Following the success of the first edition of the SmartCity Malta Forum, which brought Maltese and UAE based education institutions together, and saw the establishment of a Dubai-based company in Malta, SmartCity hosted the second edition of the SmartCity Malta Forum. This edition titled, Malta Media Industry – Gateway to the EU and North Africa, focused on creating alliances between companies in the media industry from Malta and UAE.
The forum, which brought together Maltese and UAE advertising agencies, production companies and the film commissions of the respective countries, was held on Monday, 12th November at the Dubai Knowledge Village. The objective of this networking event was to assemble media firms with common business interests and together explore new opportunities and collaboration in overseas markets such as the EU and North Africa. Malta and Dubai are expanding dynamically in the media sector having attracted various productions and new business from neighboring countries. Both countries have a common ground of being a sought after destination for filming locations, Malta hub for the EU and North Africa and Dubai hub of the Middle East.
Susan Ronald, Manager at the Malta Film Commission who gave an overview of the film and TV industry in Malta, as well as the incentives offered by Malta for foreign direct investments in the media industry said that “this was a well thought out and excellent networking opportunity where all those present had the opportunity to discuss the various synergies and opportunities that can be created by Maltese and UAE companies to explore different markets. Given its strategic location, infrastructure and the successes it has had in this sector, Malta can be a gateway for companies from the GCC countries to tap into EU and North African countries. As a representative of the Malta Film Commission it was extremely beneficial to meet the Commission’s counterpart in Dubai and exchange ideas about the industry. During our discussions with the Dubai Film Commission we discussed the challenges being faced by our industry given the onset of the digital globalization and how we can collaborate to create opportunities for both countries. During our visit we have also had the opportunity to meet with various representatives from Dubai Media City and key players from Dubai knowledge village and explore new opportunities from which we are hoping to see results in the coming year.”
Film Commissioner, Peter Busuttil said that “While this forum was taking place in Dubai, the Malta Film Commission was concurrently hosting a series of training sessions on media production and location management at SmartCity Malta. This underlines the importance that both the Malta Film Commission and SmartCity Malta is giving to the needs of the local film industry.”
Speaking about this event SmartCity Malta, Chief Executive Officer, Fareed Abdulrahman said that “Yet again The SmartCity Forum has succeeded in creating networking opportunities that connect both countries with common business interests. Our objective for the SmartCity forums is to facilitate partnerships and help Maltese and UAE companies access new markets and drive business growth. As a result of the success of these knowledge based industry focused forums, Smart City will be hosting similar meetings where we will be targeting different knowledge based industries and create opportunities for them to network and collaborate.”
The Chairman of the Dubai Film and TV Commission, Jamal Al Sharif said that “it was extremely interesting and beneficial to meet the Malta Film Commission and other industry players from Malta. We have discussed various ideas which we hope will result in new business opportunities for both Commissions. During the forum we also discussed Malta’s rich historical filming locations, and Dubai’s diverse location settings and superior production facilities. With such complementary resources at our disposal, we believe we can cooperate to create win-win situations from which both countries can achieve growth in this sector. The Dubai Film and TV Commission, established in May 2012, actively pursues partnerships with other Commissions and associations to promote greater media production in Dubai.