A Missed Opportunity

Arabad, since its founding during the turbulent mid–eighties of the last century, has with pride and passion played the role of platform for the communications industry. For those who might suffer from periodic amnesia, the magazine has marched hand in hand with top brass and the thousands of the beautiful creative men and women of the advertising industry. The magazine has celebrated the victories and withstood the setbacks of advertising and its engines and dynamics. Arabad considers itself an active partner with tens of communications gurus and has contributed in the vast and plentiful field of the media to the success of many talents and projects. This, however, is history and is on the record. Therefore our disappointment was doubled when contrary to past cooperation, encouragement and partnership, when none of the active personnel who were invited to attend the Arabnet Beirutx Ad/edge Forum, showed up to participate in the vital and timely discussions. Arabad invested lots of hard work and effort to arrange for top speakers to crown the event. Some of the speakers represented reputed institutions, like The Financial Times and Le Figaro to name a few, who introduced the audience to their new monetization strategies. Most speakers shared with the new generation how to venture into the new world of technology and financial advances that will guarantee a jump into the future and consequently prompt change and the means to embrace that change. How can one not feel empowered to raise the marketing game by hearing from those who are doing it best? Another masterly sparkling keynote by Chief Innovation Officer at Vice, provided a fascinating insight into how to create fame for brands by cultivating their path in digital and enter the cult of extreme innovation. The action-packed one-day forum saw cutting edge presentations and panel debates where leading brands and industry thought leaders debated the latest in tech, data and creativity.? All of us agree that change is essential in this fast-changing world of high-tech business and it is often wonderful when we come together and have discussions that are geared towards impacting the industry positively. Remember that scene in Dead Poet’s Society when Robin Williams made his students stand on a desk to get a fresh perspective? Or consider why so many businesses have meetings off site. It’s because it’s easy to find ourselves in a rut. Sitting in the same chair, in the same office (or cubicle) or in the same coffee house, can keep us from fresh thinking and new ideas. Breaking out of our comfort zones is just the type of action we need to take to break out of old ways of thinking that have got us in a rut in our businesses. Based on all the above, Arabad is saddened not to have welcomed every member of this flourishing industry to attend and benefit from such a precious opportunity. The question, unfortunately, will linger, hoping that the industry has a satisfactory response, reaction or rejection.