Two days before the opening of the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006, Samsung Electronics, “Prestige partner” of the Games, opened the doors to its “Digital gallery” by hosting a ceremony for related officials and guests. Housed in the ASPIRE building, the Samsung Digital Gallery provides all spectators of the Asian Games the opportunity to explore and experience Samsung’s latest product offerings. “We’re very supportive of the Asian Games because this event allows athletes and fans from Asia to unify and share a common experience,” said Gyehyun Kwon, VP and head of worldwide sport marketing and global communications at Samsung Electronics. “With that spirit, we’re also thrilled to share with others the products and technology that has made Samsung a global leader.” Among the many guests present were Abdulla Khalid Al-Qahtani, director general of DAGOC, and Haider Farman, manager of the Asian Games from Olympic Council of Asia.
Sony Ericsson
The evolution of Sony Ericsson’s successful Walkman phone range took another step forward yesterday with the announcement of the W850i, boasting increased memory, the new Walkman 2.0 navigation software and a stylish slider casing. Sony Ericsson’s first GSM/UMTS “slider’, the W850i has been combined with the full horizontal mode camera experience and the latest Walkman player 2.0 for easy music download. “The W850i is really empowering our users to listen to what they want, wherever they are,” said Husni El-Assi, GM, Sony Ericsson, MENA. “This is particularly relevant for mobile phone users in the region who demand music that travels as much as they do. “Many people now have their existing music collections stored in MP3. The W850i allows users to identify and buy music in a new and spontaneous way hearing tracks they like, identifying them with TrackIDª and downloading them to the phone.”
Volvo
Zahid Tractor has launched the second generation Volvo S80 at the Modern Sweden Exhibition held at Serafi Mega Mall in Jeddah. “The all-new Volvo S80 reflects the Swedish high standards of design, quality, and safety,” said Alain Sykora, deputy director of Zahid Tractor’s automotive division. “The new car is equipped with state of the art, highly innovative, technologically advanced features that offer premium driving experience.” It is available in the Kingdom with the choice of three engines. The top of the line offers a V8 engine with an output of 315 HP with standard all-wheel drive power train with six-speed transmission. The 3.2 L engine and 2.5 L complete the new S80 range. As synonymous with Volvo, the new car features world-class safety including adaptive cruise control with collision warning and brake support, ensuring total control of the driver at any driving condition.
ARAMEX
ARAMEX, a provider of total transportation solutions, has won accolades in three categories at the First Annual Middle East Logistics Awards 2006 (MELA) that was held in Dubai recently. The awards are for “Best express operator,” “Entrepreneurship in logistics — outstanding achievement”, and “Personality of the year in land transport industry.” ARAMEX came out on top during the two-phase selection procedure of nominations and voting by the logistics community and clients in the region. It competed with 76 other international and regional companies in the three categories. The nominations, voting and results processes were audited by AGNMAK, the official auditors of the MELA 2006. Hussein Hachem, ARAMEX VP for the UAE and Oman, said: “We take pride in the fact that ARAMEX has continued to grow and succeed in a highly competitive global market where innovation and quality define the leaders.”
Landmark
Talal Dhulaimi, chairman of Landmark Public Relations, participated in the World Summit Forum, which was organized by the International Organization for Public Relations in London under the slogan “Trends of international media communications, crises management, corporate social responsibility, international PR campaigns and facing of clashes of civilizations.” Names of winners of golden awards of the International PR Association were announced alongside the forum. Landmark’s participation in the forum was in line with its efforts to get the latest PR strategies in building trademarks, facing of crises, planning and developing of international and regional communication means to take advantage of such expertise and experiences to the local market and to provide local clients with best solutions for marketing communications in the area of PR on international level and all of its various applications.
JEC
For the fourth consecutive year, Saudi Creative Communications Services (SACCS/TRACCS), a PR consultancy network in the Middle East, has been appointed by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry as the Jeddah Economic Forum’s (JEC) exclusive communications agency. Backed by four years of experience in handling PR for the forum, SACCS/TRACCS continues to raise the bar of excellence in surpassing its previous achievements. “Over the years, we’ve witnessed the evolution of JEC and have incorporated various learnings into the principles and disciplines we utilize in communicating the objectives and achievements of the forum,” said Mohamed Al-Ayed, president and CEO of SACCS/TRACCS.
