Marketing Communications Undergraduates from UAE in Singapore on a learning mission.

Singapore, 2 February 2007 - 17 young Emirati students, all female undergraduates from Zayed University (ZU) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are in Singapore this week on a learning mission. Hailing from the College of Communication and Media Sciences, they arrived Monday afternoon with 3 chaperones. Associate Professor, Robert Gulovsen, who is accompanying the ZU students said, “At ZU, international trips are part of the curriculum to expose the students to different cultures and how people live and conduct businesses in other parts of the world. ZU students have in the past visited the BBC in London and CNN in Atlanta.” The ladies are first-time visitors to Singapore and many are also travelling on their own, without their families for the first time. “We hope to acquire a good understanding of the market here in Singapore and are grateful to the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents, Singapore (4As) for helping us arrange a significant part of the trip,” added Gulovsen. “We hope to provide them insights on how our sector operates in this region, and also the role Singapore plays as a key regional hub. We have arranged for them to visit various stakeholders in the value-chain and learn through a series of presentations, case studies and hands-on experience working on a research tool,” said 4As Executive Director, Chua Bee Hong. “With the growing interest in the Middle East, this visit will provide an opportunity for us to learn each other, foster ties and build relationships with future marketing and advertising leaders in the Middle East,” added Chua. Since their arrival, the group has visited the Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communications & Information, National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), Ogilvy and Mather Advertising, Ogilvy & Mather Public Relations Worldwide and the Singapore Press Holdings. They will be visiting OMD Singapore and The Conference Connection today before heading back to UAE on Sunday. Media Contact: Sarah Tang, Tel: 6836 0600, Email: sarah@4as.org.sg About Zayed University (ZU) Zayed University was established in 1998 by the federal government to educate UAE national women. Both ZU campuses in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are governed by a single administration and offer similar programmes. ZU is organised academically into five colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business Sciences, Communication and Media Sciences, Education, and Information Systems. About 4As (Association of Accredited Advertising Agents, Singapore) The Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Singapore was founded in 1948. Better known as the 4As, this non-profit trade association represents advertising and marketing communications practitioners, agencies and related businesses in Singapore. The 4As works in close co-operation with other related trade associations, schools and government bodies to nurture talent and to improve the stature and prominence of the advertising and marketing communications industry. Among the key events organised and promoted by the 4As are the Singapore Creative Circle Awards or the Gong Show; the Students Creative Awards, commonly known as The Crowbars; and the Singapore Media Awards.