Brought to you by Dubai Production City for the third consecutive year, Dubai will host the 14^th edition of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) Middle East Conference convening more than 300 renowned experts from around the world in the media, printing and publishing industries.

His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance of the UAE, will deliver a welcome speech on the first day of the conference that is set to run from 6 to 7 March at Dubai Knowledge Park Conference Centre.

The expert panel of speakers will include Ruba Ibrahim, Head of Operations at Al Arabiya UAE, Ibrahim Badei, Chief Executive Officer of Dar Al Hayat, and Dr Alexandra Bordarcht, Director of Leadership Programmes at Reuters Institute, among others.

Titled ‘The Age of the Audience’, the event will provide publishing executives and other stakeholders an opportunity to gain insights into the latest regional and global trends in printing and publishing. The two-day event is set to attract, engage and empower journalists, stakeholders and policymakers and act as a learning platform for young innovative talent. This year, WAN-IFRA will highlight successful business models and the role of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) in driving digital revenues within media companies worldwide.

In support with WAN-IFRA, Dubai Production City – the region’s leading community for the printing, publishing, warehousing and events industries – anticipates showcasing the latest industry trends, creating awareness on best practices, and emphasising on the future solutions for media, printing and publishing.

Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Production City, said: “We live in a time where digital has taken over almost every industry and acts as an essential aspect of our everyday lives. There is no doubt that in a bid to keep evolving, the media and publishing industries have adopted new business strategies and models to meet the demands of their audience, offering a more digital-oriented approach. As part of our ongoing mandate, we always look forward to sharing industry knowledge and adding value to our business partners. This is the third consecutive year of our collaboration with the WAN-IFRA conference, and we are proud to lead this renowned event as part of our continued support to the publishing industry within the UAE and the wider region.

Mechthild Schimpf, Director of WAN-IFRA Middle East, said: “We are honoured to once again be in Dubai, which has been a vibrant and generous host throughout much of the 14-year history of this event. It is also a great pleasure to be continuing our partnership with Dubai Production City, which has provided tremendous support and assistance at every level each time we have worked together.

“Our goal for this conference is to be both the meeting point for the region's news media publishers as well as the place where they come together with their peers from around the world to exchange experiences and find practical solutions to the issues they share. This year, our special focus is the Age of the Audience, both in terms of how publishers can improve their relations with readers and provide them with more relevant content as well as getting that audience to realise high quality content is worth paying for.”

The conference will also include the Middle Eastern Digital Awards to recognise publishers that have successfully adapted to new digital media and mobile strategies and modified their product offerings to match consumer trends.