Middle East businesses should give up the “sense of inferiority” and start depending on themselves to drive the creative side, an expert said.

This could save half the creative costs with double the impact for campaigns, estimated Guy Browning, Guardian Columnist and presenter of the recent London Business Forum in Dubai.

“The creative industry in the UAE, including the advertising sector, is on par with the international industry. In the past they needed international direction but not any longer so today,” Browning said.

“Dubai has succeeded in positioning itself as a brand and organizations operating from this evolving Emirate have imbibed a culture of creativity. Arab businesses are becoming creative because creativity output depends on creativity inputs and the inputs are valuable enough to have a good output.”

“Being from this market is an added advantage. Arab businesses have to start believing in their own capabilities instead of paying a high price for employing experts from other parts of the world,” he added.

Hany Mwafy, CEO, London Business Forum Middle East (LBFME), organisers of forum, said that the event attracted business professionals from both agency and client sides.

“Most notable attendees were the middle managers who are the backbone of the professional industry in the UAE,” he added.

Mwafy announced that the third international forum would be on the June 14 at Dubai Knowledge Village Conference Centre. – TradeArabia News Service