Content Congress

Content Congress will let you explore and provide insights into the changing media landscape and help you stay informed about the next era of television and video.

Here are some reasons why you should consider attending:

Learning and Knowledge: The conference sessions at congress will feature industry experts sharing their insights and expertise. By attending these sessions, you can expand your knowledge base, stay up-to-date on new and emerging trends, and gain a competitive edge over your competitors.

Networking: The congress provides an excellent platform to network with high-profile individuals from the global media community. You'll have the opportunity to connect with professionals who can offer valuable partnerships, collaborations, and business opportunities.

Exchange of Ideas: Engaging in discussions and debates around social and environmental responsibility in the media industry can help you broaden your perspective and gain insights into responsible business practices. These conversations can inspire you to make a positive impact and align your business with ethical principles.

Exclusive Access: By opting for the Premium Pass, you gain access to exclusive events and the networking lounge. These additional perks provide a more personalized and immersive experience, allowing you to have meaningful conversations, foster new relationships, and raise your profile within the industry.

Attending CABSAT with a Premium Pass offers a comprehensive package that combines knowledge, networking, and exclusive access. It's an opportunity to propel your business forward, stay ahead of the competition, and make valuable connections in the global media community.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • The Survival Game: Why Production Companies will need to think Tech to Survive & Get big
  • Hearing is Believing: Nailing the Podcast Production trend
  • Streaming Wars: Only Champions will survive
  • Digital Platforms: Scaling Audiences & Monetization
  • Explosion in Growth of Gaming in MENA
  • Finding Funding for Content: Mission Possible!
  • Accelerating the future of Content: Virtual Production
  • The Future of Social Media is Disrupting: How IP Monetisation on social media is outshining traditional media

SPEAKERS

  • Amanda Turnbull
    Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Rise Studios

  • Andrew Hill
    Director – Digital Entertainment, Etisalat by e&

  • Aravind Swaminathan
    Co-Founder, Calyx

  • Aref Abed
    Mobile Apps & Gaming Manager, mbc group

  • Ashok Namboodiri
    Chief Business Officer – International Business, Zee Network

  • Aus Alzubaidi
    Director of IT & Media Management, mbc group

  • Bashir Bashir
    Creative Director & Filmmaker

  • Bilal Dayani
    Chief Operating Officer, Eagle Films ME

  • Caroline Faraj
    VP, Editor-in-Chief, CNN Arabic

  • Catherine Mwangi
    Head of TV Production & Programming, Kenya Television Network

  • Crispin Dominic
    Founder, ACTION FILMZ PRODUCTIONS LLC

  • Darine Al Khatib
    VP - Film Production, Majid Al Futtaim

  • Dr. Adil Salih
    Head of News Gathering, Asharq News

  • Eugene Mbugu
    Film Producer & CEO, D&R Studios

  • Fagr Kassim Ali
    Director of Media Sector Development, Sharjah Media City

  • Farah Kreidieh
    Editor in Chief, Marie Claire Arabia

  • Fares Sayaegh
    CEO, ROYA Media Group

  • Farid Antoine
    Co-founder & Partner, 8zone Games

  • Grigory Lavrov
    VP Marketing, Local Brands & Franchise Management - CEE & MENAT, Warner Bros. Discovery

  • Hans Fraikin
    Commissioner, Abu Dhabi Film Commission

  • Heba Korayem
    Content Market & Distribution Specialist, H Consult

  • Jonas Michaelis
    Head of Operations - qibb, Techtriq GmbH

  • Karan Kabra
    Co-Founder, Reflexion AI Inc

  • Kevin Sebastian
    Head of Content and Partnerships, ITP Gaming

  • Lalit Vase
    Founder & CEO, Nasr eSports

  • Laura Buckwell
    Former News Anchor, Event Host & MC

  • Loubna Fawaz
    Head of Content- TV and Digital, CNBC Arabia

  • Maaz Sheikh
    CEO, Starzplay

  • Mai Elkhalifa
    Founder, All is Media

  • Majed Al Suwaidi
    SVP, Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, and Dubai Production City, TECOM Group

  • Manoj Mathew
    EVP & Territory Head - MENAPT, Zee Network

  • Mansi Oberoi
    Radio Host - Drive Time Presenter, Funasianetwork Big 106.2

  • Mariam Alserkal
    Founder, Triplets on Set

  • Marius Johansen
    Head of Content Operations, Curation & Programming (VOD), Shahid (MBC GROUP)

  • Mazen Laham
    Founder & Managing Director, Different Productions

  • Medhat Karam
    CEO, Shofha

  • Miguel Coutinho
    Head of Strategy, NDI

  • Mohamed Alenezi
    Head, Al Maha TV

  • Moon Baz
    Creator Partnerships Lead, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Meta

