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November 22, 2022

Dubai PodFest 2022 fosters the podcasting

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, Dubai Press Club (DPC) held the Dubai PodFest 2022, the region’s leading event dedicated to podcasting.

The largest annual gathering of podcasters in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the second edition of the annual event brought together stakeholders from across the sector to exchange knowledge, strategies and ideas on accelerating the development of the podcasting sector in the region

Her Excellency Mona Al Marri, Vice Chairperson and Managing Director of the Dubai Media Council and President of the Dubai Press Club, said that Dubai places the highest priority on the development of the media industry. Driven by the vision of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for media growth, launched two decades ago, Dubai has built an infrastructure for the industry that rivals the world’s best. By providing a fertile environment for the growth of local, regional and international media, Dubai has emerged as a regional and global media hub, she added.

“Dubai is the future. As a city at the forefront of the growth of the region’s information technology and media sectors, Dubai is playing an instrumental role in tapping synergies between the two sectors to shape a new digital future for media in the region,” Al Marri noted

“The Dubai Press Club has established an extensive network of content creators in the Arab world, which has spurred industry engagement and collaboration. We will continue growing this network to nurture the development of the regional industry. We believe that Arab media is on the cusp of new era of growth, and Dubai is at the vanguard of shaping its evolution,” Al Marri said.
“Looking ahead to the future, we will work with prominent regional and international podcasters, and leading stakeholders in the sector to develop talent and raise the quality of Arabic podcasting content. We will also introduce a series of programmes and initiatives to support content creators in the region and create the ecosystem they need to thrive,” she added.

The second edition of Dubai PodFest started with a keynote address delivered by Dr. Maitha Buhumaid, Director of the Dubai Press Club, in which she highlighted the event’s objective of fostering a dialogue on catalysing the growth of podcasting in the region. “HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision continues to inspire the Dubai Press Club to launch new initiatives to enhance the skills and resources needed to promote media industry growth and generate compelling content that appeals to regional audiences,” she said.

Addressing an audience comprising of leading podcasters, audio content creators and representatives of podcasting and audio blogging companies, she said: “Your perspectives on how we can raise the quality of podcasting content and speed up development in the industry will help us develop new strategies and initiatives.”

Under the directives of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed, the Director of DPC also announced the launch of a new category in the Arab Social Media Influencers Awards titled ‘Best Podcast’. True to its status as the city of the future and the capital of Arab media, the introduction of this new category will catalyse creativity and excellence in regional podcasting, said Dr. Buhumaid.

“Dubai PodFest 2022 continues a dialogue that we initiated in the inaugural edition to explore new ways of positively transforming the podcasting landscape in the region. Inspired by the leadership’s vision, this event is one of a series of projects and initiatives introduced by the Dubai Press Club aimed at advancing the development of media in the region. We have a strong focus on empowering both established and aspiring podcasters with the tools and skills needed to create high quality content that has a positive impact on society.”

“Dubai PodFest aims to paint a clear picture of the Arab world’s podcasting sector and identify the vital drivers of its growth and development. Our meeting is a new starting point for combining the strengths of various stakeholders to shape a vibrant new podcasting industry,” Dr. Buhumaid added.

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