Promax/BDA Arabia 2006 blends best of East and West

In announcing the agenda for the 2006 meet, Carmen Alzner, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Promax/BDA EMEA, said: "The opportunity to share creative ideas and approaches, problem solve with the brightest minds in our industry and learn from the successes of others is greatly valued among our members. Providing access not only to the leaders in marketing, promotion and design, but also to the professionals who have a deep understanding of specific geographic and cultural markets, enhances our industry's ability to influence audiences while also advancing individual expertise, which ultimately, are the goals of the Promax/BDA EMEA organization."

On Tuesday, 14 March, Promax/BDA Arabia 2006 opens with welcoming coffee reception followed by a full day of panel presentations and speakers. On Wednesday, 15 March, the full day's conference agenda concludes at 16.30 with the presentation of the Promax/BDA Arabia awards and post-awards celebration.

Among the speakers participating at this year's event are:

Farid Chehab, Chairman/C.C.O. Leo Burnett Network, MENA
The co-founder and current Chairman and CCO of the Leo Burnett network in the MENA region, Farid Chehab, along with Raja Trad, oversees the company and its creative output. Under his direction, Leo Burnett MENA has reached and maintained dominance of the creative market, setting the standards and changes through 25 years of close collaboration with multi-national clients, as well as setting the bar for the creative expectation of both clients and advertising agencies in the Arab World.

James Gilbey, Creative Director, Discovery Networks Europe, Middle East & Africa and Maurizio Vitale, Vice President of On-Air Operations, Discovery Networks Europe
Addressing multi-channel growth and development in the Middle East, Gilbey and Vitale will look at the Discovery Channel's intention to partner with local networks and production companies to create strong local talent pools spanning production, programming, sales and marketing. The duo will also examine factual entertainment as a new genre, particularly in relation to audiences hungry for education and entertainment, as well as Discovery's cultural sensitivity.

Martin Lambie-Nairn, Chairman/Creative Director Lambie-Nairn,UK
Cutting through the clutter, Lambie-Nairn will examine how to distinguish your channel as a means of surviving in a post-digital world, including the impact of a channel's nature, its environment and the challenges it faces in this 'survival guide' session.

Graham McCallum, Creative Director, Co-Owner, Kemistry, UK
A popular speaker at various industry events, McCallum will share his thoughts on brand theory as well as his experiences from his early working days in the design department at BBC Television to founding London's McCallum, Kennedy, D'Auria and the continuing success of his now decade old agency, Kemistry.

Peter Kent , Creative Director, Co-Founder, Foster Kent/Music Imaging, Austria
Get ready for a 45 minute trip around the world of radio promotion as Peter Kent examines sound design and music production while also sharing his experiences working with such companies as ORF, ARD, DRS, Gazprom-Media and RTL to name just a few.

Andy Bryant , Director, Creative, Red Bee Media,UK
Mining the wisdom of thought-leaders in the television and advertising industries during his 20 years of experience working in the advertising industry in the UK and Australia, Andy Bryant will show us some of the revolutionary creative work produced through new collaboration models.

Andrea Bednarz , Head of Design/Co-owner, Velvet Media Design,Germany
Andrea Bednarz spent five years as the head of graphic design at Germany's ProSieben before forming her own design firm with partner Matthias Zentner, working with networks from Arte and CNN International to Indonesia's TPI and Telemadrid. Bednarz will examine rejection, from pitching the idea to following the client's brief, in an effort to increase your opportunities for success.

Anthony Ryman , Managing Director, Grow Advertising, Quatar
Anthony Ryman shares his years of experience in branding as well as a long track record of success working in the Middle East to this year's Arabia conference.

Ziad Jarrar, Head of Business Relations, Spotmedia, Saudi Arabia
Having brilliant ideas is one thing, selling your ideas is another. Ziad Jarrar shows us how to make the client "live the idea."

Joerg Zuber , CEO, El Cartel, Germany
Using diverse examples from a variety of agencies and clients from both the classic advertising field and TV design companies, Joerg Zuber will show you how to open you mind, your spirit and your brain as well as destroy creative blocks while taking the audience to another world.