  • Moustapha Bekheet
    Founder & CEO, Pan Arab Media

  • Nathalie Habib
    Co-Owner & Executive Producer, Blink Studios

  • Nick Grande
    Owner, mena tv

  • Nitin Narkhede
    Founder & CEO, The Ally

  • Obeida Danhach
    CEO, Mediaquest

  • Philipp Glänzel
    General Manager – CTO, Qvest

  • Saeed Al Janahi
    Director of Operations, Dubai Film & TV Commission

  • Saeed Al Nofeli
    Director, in5

  • Saeed Sharaf
    CEO, eSports Middle East

  • Safa Aburizik
    Head of Series, MBC Studios

  • Saliee Waly
    Founder & CEO, S Productions

AGENDA

16 May 2023

11:30 - 11:40
Opening Remarks by the Moderator

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Laura Buckwell, Former News Anchor, Event Host & MC

11:40 - 12:00
Keynote Address: Why is Dubai the Cradle of the Regional Creator Economy?

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Majed Al Suwaidi, SVP - Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, and Dubai Production City, TECOM Group

12:00 - 12:25
Panel Discussion: Uniting Film Commissions, Technology & Tourism

The audiovisual product produced in a region is an enormous destination marketing tool. Film commissions promote not only the technical and human resources for filming in a locality, but also the landscapes, monuments, climate of the place and the capacity of the population to receive film crews. How are regions collaborating between the audiovisual production and the tourist sector? How are film commissions in the region helping virtual production studios?

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Laura Buckwell, Former News Anchor, Event Host & MC

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Saeed Al Janahi, Director of Operations - Dubai Film & TV Commission

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Hans Fraikin, Commissioner - Abu Dhabi Film Commission

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Fagr Kassim Ali, Director of Media Sector Development - Sharjah Media City

12:25 - 13:00
Panel Discussion: Will FAST Work in MENA?

  • Advertising on linear channels – understanding the evolving revenue models
  • Understanding the state of affairs for FAST and potential new business models
  • When will FAST business models start returning proper revenues in MENA?
  • The impact of FAST channels on entertainment
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Nick Grande, Owner - mena tv

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Fares Sayaegh, CEO - ROYA Media Group

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Stephen Hodge, CEO - OTTera

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Manoj Mathew, EVP & Territory Head - MENAPT - Zee Network

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Marius Johansen, Head of Content Operations, Curation & Programming (VOD) - Shahid (MBC GROUP)

13:00 - 13:10
NEXTGen Content Screening: Sneak Peek General Entertainment in MENA

13:10 - 13:50
Panel Discussion: Arabic Ramadan Series – A Multi-Million-Dollar Industry?

This session will highlight some of the region’s biggest suppliers of Arabic entertainment revealing how to produce high value Arabic series whilst entertaining millions of users around the MENA region during the peak viewing season

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Heba Korayem, Content Market & Distribution Specialist - H Consult

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Talal Al Awamleh, CEO - Arab Telemedia Group

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Bilal Dayani, Chief Operating Officer - Eagle Films ME

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Safa Aburizik, Head of Series - MBC Studios

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Mohamed Alenezi, Head - Al Maha TV

13:50 - 14:00
NEXTGen Content Screening: La Creme De la Creme of Arabic Entertainment

14:00 - 14:20
Fireside Chat: Case study: The Growth of Food Reality TV in the region

This session will delve into the Arab world’s obsession in reality tv and focus on the growing food show

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Moustapha Bekheet, Founder & CEO - Pan Arab Media

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Grigory Lavrov, VP Marketing, Local Brands & Franchise Management - CEE & MENAT - Warner Bros. Discovery

14:20 - 15:00
Panel Discussion: How the Internet Changed the Market for News Consumption

  • The paradigm shift of news production and delivery - Even as technologies like AI, the cloud and IP platforms free up talent while streamlining costs, reinventing news content remains a challenge
  • How are market leaders and syndication services constantly innovating to meet the dynamic needs of the viewer?
  • Understanding the massive transformation that Generative AI promises to bring to content creation
  • How is news being consumed by the audience? Are news agencies able to cater news delivery across mediums?
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Shireen Sethi, COO - Network 1 Media

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Loubna Fawaz, Head of Content- TV and Digital - CNBC Arabia

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Dr. Adil Salih, Head of News Gathering - Asharq News

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Aus Alzubaidi, Director of IT & Media Management - mbc group

15:00 - 15:20
Fireside Chat: The Golden Formula for Cutting Edge Docu-series

The journey to create content that gets people talking. From concept, casting, to production and post. Finding cliff hangers, creating a story arc, developing talent in front of and behind the camera.

