Bates PanGulf holds groupwide annual workshop on integration

Designed to foster teamwork and collaboration across the geographies and disciplines, the workshop at Al Raha Beach Resort Hotel in Abu Dhabi put the combined resources of its more than 130 employees to work for a virtual tourism promotion campaign.

Speaking about the workshop, Bates PanGulf Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Avishesha (Avi) Bhojani said: "The annual offsite workshop, the 11th in our history, reflects our agency's strong interest in integration of the disciplines. It's not only a learning curve for our Human Capital but also provides them a platform to demonstrate their disruptive and innovative thinking abilities, the foundation of BPG's Statement of Purpose ."

He added: "Bates PanGulf has always fostered teamwork and employee development, which is evident from the workshops and training sessions that we conduct regularly. We are constantly looking at ways of harnessing and further developing the quality of our end product; be it creative, strategic or tactical."

This year's offsite workshop is part of the series of initiatives by BPG for its team members, which includes programs on team building, effective selling and presentation skills, techniques on idea generation, simulation modules and campaign planning.

Added Avi: "BPG's unique blend of talent and expertise, backed by a 'can-do' execution capability, is committed to offering disruptive and integrated communication solutions and is geared towards building significant competitive advantages for our clients in the future. Such workshops are a reflection of commitment to the development of the group's human capital."

Guests and keynote speakers at the workshop included Bill Royce, Director Corporate and Public Affairs of Burson-Marsteller, London; Paul Bell and Mark Turnbull of Bell Pottinger Consultants; as well as Mark Read, Director of Strategy at WPP Group and a key advisor to WPP's CEO Sir Martin Sorrell.

Mark Read said that integration was key to WPP's growth plans in the Middle East as it will further strengthen the non-advertising business, which is expected to be the growth driver in the region: "WPP expects strong growth in non-advertising businesses in the region, with revenue growing faster here than in other parts of the world. Integration is the way forward as it clearly meets the needs of our clients. With its annual workshop solely focusing on integration, Bates PanGulf is paving the way for expansion."

Stressing the importance of the region, Mark Read confirmed that WPP is planning to hold a board meeting in the Middle East next year.

Focusing on a campaign to promote Abu Dhabi as a tourist destination, the three day event was attended by over 130 professionals from five markets in the Middle East who are responsible for client relationship and creative development across BPG Advertising, BPG PR, Healthworld PanGulf, Premiere PanGulf, PanGulf Media and 141 PanGulf based in Dubai, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait and Baghdad.

Four out of eight campaigns were shortlisted and presented to the judging panel headed by Mr. Ali Al Hosni, Head of Marketing at the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority. The winning campaign "Real Arabia" got the highest score from all judges including Mr. Abdulla Majed Al Ghurair, Chairman of Bates PanGulf Group; Mark Read of WPP and Paul Bell of Bell Pottinger Consultants.

Bates PanGulf Group, headquartered in Dubai, delivers measurable business results to clients through a full range of consulting and communications disciplines.