ABC (BSC)
Arab Banking Corporation (BSC) as mandated lead arranger has said that it has successfully closed the 12.5-year $153 million syndicated debt financing facility for United Stainless Steel Company (USCO). The facility will be used to part finance the construction and operation of a 90,000 ton per annum cold rolled stainless steel mill in the Hidd Industrial Area, Bahrain. USCO will be the first cold rolled stainless steel producer in the region. ABC is the sole underwriter, bookrunner and facility and security agent. Syndication received strong support from the regional bank market and comprises ABS as mandated lead arranger; Commercial Bank of Qatar, Mashreq Bank, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, National Bank of Dubai and Qatar National Bank as lead arrangers; and Abu Dhabi Investment Company, National Bank of Kuwait and the EPEC Fund as arrangers. USCO was established in February 2005 and production is scheduled to start in April 2007.
MBC 3
MBC3 is celebrating its second anniversary this month, marking two years of dedicated TV broadcasting for its young viewers in the Middle East. “MBC3 has achieved outstanding ratings in a very short period of time, compared to the other similar channels in the region. Thirty percent of the youngsters in the Kingdom are now tuning in on a daily basis, making MBC3 one of the most successful channels in the Kingdom,” said Tim Riordan, director of channels at MBC. “We’ve been able to connect with our audiences all over the region, as the channel is offering informative and educational content that is appealing to children and gives their parents piece of mind.” Along with a host of special anniversary festivities, MBC3 will continue its public recruiting campaign in different Arab countries, offering viewers the opportunity to become an MBC3 presenter. The names of the station’s newest family members will be announced at the end of the campaign.
MCN
MCN Media, described as the largest media network in the Middle East, comprising Universal Media, Initiative Media and Magna Global, met in Bahrain at a “Road ahead” conference titled Quest 06, recently. Conducted at the Diplomat Radisson in Bahrain, Quest 06 was all about how the 170 media staff from across the region would ‘collaborate, create, and conquer’ the region’s fast growing media market. The conference was more than just a meeting of minds — the second day was entirely focused on media ‘innovations’ and the attendees were challenged with “hands-on” real-life case study assignments where they broke away in groups of 10 and then “pitched” against each other in a battle of fast forward thinking, creativity and team dynamics. Fadi Salameh, CEO and president, and Akram Miknas, chairman, were among those present. Salameh, in his inaugural address said: “We’ve an unprecedented blue chip client list. No one is anywhere near us. We’ve the world’s top brands, and the regions best clients and we’re consciously setting the standards in our commitment to continuous improvement.”
Ericsson
Ericsson has announced a new Global Service Delivery Center to be opened next year in Beirut. The new center will initially employ about 100 people and will serve regional and global customers. Its location in the Middle East means Lebanon offers a central position and cultural capabilities to Ericsson’s global organization. Its 17 universities delivering technical diplomas provide highly skilled, multilingual professionals who work across the whole region. The country also offers a very good climate for new company investments and establishments. “The business growth of the Middle East and Africa region impresses me”, says Fredrik T. Strand, vice president and head of service delivery at Ericsson. “We are a global company and our service delivery organization provides a global structure that includes local capabilities in order to meet our customer’s demands.” Initially about 100 persons will be employed during 2007, mainly engineers to deliver services in the areas of systems integration and network & technology consulting.
Abdul Latif Jameel
Abdul Latif Jameel Co. Ltd. recently celebrated its achieving several records such as the highest monthly sales of Camry cars and L-70 Toyota SUVs, general and accessories sales, besides the highest over-the-counter sales by any distributor for the month of November 2006. Katsuaki Watanabe, Toyota’s international chief executive officer, and a number of senior executives of the Middle East region were present at the occasion. The success of the company is the direct result of implementing its marketing strategies such as Toyota Way and “Kaizen” or continuous upgrading, with the aim of maintaining its top international standard. The ALJ is also continuing its efforts to achieve the top position in all the markets where it is present before the year ends. Watanabe had participated opening function of the new headquarters of the warehouse for spare parts for the central and eastern regions, a company press statement said.