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Moustapha Bekheet, Founder & CEO - Pan Arab Media

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Mazen Laham, Founder & Managing Director - Different Productions

15:20 - 16:00
Spotlight Panel: The Survival Game: Why Production Houses will Need to think Tech to Survive & Get Big

Let’s put this debate to rest – Tech has the greatest impact, from new cameras that allow cinematographers to shoot in higher definition to Post production where digital surpasses the usage of film. This session will highlight how tech is indispensable to produce the volume of films we do globally. Addressing the reality of AI changing the game for production houses

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Bashir Bashir, Creative Director & Filmmaker

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Crispin Dominic, Founder - ACTION FILMZ PRODUCTIONS LLC

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Eugene Mbugu, Film Producer & CEO - D&R Studios

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Karan Kabra, Co-Founder - Reflexion AI Inc

16:00 - 16:10
Closing Remarks by Moderator

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Laura Buckwell, Former News Anchor, Event Host & MC

17 May 2023

11:30 - 11:40
Opening Remarks by the Moderator

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Laura Buckwell, Former News Anchor, Event Host & MC

11:40 - 12:00
Revolutionizing Video Production Over IP

The revolution of video over IP in the broadcasting industry has unlocked new opportunities for content creators. This session will share insights of latest technology over IP used by major broadcasters, media companies, and educational institutions

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Miguel Coutinho, Head of Strategy - NDI

12:00 - 12:25
Women Power: Shattering the Glass Screen in Content Creation

The session stages leading women execs who are shaping content for the world, paving the path for the next generation and continuing the push for inclusivity. Busting the myths & stereotypes associated with women at the top. Delving into values to embody along the journey

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Catherine Mwangi, Head of TV Production & Programming - Kenya Television Network

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Amanda Turnbull, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder - Rise Studios

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Mariam Alserkal, Founder - Triplets on Set

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Mai Elkhalifa, Founder - All is Media

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Nathalie Habib, Co-Owner & Executive Producer - Blink Studios

12:40 - 13:10
Panel Discussion: Streaming Wars: Only Champions will survive

Competing for eyeballs! Overblown streaming services - where audiences have access to a media library of a size that could never imagine, who are the big streaming players? why & how are they winning?

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Sanjay Raina, Global Media & Entertainment Executive - Abu Dhabi Film Commission

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Tony Saab, SVP Content & Strategic Partnerships, - Starzplay

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Manoj Mathew, EVP & Territory Head - MENAPT - Zee Network

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Medhat Karam, CEO - Shofha

13:10 - 13:50
Panel Discussion: Content Partnerships in MENA: Trends in Co-productions, Commissioning, and Content Rights Sharing

  • The MENA content industry now is experiencing a big boom in premium content production. The key ingredient: the right partnerships and the right collaboration strategies driven by global post-pandemic shift in business models.
  • What partnership goals are the drivers of entertainment production and distribution in the MENA region seeking?
  • The importance of OTT/ Streaming platforms and their partnership strategies in driving the MENA content industry forward
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Heba Korayem, Content Market & Distribution Specialist - H Consult

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Darine Al Khatib, VP - Film Production - Majid Al Futtaim

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Tony Saab, SVP Content & Strategic Partnerships, - Starzplay

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Saliee Waly, Founder & CEO - S Productions

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Ashok Namboodiri, Chief Business Officer – International Business - Zee Network

13:50 - 14:00
NEXTGen Content Screening: The Best of Commissioned Arabic OTT Originals

14:00 - 14:20
Fireside Chat: How Social Media is Disrupting the Disruptors

  • Social media becoming the new search engines - How is social media consumption changing and how is the media industry adapting to this trend?
  • Gen Z and Gen Alpha are changing the way content is consumed – Is the media industry getting content creators to experiment with new monetization strategies?
  • Understand what Gen Z and Gen Alpha mean for the media industry
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Catherine Mwangi, Head of TV Production & Programming - Kenya Television Network

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Sasha El Jurdi, Head of Content Programming - TikTok MENA

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Moon Baz, Creator Partnerships Lead, Middle East, Africa and Turkey - Meta

14:20 - 15:00
Panel Discussion: Creating Children's Content Is the Secret Money-Spinner?

