SA to attract foreign investment at WCF

Tuesday, March 14, 2017
World Communication Forum, in Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva – BrandSA will today use South Africa’s reputation to boost and attract foreign direct investment, tourism and skilled immigrants, at the World Communication Forum (WCF), in Geneva, Switzerland.

Chief Executive Officer of M3 Communications Group, Maxim Behar, from Bulgaria, officially opened the WCF 2017 on Monday.

BrandSA trustee Muditambi Ravele then addressed the forum on behalf of Communications Minister Faith Muthambi under the theme: “Country branding. How to create communication assets of a state/country/nation/city?”

Other speakers included Yogesh Joshi, President of the ABCI association (India), Olga Podoinitsyna, Member of the Board, VTB Capital (Russia), Chartered Marketer, Founder and CEO of Red Point Kazakhstan, Assel Kozhakova, CEO of City branding (Russia), Vasily Dubeykovskiy and Managing Director of DonValley, Solly Moeng from South Africa.

This year’s five-day WCF kicked off on Monday with a guided tour at the UN Office in Geneva.

The main aim of the WCF is to increase all communicators' influence on the future of humanity, on the development of the business in different countries, on their nations, and on each person in particular.

Geneva, which is the 'global capital' that hosts the highest number of important international organisations within the world, is the perfect location. Starting from 2017, the Communication4Future (C4F) Awards ceremony will also take place in Geneva.

By moving to Geneva, the WCF has also changed its format. The 8th addition will last longer and will be far more intensive.

The Forum will be held in cooperation with various international organisations. Today’s agenda includes:

  • UN Headquarters: Global organisations and Government communications;
  • Communication and Public Diplomacy-two sides of the same coin?
  • Global Communication vs Cross-Cultural Communication;
  • Can Communication save lives?
  • Trump vs Clinton social media campaigns;
  • Social media strategies for global organisations;
  • How to engage the globe?
  • Can social media bridge the gender gap?
  • Are you ready to manage a Data Breach Crisis Communication.

On Wednesday, Acting Director-General of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), Donald Liphoko, will be part of the panel discussion with an interactive question and answer session on the theme, “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in today’s open, digital world”.

WCF Founder and Content Director and President of the WCFA Association, Yanina Dubeykovskaya, said: “The past seven years, the Forum in Davos helped us shape a global community of communicators who view our profession as a mission - the mission to make this world more connected, more open, and more trusted. We believe that, especially today, communication is the key driver for the future development of the world, of humanity, and of each individual”.

She said representatives of more than 58 countries now form the WCF family and over 263 speakers have stepped-out in Davos during the past seven years.

"We launched the regional WCF format back in 2013 and we have already held over 15 regional forums in different countries. What is best of all is that we have made a lot of friends," she said.

This year, the organisers are launching a series of events under the brand WCF Geneva Week, focusing on different areas of communication: Global & Corporate Communication, Branding & Design, Science & Innovation Communication, and Education & Communication. - SAnews.gov.za