publishing Group intensifies campaign to strengthen GCC's printing and publishing industry

The move is based on recent research, which reveals that the UAE printing industry will enjoy a 12 per cent growth rate during the next three years as newspaper circulation and print ad spending continue to sharply increase. The same growth trends have also been predicted for the GCC region, inspiring PPG to expand the coverage of its initiatives.

"Economic growth has led to the increasing importance of the printing and publishing industry. The rising and broadly diverse population has also been a critical factor; as there are now an expanding number of publishing houses that publish various newspapers, magazines and other printed material that cater to various reading preferences," said Mazen Haj, Managing Director, Printec Printer's Resources.

In the GCC region, Saudi Arabia leads newspaper circulations with a projected expansion of 5 per cent, while the UAE is projected to have 1-2 per cent growth rate during the next few years. Moreover, in the UAE, there are now over 500 printing houses scattered all over the country, while ad spending in the print media recorded a remarkable 70 per cent increase in 2005 with AED 2.15 billion in expenditures.

According to industry experts the surge in printing and publishing activities has been fuelled by various development projects all over the region. In Dubai, construction of a large number of hotels and mega malls has required an equally large number of printed materials used in various purposes such as advertising collaterals, newsletters and various related publications. In the rest of the region, the same mega developments are taking place, providing a strong foundation to the steady growth of the printing and publishing industry.

"PPG is committed to support this growth by creating initiatives that promote quality and excellence, which we believe will be the cornerstones of a stronger and more reliable printing and publishing industry that will cater to a more global market," said Tarek Jawharji, CEO, Color Lines Group.

One of the programs PPG has initiated to realize its objectives is the Dubai Print Award, which is organized under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The Dubai Print Award has been conceptualized to provide players in the print and publishing industry a suitable venue for benchmarking and cultivating a culture of quality and excellence.

For the Dubai Print Award's second edition, which boasts of an awarding ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on January 15, 2008, PPG has expanded the competition's coverage to include the whole GCC region and not just the UAE's printing and publishing sector. There will be 21 categories with winners to be given gold, silver and bronze awards. Moreover, there will be six new categories: Bahrain Award, Kuwait Award, Oman Award, Qatar Award, KSA Award and UAE Award.

"PPG will never stop innovating and searching for new ways to improve the standards and strengthen the printing and publishing industry. The success of our initiatives, such as the pioneering Dubai Print Award, shows the degree of our commitment to developing programs that proactively support the progress of the industry," concluded Jawharji.