Kuwait: Zain recently sponsored the Digital PR Forum, an informative event organized by the Kuwait Public Relations Association at the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST). The forum gathered notable consultants, academics, and experts from the PR and media fields, and came under support from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), and under the patronage of Kuwait PR Association’s Honorary President Sheikh Khalid Al Abdullah Al Sabah.

Zain’s support to this forum came to affirm the company’s active participation in academic and cultural gatherings that enrich various experiences and offer the public an opportunity to enhance their expertise in public relations, corporate comms, and media. These fast-moving industries were hugely impacted by the tech revolution and the accelerated development in technologies like AI, something the forum has tackled in great detail.

During the event, Zain joined a special panel to discuss digital corporate communications strategies and the emerging challenges organizations face in light of advancements in modern technologies. Maryam Al Musallam, Sponsorships and Events Team Leader at Zain Kuwait’s Corporate Affairs and Relations Division, showcased the company’s digital corporate comms strategy, and introduced its core pillars to the audience.

During the panel, Al Musallam shed more light on the core pillars on which Zain’s corporate comms strategy centers around: building and maintaining corporate relations with internal and external audiences, having strong media relations and active social media engagement, focusing on corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives to give back to the community, and enriching entrepreneurship and innovation in the community.

Maryam Al Musallam during the panel.

Through its continuous social presence, Zain reaches out to the community’s most vibrant sectors, including sports and youth, education and culture, the environment and sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship, charitable and humanitarian efforts, national initiatives, diversity and inclusion programs, and more.

The company’s comprehensive corporate comms strategy serves a number of goals, like connecting with members of the community, delivering Zain’s vision and corporate values, solidifying its brand presence, outlining a comprehensive crisis management plan, maintaining relations with the media, and more.

The Digital PR Forum aimed at exploring the latest trends and challenges of digital public relations, while working to introduce digital-ready workflows and recommendations for governmental and private institutions to help them better communicate with their audiences.

The event featured four insightful sessions, attended by media students and PR professionals. The first session, Managing PR Crises, was presented by Yousef Kazem, the official spokesman of the Kuwait Government’s unified e-services app, Sahel. The second session, Recent Global Trends in PR and Media, was presented by Dr. Ali Dashti, professor of PR and Media at Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST).

The third session, Managing Your Digital Reputation, was presented by Khalid Al Khulaifi, certified trainer and PR & media consultant. The fourth session, Modern Methods for Organizing Activities and Events, was presented by Jamal Al Nasrullah, Chairman of the Kuwait Public Relations Association.