Obama campaign chief set to speak in Dubai

Roger Fisk, who played a key role in the election of US President Barack Obama, has been signed up to speak at the 20th Public Relations World Congress (PRWC), which is being held in the Middle East for the first time.

The event, which is being staged in Dubai from March 13-15, will also include speeches by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed, general manager of Al Arabiya TV, and Wadah Khanfar, former head of Qatar's Al Jazeera.

Addressing the core theme of the Congress, "From the Arab Street to Wall Street, Communications in the Age of Dialogue", the speakers will share their views on the changing political landscape, challenges and opportunities in the Public Relations sector in the Middle East and globally.

Roger Fisk started working on the Obama campaign in 2007 and managed a nationwide grassroots fundraising team that redefined modern political fundraising, and is now a presidential appointee in the Obama administration in the Commerce Department.

He will deliver the keynote address, sharing a ringside view of the Obama experience, how the aggressive use of social media has been revolutionised and how the Obama organisation is shaping up for re-election.

Al Arabiya TV’s Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed, who was previously the editor-in-chief of the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat, was one of the 2009 Time 100 Most Influential People in the world.

He is a board member of Foundation for the Future, an independent organisation committed to promoting civil society organisations in their efforts to foster democracy and human rights in the region.

Sunil John, chairman of the organising committee of PRWC Dubai and CEO of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, said: “What sets apart the speakers at the PRWC is that they bring insights that have been shaped by their personal experience working on some of the most defining moments in contemporary history.

"By sharing their views at the Congress, they will open up new channels of dialogue for the participants.”

A biennial event, the last Public Relations World Congress was held in 2010 in Lima, Peru. The first ever Congress was held in Brussels, Belgium in 1955.