The ME-IR Society's 6th Annual IR Conference in Dubai addresses the evolution and future of Investor Relations in regional markets

• Held under the patronage of regional exchanges; ADX, DFM, Qatar Exchange, NASDAQ Dubai, Muscat Securities Market and the Palestine Exchange
• Largest Investor Relations conference in the Middle East, co-hosted by DIFC 
• Entitled ‘IR 2020 – The Future of IR', conference will focus on the important role IR plays in fostering corporate transparency  and governance going forward
• Winners of the Extel  Survey IR Awards and Comprend Global Webranking to be announced

Dubai, UAE, 13th November 2014, Dubai: The Middle East Investor Relations Society's (ME-IR Society) 6th Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony will take place on the 27th of November in Dubai's DIFC. An unprecedented group of regional exchanges including the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, Dubai Financial Markets, Qatar Exchange, NASDAQ Dubai, Muscat Securities Market and the Palestine Exchange, have come together to support the conference, which is the largest IR focused event in the Middle East.

“The confluence of recent events - such as the passage of new legislation in the UAE compelling listed companies to have a dedicated IR function, Saudi Arabia opening its capital market to foreign investors, and the MSCI upgrade of the UAE and Qatar to emerging market status - further increases the strategic importance of Investor Relations,” commented Paul Reynolds, Chairman of the ME-IR Society and Managing Director at Rothschild. “This year's conference will look at what the future holds for IR in the Middle East; what role will it play in the years leading up to 2020 and how can it continue to benefit MENA capital markets as they become more significant players in the global emerging markets arena.”

This year's IR Conference has attracted international Investor Relations professionals who will share their knowledge on global best practice Investor Relations and case studies, addressing the following topics:

- The growing influence of global institutional investors on corporate governance, boards and IR
- The convergence of debt and equity IR
- The significance of global capital flows
- Developments in the regulatory environment across the region
- Managing investor expectations in a challenging operating environment
- The changing role of IR in primary and secondary market transactions
- Targeting global emerging market investors
- IR in times of protracted crises – example Arab Spring

Confirmed speakers include Investor Relations professionals from Deutsche Telekom, the number one Investor Relations program in Europe, Nobel Biocare (Switzerland), OCI (Egypt) as well as senior bankers and emerging market executives and investors.

The final session of the conference will be the 2014 Extel Survey IR Awards ceremony, recognizing those companies that practice the highest standards of IR as voted by buy- and sell-side organizations covering the Middle East.