More than 200 representatives from Saudi Arabia’s advertising and media industries gathered at the Connection Jeddah 08 conference in Durrat Al Arous Resort earlier this week.

The participants discussed the opportunities and future of online advertising.

The event was organised by Connect Ads, the online media agency of Internet Solutions provider LINKdotNET, and by MSNarabia, one of the leading portals in the Middle East, in conjunction with Microsoft.

The event strived to combine business with pleasure for the delegates. In the relaxed surroundings a number of social activities were stress busters to the main business of the day - a networking platform for key industry players aimed to highlight the growth potential of online advertising, its advantages versus traditional media and the innovative marketing opportunities that Connect Ads and MSNarabia have to offer.

It was the biggest event of its kind in Saudi Arabia and was the first of what is planned to be an annual event. Similar conferences take place in Egypt with plans for the event to spread to other countries in the GCC in the near future.

“As Internet penetration in KSA increases and a bigger proportion of work and entertainment moves online, advertisers are increasingly realizing the competitive advantages of online advertising,”said CEO of LINKdotNET Karim Beshara.

“It is one of the most powerful, measurable and cost-effective channels to convey a brand’s messages today.”

LINKdotNET Saudi Arabia manager Hesham El Beih said that even though this was the first year for the Connections Jeddah event, it proved to be a huge success.

'We see this as a reflection of the growing interest in online advertising and its increasingly important role within the advertising world.  Connect ads sales in Saudi Market have doubled in 2007 compared to 2006.

'We have even bigger plans for the conference next year and we hope to position it consistently in the long run as the most important event in the local advertising industry,” he added.

Connects Ads is the exclusive media agent for advertising on MSNArabia, which has been developed jointly by Microsoft and LINKdotNET. – TradeArabia News Service