Max Clifford to speak in Dubai

Clifford, whose past clients include Jimi Hendrix, Muhammad Ali, Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando, said of PR that: 'It's interesting, stimulating, challenging and ever-changing and it's infinitely preferable to having to work for a living.'

Clifford started his career working in the press office of EMI Records in London, and was tasked with promoting a little known band from Liverpool called The Beatles. He has since gone on to form his own PR agency, MCA, which has never had to pitch for business.

'We're delighted to be bringing Max to Dubai for the first time and we're looking forward to sharing his insight and experience as part of the lively debate we're intending to provoke across the two-day conference,'

said Tim Addington, editor of Campaign Middle East.

The conference, being held alongside the Media and Marketing Show, is to run from the 27th-28th November and will bring together leaders from the region's media, marketing and public relations industries, including influential figures such as Antoine Choueiri, chairman of the Choueiri Group and Joseph Ghossoub, world president and chairman of the International Advertising Association and CEO of The Holding Group.

The conference, supported by Dubai Media City, The GCC Advertisers' Association and MEPRA, the Middle East Public Relations Association, will cover topics as diverse as how public relations can increase its share of marketing spends, building effective agency/client relationships and the future of the online, print and TV markets in the region.

In a first for the Middle East, delegates at the conference will also hear results of a region-wide employee satisfaction survey bring run by leadership and employee motivation specialist The Core Group. The study, which will focus on media, marketing, advertising and PR industries, will examine how happy people working in these respective industries are in their jobs.

'This conference is a key event, taking place as it does alongside an important exhibition in the city that has become firmly placed at the very heart of the Middle East marketing and communications industries,' said Walid Akawi, CEO of conference organisers ITP. 'It promises to be a lively event that will help to define our industries moving forwards.'

The Campaign Middle East Conference 2006 will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, starting with registration at 12.30pm on the 27th November.