The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Three years ago, Egypt witnessed the launch of Narrative PR Summit, and a month ago we gave you, our loyal readers, a small snippet of what to expect during this year’s edition. The first edition of “Narrative Disruptors Summit”, organised by CC Plus and Victory link is in town. The summit aims to showcase the role of leading disruptors in today’s digitised econonmy, i.e. the game-changers of various industries. 

The summit  will be home to several engaging talks on a wide array of topics. More specifically, the summit will discuss how technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship are the catalyst of growth in several areas; from art, culture, hospitality, to technology, entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion. As such, there is much to look forward to at the first edition of Narrative Disruptors Summit; indeed, the event not only looks to highlight the region’s change-makers, it also seeks to enlighten audiences, especially youths, on what it really means to be a risk-taker in today’s digitised, diversified, and fast-paced economy.

Given all this, we were delighted to meet the visionary woman behind this summit: Lamia Kamel, the Managing Director of CC Plus and Founder of Narrative PR Summit. Lamia Kamel has long been a part of the dynamic field of Public Relations. She has always had an interest and passion (which turned into a highly successful career) in the fields of political and corporate communication. After years of extensive work and research, Kamel managed to devise her own strategy, and create the blueprint for her company – or what she refers to as “a boutique”  – CC Plus.

We, of course, had to take advantage of Kamel’s presence and ask her about what she believes is the biggest misconception that people have surrounding PR. “The biggest misconception about PR is that everything is doable, and that people expect short-term and quick results. As a result, people tend to overlook the importance of creating effective long-term PR strategies.”

Consequently, Kamel believes that “every PR strategy and plan should be long term, as everything requires time.”  Additionally, Kamel added, that people often confuse or combine PR with marketing; “PR has little to do with marketing,” Kamel stated. Adding further explanation, Kamel outlined that “PR takes as its primary focus providing tailored strategies, unorthodox content, and well-timed focused engagement, all whilst building effective connections and relations, whereas marketing is an entirely distinct discipline, with its own unique set of objectives and mechanics.”

We then proceeded to ask Kamel about how digital media has transformed PR.

“Digital media has taken over almost all aspects of the modern world, and the role of PR has become increasingly integral. Indeed, we now live in a very novel era. Things were a bit different before, with PR being mainly positioned as a concern of seniors in big corporations. This concept, however, has changed completely; PR has been redefined, and is now also a field of interest for young adults who consider it an awesome career choice.”

Fascinated by her insight, we just had to ask Kamel about what she views to be the “Golden Rule” of PR. Kamel responded by introducing us to the four C’s: “Content, Creativity, Contacts and Consciousness.”

Kamel went on to add that the “Narrative Summit uses these four C’s as its main pillars, and so does the First Edition of the Narrative Disruptors Summit, which CC Plus will be hosting on April 14th, 2019 at The Nile Ritz-Carlton.”

That being said, Kamel explained to us that “Narrative Disruptors Summit is a strategic and standalone concept, one that looks to embrace different individuals and bring together otherwise separate topics, like politics, exports, marketing, media, culture, and much much more. The summit is  a representation of all of Egypt, with stakeholders in various fields all being involved and having a voice.”

While The Narrative Summit is usually an annual event, Kamel aims to make The Narrative Disruptors Summit an event that takes place twice, or even three times a year. “The unique selling point of the Disruptors Summit is the fact that it is as defined and specific when it comes to discussing topics – like technological access and artificial intelligence – as the world around us is. We want to help Egypt by providing a professional forum, whereby experts can discuss the concept of a digitised Egyptian economy.” Kamel also wants to put the Summit on the map digitally to both the local and international audience.

Speaking of experts, two prominent international speakers will be present at the summit; Elizabeth Linder, the former Communication and International Relation Director of Facebook, and the current Communication Director of Beautiful Destinations, as well as Ioana Belu, the Executive Director of Business Intelligence Unit. Talk about promoting Egypt to the world, right?!

We are also very proud to announce that our very own Waseem El Tanahi will be speaking at the summit, and delivering what we are sure will be one hell of an inspiring, educative, and engaging talk. El Tanahi is the CEO of Media Republic and the founder of two digital platforms, which aim to promote everything we love about Cairo: Cairo 360 and Cairo Gossip. The level of success that El Tanahi’s projects and enterprises have reached is truly astounding, with Media Republic boasting a strong portfolio of international and local clients, and Cairo Gossip and Cairo 360 becoming the go-to websites for those who are looking to truly discover, and fall in love with, Cairo!

It is safe to say that we are certainly looking forward to the first edition of an incredible event. Purchase your tickets now via TicketsMarche!