Action Qatar has handled media relations for many events this year, but definitely the most prominent event in our calendar so far was the Qatar International Business Forum (QIBF) which took place on May 17 & 18 at the Ritz Carlton.  The QIBF is a prestigious event hosting high-profile women from all around the world who have excelled in the region in economic, political and social fields. The forum took place under the auspices of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.  It paid tribute to a quartet of prominent regional personalities: H.E.  Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, the Chair of the Emiri Diwan ; H.E. Dr Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, Secretary General – General Secretariat for Development Planning in Qatar; and Members of Parliament,  H.E. Mrs Bahia El Hariri from Lebanon  and Ms Suhair Al-Ali from Jordan. It is not the first time that Action has handled events celebrating women’s empowerment; we have previously worked on the 2008 Qatari Businesswomen Award and Corporate Ambassadors’ Forum that experienced a huge success in Qatari society.  We really enjoy working with people who are making such an impact on society. Despite tight deadlines (of just a few days) and a number of last minute requests, 3 members in our Doha team were able to gain coverage in the local and regional media prior to the event, prepare media materials in both Arabic and English, draft newsletter for the forum, organise around 15 press interviews with key personalities and prepare for managing the media on the day of the big conference on May 17th.  At the same time, we ensured the correct messages were communicated, as well as achieving the right balance when translating into Arabic to address any sensitivities to the issue of women’s empowerment. It was a challenging project due to the time constraints, but it was extremely satisfying for the whole team. It was very successful, with around 40 media attending, including Al Arabiya channel, Al ‘An TV, CNBC, Al Bayan and Arab Women & Business magazine.  In the end this is what PR is all about – getting the best results for the client in the required timeframe.