Trans-Arabian Creative Communications (Traccs) has won the prestigious IPRA Golden World Award 2008 in the travel and tourism category for its campaign for Dubai Summer Surprises, the region’s leading summer entertainment event.

The regional agency, which operates in every market in the Middle East and North Africa and celebrated its first decade in business this year, is the only public relations practice from the Middle East and North Africa to win the coveted international award in any category in 2008.

The campaign created by Traccs for the Dubai Shopping Festival Office, organisers of Dubai Summer Surprises, introduced two innovative programmes that aimed to effectively raise awareness of the signature summer event in external markets across the region with a humanitarian and educational focus.

The first programme devised by the agency was the launch of the Modhesh Goodwill Tour across six markets in the region, where the lovable mascot visited severely handicapped and terminally ill children in hospitals and care centres.

The programme, which immediately preceded the grand opening of DSS, generated sympathetic front-page coverage across the region and made DSS a talking point in Gulf societies.

The second programme created and introduced by Traccs was the Dubai Summer Surprises Apprenticeship Programme, which brought university marketing students from seven countries across the MENA region to Dubai for an intensive professional exposure to the largest and most successful summer entertainment event.

Again, the programme generated major media interest and has established an institution within DSS which in 2008 is set to go global! 

“The Golden World Award is a wonderful affirmation, not only of the work our agency has been able to do but also of the Dubai Shopping Festival Management Team,” said deputy managing director of Traccs in Dubai Majdi Al Ayed.

Traccs management is due to receive the award in a gala ceremony in London which will draw global PR agency leaders and practitioners. – TradeArabia News Service