We wouldn’t normally flag the arrival of a PR agency in the region, not least because Dubai and Abu Dubai are awash with them, but in this case we think it’s worth paying attention: Pelham Communications has opened an office in Dubai.
So what? Well, Pelham is arguably the most specialised (and most effective) marketing communications agency in the international arts/culture/design sector. It has more than 20 years’ experience and clients in 16 countries who include museums, foundations, galleries, studios, fairs, biennials, arts festivals and even a couple of cities and indeed governments. That gives it more than a head start over most of its competitors; some of the big boys in marcomms might have more clout, more people, and bigger billings, but no one does it quite like Pelham for the creative and cultural field.
Pelham has been servicing a number of local clients for some time, most of the 20 years in fact. Among them are the Sharjah Architecture Triennial and DCT Abu Dhabi, plus several galleries – Ayyam, Tabari Artspace, NIKA Project Space, Efie, and the launch here of Volte Art Projects. Saudi clients include some biggies: Misk Art Institute, Royal Commission for AlUla and Desert X AlUla, Riyadh Art and Noor Riyadh (next edition of the spectacular annual festival of light and art starts 30 November with 120 artworks by more than 100 artists).
Mostly this work has been brand consultancy plus press releases; but now we can expect more viability, more activity, and probably more clients too.The Dubai office will serve as a regional hub, much as Pelham’s other centres in London and New York, and given the CCI activity locally we’d expect it to develop a substantial operation of its own here.
At Pelham’s Dubai launch, founder and CEO Jasmin Pelham said all the right things for a local audience: “At Pelham, we believe culture powers community … We are excited to establish our presence at the heart of a dynamic and inspiring region spearheading ambitious and thoughtful cultural projects for its communities, whilst also increasing international understanding of culture from the region.”
It’s early days yet, and the office is still reciting, so much of the ongoing business will continue to be delivered from London. In fact Pelham worldwide has only a couple of dozen staff in total, which given the volume of its business puts a lot of emphasis on the quality of its team. For Dubai, Founder and CEO Jasmin Pelham will presumably provide a watching brief in London while associate director Rania Habib (right) gets hands-on with the title Head of Middle East.
Habib had a couple of years at Alserkal Avenue as comms manager before a stint as a freelance writer. Also on board, as Senior Account Exec, is Zoya Zalatimo, who joins from a London financial and corporate PR consultancy.
(Incidentally Pelham is recruiting for at least one account manager locally; could be a great job for the right person …)
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