DUBAI — Senior marketing and communications leaders will explore such critical topics as the trust deficit, social change and innovation leadership at the Holmes Report's first Middle East & North Africa In2 Innovation Summit, taking place in Dubai on 21 February. The special early bird discount of $125 will expire on 24 January.

Speakers from Mubadala, ADNOC, Emirates, P&G, Vice, Facebook, Charisma Group and more will headline the inaugural MENA conference, which will focus on the role of public relations in the modern business, questioning how the industry can finally demonstrate its capabilities to marketers and shape the skills required of the PR professional of tomorrow. Those concerns are only heightened in an 'age of rage' that is typified by rising populism, fake news and the hopes and desires of a 'disrupted generation'.

The program for the event is now available here, including such sessions as:

  • Public Relations & The New Trust Equation 
  • New Media & Shaping Social Change for a Disrupted Generation 
  • Driving Innovation Through Leadership 
  • Challenging Conventional PR in the Region 

These issues will be discussed by a speaker lineup that includes:

  • Brian Lott, Mubadala chief communications officer
  • Omar Zaafrani, head of ADNOC group communications
  • Valerie Tan, Emirates Group VP of PR, social media and internal comms
  • Islam Rayyes, Vice Arabia editor in chief
  • Alex Malouf,P&G corporate comms and reputation manager
  • Ayman Al Zayoud, Charisma Group CEO
  • Travel blogger Haifa Besseisso
  • Ben Woods, Facebook EMEA director of agencies
  • Sunil John, Asda'a Burson-Marsteller CEO
  • Jason Gallucci, Edelman Middle East MD
  • Donya Abdulhadi, Weber Shandwick MENA strategy director 
  • Joe Lipscombe, Ogilvy PR MENA director of content

The conference will take place at the Renaissance Downtown Dubai Hotel, ahead of the PRCA MENA Awards at the same venue that evening. PRCA MENA (along with other supporting organisations including IPR and the IABC) members are eligible for special discounts via their member bodies.

The inaugural In2Summit MENA is being backed by numerous partners and sponsors, including Asda'a Burson-Marsteller, Weber Shandwick, Memac Ogilvy, Hanover and Edelman.

Tickets for the conference can be booked here at a special early bird rate of US$125 until 24 January.