Dubai - MENA Herald: H. E. Butti Saeed Al Ghandi, Second Vice-Chairman of the Dubai World Trade Centre inaugurated today the 8th edition of the Big Entertainment Show (BES) which is held at Hall 7 & Hall 8 in the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The Big Entertainment show is a vibrant event that embraces three specialized event, which are “MYCONTENT”, “Dubai International Brand Licensing Fair”, and “Dubai World Game Expo”, and it attracts TV broadcasters, digital game developers, creative agencies, investors and licensors from all parts of the world to the Middle East.
Following the opening ceremony, His Excellency toured the exhibition area accompanied by a number of key official and industry leaders where they were introduced to the latest technologies and developments in the fields of online games, brand licensing, franchise, animation, and TV and film productions.
On the sidelines of the opening ceremony, Eng. Anas Al Madani, Vice - Chairman and Group CEO of INDEX Holding said: “The Big Entertainment Show has become to be one of the largest and most important specialized events in the Middle East for the television and entertainment content industry, electronic games, and brands licensing. This year, BES presents the ideal opportunity for local content creators and producers to participate with their contents and introduce them to the local and international markets. We are also expecting a number of large business deals to be sealed during the event between major production companies and television channels.”
The event’s agenda features a number of activities including the Entertainment Content Summit Licensing Seminar, and the Franchise Seminar. A huge number of local and international speakers will present their latest findings and research in those fields. The summits will bring forth recommendations to tackle challenges in this growing industry. The sessions will also create a great platform for businessmen, investors, and leaders of this industry to discuss the latest updates and productions at a time where the worldwide market for entertainment content is growing at a considerably fast pace, including the Middle East Market.
MYCONTENT’s agenda features this year also a number of new activities such as: Producers Pavilion, Format Pitching Competition, Hosted Buyers Program, B2B Matchmaking services, and several workshops and seminars aiming at supporting local talents to succeed in this field.
Commenting on the importance of MYCONTENT to the Arabic Market, Mr. Youssef El Husseini, Consultant for MYCONTENT said: “Based in Dubai, the major hub for pan Arab channels and the business center of the Arabic media, MYCONTENT is the main annual business forum for the media industry in the Arab World. In addition to featuring TV, film, and other content providers, this year’s event will include Arabic creative industry (producers and creators) marketing their products, and opening up a new realm of business opportunities.”
“A very important new addition to MYCONTENT this year is the format competition. MYCONTENT 2015 edition is supporting Arab creators and content owners by creating a format competition for non-scripted programs, the winner will be able to produce a high budget pilot and secure a chance to market and promote his or her format.” Added Mr. Youssef El Husseini
About the participation of Sout Alqahira in MYCONTENT, Mr. Mohammed Al Omari, CEO of Sono Cairo/Sout Alqahira for Audio and Visual said: "We aim, through our participation in MYCONTENT for the first time, to enhance the opportunities for cooperation with the Arabian markets in particular, and the global markets represented in the United Arab Emirates, which has become a melting pot for global markets in the Middle East."
Held in conjunction with MYCONTENT, The Dubai International Brand Licensing Fair (Licensing Dubai) is the Middle East’s only brand licensing marketplace featuring a vast collection of properties and brands. The Dubai International Brand Licensing Fair agenda will include the Hosted Buyers Program that will allow key retailers, distributors and manufacturers from the MENA region to network with the exhibiters in the show and close major licensing deals.
About the importance of Licensing Dubai, Eng. Anas Al Madani announced: “The retail industry in the GCC region specifically and the Middle East region generally is witnessing a boom at a steady pace due to a positive mix of economic, social, and demographic factors, which give rise to the purchasing power, and as a result influence the investors confidence. This being said, it manifests the importance of Licensing Dubai, which is considered one of the prominent local fairs, devoted to franchising and licensing of international brands. This year, we witnessed various participations from numerous parts of the world, like USA, Japan, Korea, Philippines, and Europe and we are expecting some major business deals to be signed during the event.”
Parallel to the exhibition, the licensing Seminar and the Franchise Seminar will be held to discuss key topics such as Introduction to Licensing and The Rise of Brand Licensing in the MENA Region and its Effect on Retail.
About their participation in the exhibition Mr. Fayez Al Sabagh, President of the Arabian Licensing Company, said: “Through BES this year, we are proudly announcing our agreement with Spacetoon to exclusively broadcast the New Alvin & The Chipmunks series on SpaceToon Kids TV channel. The title has reached top ratings in Nickelodeon USA and Europe, having the huge push from the great successes in previously launched movies and songs. To empower the brand exposure and open the way for licensees to enjoy this great brand, ALC has been assigned as exclusive Licensing agent in the MENA region.”
Mr. Fayez Al Sabagh added: “In order to serve the MENA market with the best brands that are widely exposed and trending around the world, Arabian Licensing Company (ALC) is representing in the Big Entertainment Show the top rated brands around the world, providing brands for different tastes, categories and age groups.”
From his side, Mr. Abdullah Hamed, Founder of GameTako said: “In this year's Dubai World Game Expo we are finally able to see how this region can be a leader in storytelling, a leader in interactive entertainment, and a beacon of creativity. Developers from across the world should learn from everyone present at the DWGE, learn from them, share their knowledge to everyone they meet, support one another, and together grow an industry and the community together.”
The Big Entertainment Show witnesses a remarkable participation from more than 130 companies from 55 countries like the UAE, South Korea, China, Egypt, Bahrain, Mexico, Argentina, Russia, Lebanon, Morocco, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, France, Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Sweden, Turkey, the United States and Japan. In addition to that, the event will host national pavilions from Philippines, South Korea, Malaysia and Kingdom of Morocco.
The Big Entertainment Show (BES) is scheduled to run until 4th of November, 2015, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre – Hall 7 & 8. It is organized by INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions Organisation Est. – member of INDEX Holding, and it is supported by the Dubai Festivals & Retail Establishment (DFRE) - Modhesh World, International Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association, Gulf Radio & TV, and Arab Asian Entertainment Content & Licensing Alliance.
