Emirates Post Group hosts UPU workshop on how posts could expand into Direct Marketing services

Representatives from 21 postal corporations from Arab countries take part

Dubai, February 25, 2012:  A three-day workshop on Direct Marketing Development hosted by Emirates Post Group began today at Dubai Festival City Intercontinental Hotel, organised by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in collaboration with its Direct Marketing Advisory Board (DMAB).

The workshop aims to provide ideas on developing value-added direct marketing postal products and services in the Arab region. It is part of DMAB’s efforts to foster the growth of direct marketing through Posts.

The workshop was opened by Mr. Ibrahim Bin Karam, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Post Group. Welcoming the participants, Mr. Bin Karam said Emirates Post Group was pleased to host the UPU workshop that would offer new insights into direct marketing and how posts could develop new revenue streams by creating new products and services based on direct marketing.

Mr. Sami Al Alowedi, Vice President and COO of Saudi Post, and Chairman of DMAB, expressed the hope that the workshop would benefit the region’s posts and help formulate new plans for diversification.

Ms. Raquel Ferrari, Programme Manager, Direct Marketing and Stakeholder Relations, UPU, said the workshop would discuss how posts could find new solutions in the face of challenges from email, e-commerce and social media. She said web marketing was an area in which posts could diversify, and direct marketing was a segment that offered great potential. She urged the participants to use the ideas provided at the workshop to customize solutions to their respective markets.

Representatives of 21 postal operators from the GCC and MENA region are taking part in the workshop. The countries represented are Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen and Palestine.

The workshop is themed on “Direct Mail Guide for the Developing and Least Developed Countries ‐ In the Digital Age” with an expansion of its concepts to the larger direct marketing market. The objectives of the workshop are to promote the importance of Direct Marketing and develop domestic and international markets in the Arab region, grow direct marketing volumes and increase participation of designated operators in the market, promote value‐added direct marketing postal products and services, position Posts as a direct marketing channel and share information to facilitate the growth of direct marketing through partnerships between Posts and industry.

The workshop is supported by Bin Mansour Printing Press as the Platinum Sponsor and Electronic Documents Centre (EDC) as a Strategic Partner.