Tourism & Hospitality | Thursday 15 January, 2015 4:03 pm |

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) organized an interactive social media masterclass for stakeholders in the emirate’s tourism sector. Led by Rich Simmonds, world-renowned expert in the field of social media, the event witnessed the participation of representatives from various government agencies in Sharjah.

The masterclass came within the framework of SCTDA’s decision to prioritize the adoption of social media in tourism promotion in the emirate and expand communication with potential visitors from all over the world. It highlighted the importance of social media channels and their active role in the successful marketing of institutions and individuals.

H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Director General of SCTDA, said social media has become the most effective tool for direct communication with people, and has the potential to contribute to positive development of the community. It can therefore play an integral role in business development, H.E. Al Midfa added.

The Director General said SCTDA is keen to develop the expertise of its team through periodic training courses, workshops and intensive career support programmes. The masterclass by Rich Simmonds is expected to have a profound impact on the participants’ ability to deliver real value through social media, having equipped them with the right mechanism in the use of these channels, H.E. Al Midfa added.

Nasser M. Nasef, General Manager of Sharjah National Hotels, said: “Social media is one of the effective marketing tools for any company or hotel, and therefore we require more such workshops to improve its effectiveness. Social media should be handled by someone specialized in its use. Considering that social media can provide better access to markets, faster and more efficiently, it is possible to gain correct information about the target audience through the use of these channels. There is also a need to create a unified web platform for hotels.”

Nedal Al Rays, Manager of Al Khalidiya Resort, Sharjah, said: “This masterclass has provided us key insights into communication with customers using social media and how social media can help us identify their requirements. Social media can be a source of information about the true opinion of customers. We need to have a platform which brings together all the hotels and raise competition levels to provide the best services.”

The masterclass covered several topics, most notably social media strategies and the models and methods of their application. It also looked into the role of social media in successful communication and how social media can help companies to achieve sustainable communication. Useful insights were provided for companies on successful management of social media channels and how the number of followers can be increased. In addition, the masterclass enabled participants to view social media in a professional manner to achieve measurable results.

The masterclass also explained the methods to increase the emotional intelligence and develop social communication skills. Besides introducing innovative ways in employee marketing, the programme explained the right approach to CV preparation, highlighting the career potential and qualification.

Rich Simmonds figures in the Forbes Magazine list of 10 most influential individuals in social media in Africa, and in the list of 60 most influential people in the world. He has 330,000 followers on his own Twitter account and has written several books on the concept of social media, most notable of which is ‘Mug and Tweet’.