Industry leaders convened at Doha’s Museum of Islamic Art for UM Qatar’s flagship annual event, exploring AI’s transformative impact on media and marketing excellence.


Wednesday, November 05, 2025, Doha, UAE: UM Qatar, part of UM MENAT, hosted its annual industry event, The AI Advantage: Redefining Marketing Excellence, at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. The flagship gathering convened senior marketing leaders from across the region alongside global technology partners to explore how AI is transforming marketing strategy, media optimisation, and audience engagement.

Hanan Tabsh, Managing Director, UM Lower Gulf, opened the event, underscoring UM commitment to advancing AI-driven marketing innovation across the region. The programme featured insights from UM MENAT leadership team and strategic partners, addressing the practical application of AI in modern marketing.

Keynote presentations from UM MENAT’s leadership – James Dutton (Chief Products Officer), John Tippins (Regional Strategy Director) and Rohan Eden (Head of Digital, UM Qatar) – explored AI as a growth engine, the evolution from experimentation to competitive advantage, and emerging trends in AI-driven media. Fireside conversations led by UM MENAT’s Abdelnabi Alaeddine (Regional Director – Digital and Partnerships) with SQREEM Technologies and Channel Factory explored AI-powered audience intelligence and media optimisation, while a panel discussion with Infobip and Qatar Foundation – featuring an AI-powered F1 driver – examined conversational marketing. The day concluded with an AI hackathon, where participants transformed strategic concepts into actionable marketing applications, demonstrating the practical value of AI in solving real-world marketing challenges.

“What we witnessed was a clear signal that the GCC marketing landscape is at an inflection point,” said Hanan Tabsh, Managing Director, UM Lower Gulf. “Marketing leaders are no longer asking whether to adopt AI, but how to leverage it for competitive advantage. The appetite for transformation – from audience intelligence to personalised experiences to measurable outcomes – has never been stronger. Our role is to equip them with the expertise and tools to turn that ambition into reality.”

View the event highlight reel: https://youtu.be/Ge8NBFeabUE?si=CUJyBfiQhgAZt7OR