Pan Arab Web Awards celebrate and showcases excellence in web design and development across the MENA region

Zed Communications, 2010 Web Agency of the Year and Microsoft Best Website Award winner also takes six Gold, eighteen Silver and seven Bronze Awards across a wide range of categories

Zed's Managing Director, Robert Mitchell, highlights the exponential growth of digital and its positive impact in the MENA region

Muscat, 21 June 2010 - Zed Communications, the award winning integrated communications agency, has won the prestigious Pan Arab Web Awards (PAWA) 2010 Web Agency of the Year Award, and the Microsoft Award for the Best Website Built on Microsoft Technology. These coveted awards ware received by Zed together with a clutch of other awards at a glittering award ceremony held at Shangri La's Barr al Jisa Resort and Spa.

This year Zed Communications ran away with awards in two-thirds of the categories.  This included six Gold Awards in the categories: Digital Online Marketing Media; Directories and Information Services; Fashion and Art; Health Services; International Organizations; and Oil and Gas. Eighteen Silver Awards were taken in: Advertising and Production; Airline Services; Art and Design; Awards; Banks and Financial Institutions; Culture; Education; Entertainment; Hotels; ICT; Industrial; International Organizations; Media and Press; NGOs; Personal; Services; and Travel and Tourism. Finally seven Bronze Awards were received for Awards; Corporate; Sports; Financial Institutions and Insurance; Governmental Organizations; Real Estate; and Transportation. 

The special Award from Microsoft for the Best Website built on Microsoft Technology was presented to Zed for its work in Qatar for Commercialbank. The Bank has recently retained Zed for all its marketing communications, events and digital business and Zed opened a new office earlier this year in Doha.

Now into their sixth year, the PAWA Awards showcase innovation, creativity and technical excellence in the fields of web design, development and web management skills. An expert panel of judges examined a set of criteria that included concept and creativity; ease of use and navigation; content structure; visual design and aesthetics; and interactivity.

The awards are significant as the MENA e-sector fast gains momentum to emerge as the pivotal communication vehicle in the region.  Statistics indicate that since the launch of PAWA six years ago, MENA internet usage rose exponentially from 16 million to nearly 90 million taking more than a 5% share of the global market.

Zed's Managing Director, Robert Mitchell, explains how the Middle East is moving from a follower to a leader in digital innovation:

"We are fortunate to live here in a part of the world that is growing faster than almost anywhere else on the planet. The web itself is becoming Arabic. In what was a defining moment in the short history of the internet, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and UAE Vice President, was recently one of the first to register an Arabic web domain. And over 220 million people across the region, the majority aged under-20, are becoming the web's new digital natives."

Zed's own research across the MENA region shows that for social networking, video streaming and online search, MENA is well above global averages on every count. Robert Mitchell continues, underlining the importance of digital in a region that increasingly moving away from being a purely oil-based economy:

"The figures for internet usage will be driven forward by wise new investments across the GCC in mobile broadband, where communication, entertainment and information converge. Our sons and daughters will grow to inhabit a region no longer powered by oil and gas, but fuelled by knowledge. And local companies like Zed are proud to be a part of that important transition." 

-Ends-

ZED COMMUNICATIONS
Zed Communications was founded eleven years ago in Dubai and now has offices in Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, as well as a representative office in Oman; Zed is on course for further expansion across MENA and is now part of the Zabeel Investments group of companies. Zed offers fully integrated online and offline communications, from strategic positioning to experiential branding, to a growing list of national and international clients, from Saudi Arabia to Switzerland.  

For any media queries, please contact:
Charlotte Sherwin
Tel: +97150 708 4390/ +97150 151 3815
Tel: +9714 425 0336
Fax: +9714 425 0335
E-mail: charlotte@zed-communications.com

© Press Release 2010