GCC Government Social Media Summit returns for 4th year running with key focus on leveraging Social Networks to Drive Government Innovation and Create Smart Cities

Dubai, UAE – 3 June 2015: The much anticipated GCC Government Social Media Summit (GSMS), now in its fourth year, has today announced that it will return to Dubai, 16 – 17 September 2015. The summitcontinues to be the most important,educational and business-driven social media platforms for the government sectorin the MENA region. 

The key theme of this year’s summit will be “leveraging social networks to drive government innovation and create smart cities”.The event will attract more than twenty industry leading speakers and over 250+regional and international communications and social media experts, decision makers and executives from the government sector.  

Due to positive feedback received on last year’s workshops there will be eight sector-specific, interactive and educational workshops led by world class social media trainers. The workshops will include: Social Media for Local and Federal Government, Education, Tourism, Recruitment, Financial Services, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Healthcare. 

The summit will also feature six high level keynotes and plenary panel discussions, key topics to be discussed include: Global Social Media Best Practices, Innovation in the Government use of Social, Content Gamification in the Government Sector and Social Media Data Analytics and Measurement alongside 15 GCC government case studies.

The importance of using social media in government has shot to the top of agenda across the region following the recent Arab Social Media Influencers Awardspresented by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. At no other time has social media been more prominent in the GCC and now is key turning point for the way government’s move forward in their communication strategies.

Dr Aisha Bin Bishr, Assistant Director General at the Executive Office and a member of the Executive Committee of Smart Dubai initiative said, "In the GCC, mobile phone and internet usage rates are one of the highest in the world. As a result, social media usage is going to continue to rise exponentially, and the government sector should continue learning to harness its potential to drive exceptional customer service. Personal impact has to be at the centre of any technology used by governments for it to be meaningful."