Tribune News Network
Doha
Snap Inc. hosted its first-ever summit in partnership with Qatar’s Government Communications Office (GCO) in Doha, bringing together C-level advertisers and marketers from various government entities and businesses.
This was Snap’s first event in Qatar after it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Qatar’s GCO in August this year and announced its plans to open a new office in Doha to cater to its highly engaged community in the country.
With insightful and informative sessions, the event served as a platform for Snap to upskill Qatari businesses on the power of Augmented Reality (AR) and how they can reach their customers effectively through Snapchat’s tools and services.
The event was kicked off with introductions delivered by Director of GCO HE Sheikh Jassim bin Mansour bin Jabor Al Thani on Snap’s value as a strategic partner for Qatar and the benefits local businesses can gain from this collaboration.
Sheikh Jassim said, “Digital transformation is a priority for Qatar and we believe our recent strategic partnership with Snap can help us achieve this ambition. Through this collaboration, we aim to advance Qatar’s efforts in uplifting the digital economy. As more businesses go digital, leading platforms like Snapchat can empower brands to engage with dynamic technology such as AR for creative and commercial uses and ultimately contribute to the overall vision of the country.”
This was followed by a welcome speech by Hussein Freijeh, general manager, Snap Inc. MENA, highlighting Snap’s commitment to supporting and collaborating with local partners and businesses in Qatar and the wider MENA region.
Freijeh said, “We are constantly exploring new ways to provide businesses with innovative tools that help them understand their customers better and consequently create personal, tailor-made interactions for them. We are delighted to host our first-ever summit in Qatar and work with local partners and businesses, ultimately contributing to Qatar’s growing and vibrant digital landscape. We will continue to develop such mediums for business entities to come together and exchange views on the marketing trends influencing their respective industries.”
Will Scougal, global director, Creative Strategy at Snap Inc. EMEA, shed light on Snapchat’s core value proposition, the vision for the camera, the role of visual communication on the platform and the content ecosystem, ultimately supporting Qatari brands with their local communication needs and introducing Qatari brands to the world.
Interactive sessions were held throughout the day to shed light on relevant topics for marketers in the Qatar market with the goal of helping them understand the massive opportunities to advertise on Snapchat through authentic and innovative formats.
Apart from Snap and GCO leaders, the summit witnessed participation from different partners and leaders. The event concluded with closing remarks from Hussein Freijeh, who discussed the way forward for advertisers and marketers in the ever-changing digital landscape and how they can harness communication tools to ensure consistent user engagement.
