Session III: Wednesday and Thursday, November 10 and 11, 2010
Digital Publishing: Resources and Potential for the Arab Region

The future of publishing worldwide depends not only upon an effective print strategy but increasingly on selling and marketing both print and electronic products online. This seminar, conducted by Peter Balis, Director of Digital Content Sales for John Wiley & Sons, one of the leading global trade and academic publishers, will instruct students on the electronic resources currently available and the market potential for Arab-region publishers to explore this enormously expanding area of opportunity. The professor will demonstrate a wide range of digital devices now available and will discuss how content is rendered across these devices. In addition, students will learn about content specific to standard cell phones and smart phones, including smart phone applications, and how the mobile platform can best be used in the Arab region. (Note: this portion of the presentation will be a thorough exploration of content consumers can read on a mobile phone as well as downloadable tools.) Other topics of discussion include online retail sites; the use and potential for digital libraries in the Middle East; the role of electronic products in academia (examples will range from basic textbooks to new modules of learning); and the use and potential for Print on Demand (POD) and POD-only publishing companies in both the consumer and institutional space. This two-day seminar will conclude with a discussion of social media marketing conducted by Farid Gasim, Director of Operations, Middle East & North Africa, Grafdom, UAE.