Leading Experts and Consultants Converge in Muscat at Oman Air’s
1st Communications Summit
Date: 29 Jan 2011
Defining a communications strategy and laying down a robust blue print was what Chief Officer Corporate Affairs, Philippe Georgiou, set out to achieve at Oman Air’s 1st Communications Summit which witnessed the coming together of more than thirty public relations and advertising professionals representing the Airline’s strategic global communications partners across the Airline’s network.
The Summit, a first of its kind, was inaugurated by H.E. Darwish bin Ismail Al Balushi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance and Chairman of the Executive Committee at Oman Air, who reiterated the importance of engaging stakeholders in addition to maintaining a long-term outlook and projecting a consistent brand image. “Communicating what we do and how we do it bears almost equal importance to our actual deeds and actions. It is only when our target audiences hear about our stories in an efficient and credible way that we develop their allegiance and loyalty,” said H.E. Al Balushi.
Georgiou stressed that communications is the linchpin of any organization’s image and reputation. “We are laying the foundations for the future of the Airline and transforming the way we communicate in a manner that fortifies the calculated growth Oman Air has undergone in the last twenty-four months and the ambitious expansion planned for the coming years,” he said.
“The Summit allowed us to effectively debate and brainstorm many ideas, concepts, positioning statements, communication messages, as well as address tools of communication, synergies and coordination. The benefits of this gathering are too numerous to count,” Georgiou stated. “The challenge now lies in filtering this information and firming up of our desired communications strategy to cultivate Oman Air’s core message of luxury, comfort and uniqueness of which I am confident our communications partners will take the onus to work tirelessly to propagate in their territories and build on the success we have achieved to date.”
In his keynote address, His Highness Sayyid Faisal bin Turki Al Said, Chief Operating Officer of Brand Oman Management Unit, highlighted the fact that “Oman needs to identify, promote and celebrate for example its offer in areas that include: tourism, business, logistics, manufacturing, shipping, education and IT and communicate and promote this to Oman-based residents, employers, international visitors and potential investors. Again, this is an area where Oman Air will play an important role.” He added, “By developing and communicating a strong national brand identity we can speed up development by attracting foreign investment and tourists. That, in turn, will increase Oman’s global influence and help domestic corporations grow. In this regard, Oman Air plays a pivotal role.”
During the two-day summit held at the Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Agencies appointed by Oman Air shared industry acumen and best international practices from their respective markets during highly interactive sessions in efforts to create synergy between advertising and public relations disciplines and build a niche and differentiating global positioning for the National Carrier.