  • From podcasts, to real time animation production to girl groups & boy bands, why certain themes and technology saw & continue to witness big gains for kid’s content creation – How is Gen Z & Gen Alpha creating their niche for the TV industry in various markets?
  • What will children's TV look like by 2030? – Mapping out the future of what kids and tweens want from the media industry
  • What does this mean for the broadcast business model?
  • Addressing the growing concerns of making screen time valuable and safe for children
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Mariam Alserkal, Founder - Triplets on Set

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Yuliana Slashcheva, Chairman - SMF Studio

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Shadi Nashwan, CEO - Pixitoon

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Nathalie Habib, Co-Owner & Executive Producer - Blink Studios

15:00 - 15:10
NEXTGen Content Screening: The Best of Kids Content

15:10 - 15:20
Micro-Distribution on Blockchain – A New Model for Additional Revenue Generation & User Acquisition for Streaming Platforms

  • Micro-Distribution Monetization model built on blockchain for Community enabled Content sharing on streaming platforms
  • Strategy for promoting Subscription(SVOD) model
  • Exploring new models for Content sharing, User acquisition and subsequent monetization?
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Nitin Narkhede, Founder & CEO - The Ally

15:20 - 16:00
Spotlight Session: Gaming Industry: Is Media & Entertainment Gearing up for the Next Paradigm Shift?

  • The gaming industry in the MENA region is predicted to hit the $5 billion mark by 2025. The number of players in the three largest markets – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt – is predicted to hit 86 million by 2025. Global players are looking to enter this market with large investments.
  • As competitive video games continue to integrate into popular culture - global investors, brands, and media platforms are eyeing this segment. How are brands working with the esports ecosystem?
  • Growing audiences and increasing engagement – what are the routes to grow viewership online?
  • Are there opportunities for the Entertainment industry and esports organizations to capitalize on growing interest in gaming?
  • What is the future of content in the MENA esports industry?
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Lalit Vase, Founder & CEO - Nasr eSports

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Andrew Hill, Director – Digital Entertainment - Etisalat by e&

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Saeed Sharaf, CEO - eSports Middle East

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Aref Abed, Mobile Apps & Gaming Manager - mbc group

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Aravind Swaminathan, Co-Founder - Calyx

16:00 - 16:20
The Rise of Generative AI and its Implications for the Media Industry

Developments in Artificial Intelligence have a huge potential to transform media supply chains – not only tomorrow but already today. For example, OpenAI’s ChatGPT brought generative AI to public awareness by making its capabilities accessible for everyone. Since then, several industries and the public see a wave of innovation and product developments based on advanced AI models. In this presentation, technology specialists from Qvest and qibb delve into this advancement, highlighting how media companies in the MENA region and across the globe can benefit on the vast potential of generative AI.

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Philipp Glänzel, General Manager – CTO - Qvest

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Jonas Michaelis, Head of Operations - qibb - Techtriq GmbH

16:20 - 17:00
Spark Dialogue: Traditional vs New: Podcasts & the Radio Industry?

The distinction between a podcast and radio is blurred. Both are audio content with similar styles and more or less the same genre

  • Podcast Vs Radio – Schedule or on-demand content
  • What are the strategies to retain audience?
  • Monetization strategies and advertising effectiveness – broadcast vs podcast advertising
  • Let’s jot down the monetary gains: Given the financial goals, is it a huge risk to the creators and marketers of podcasts if it doesn’t deliver out as expected in comparison to radio?
  • The lowdown on the future of audio media

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Mansi Oberoi, Radio Host - Drive Time Presenter - Funasianetwork Big 106.2

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Sandeep Sud, Head Of Operations - KadaK FM

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Stefano Fallaha, Founder & CEO - Podeo

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Sunny Ahuja, Business Head - FunAsia

17:00 - 17:10
Closing Remarks by Moderator

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Laura Buckwell, Former News Anchor, Event Host & MC

18 May 2023

11:30 - 11:40
Opening Remarks by the Moderator

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Laura Buckwell, Former News Anchor, Event Host & MC

11:35 12:10
Arabisation in the 21st century

Evolution of Arabic content messages and quality, reasons driving demand, future growth avenues

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Saeed Al Nofeli, Director - in5

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Majed Al Suwaidi, SVP - Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, and Dubai Production City, TECOM Group

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Caroline Faraj, VP, Editor-in-Chief - CNN Arabic

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Obeida Danhach, CEO - Mediaquest

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Maaz Sheikh, CEO - Starzplay

12:10 - 12:40
Networking Break

12:40 - 13:15
Incubating a local gaming ecosystem

Benefits of setting up a game development company in Dubai, technical and legal requirements to grow local gaming market, the benefits of an integrated media/coding ecosystem in supporting local gaming market activity

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Laura Buckwell, Former News Anchor, Event Host & MC

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Saeed Al Nofeli, Director - in5

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Kevin Sebastian, Head of Content and Partnerships - ITP Gaming

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Farid Antoine, Co-founder & Partner - 8zone Games

13:10 - 13:20
NextGenContent Screening

13:20 13:30
Closing Remarks by Moderator

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Laura Buckwell, Former News Anchor, Event Host & MC

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