Twenty senior decision-makers from broadcasters, sports organizations, production companies, and media groups will meet behind closed doors in Dubai on October 5—not for a conventional conference, but for a peer-to-peer working session focused on the choices shaping Gulf and MENA media production.
NEP Middle East & Asia to Host Inaugural Gulf & MENA Decision-Makers Forum in Dubai
The final Founding Members line-up for the Gulf & MENA Decision-Makers Forum 2026 now stands at 20 with the addition of Ahmed Sabir, Engineering Sr. Manager at Saudi Pro League, and John Curtis, General Manager at Whisper Middle East.
The invitation-only Forum takes place October 5, 2026, at the NEP Middle East & Asia / Creative Technology warehouse in Dubai Investment Park 2.
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A Closed-Door Peer-to-Peer Format
The Forum is designed around direct discussion rather than the conventional exhibition or vendor-conference model. It brings together senior professionals responsible for broadcast engineering, sports production, digital strategy, media operations, technology investment, and business decisions.
The agenda addresses sports broadcasting, production infrastructure, technology strategy, AI, system architecture, workflow efficiency, scalability, and monetization. The aim is to connect technical choices with the operational and commercial decisions that broadcasters, sports organizations, and production businesses are making across the region.
The mix of participants spans broadcasters, sports rights and production organizations, media groups, technology operations, and consulting. Organizations represented in the final line-up include beIN MEDIA GROUP, MBC Group, Dubai Media, Abu Dhabi Media, Asharq, Saudi Pro League, AFG – Asia Football Group, Mediapro Middle East, ART, Genius Sports, Eutelsat, Whisper Middle East, and NEP Middle East & Asia.
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Final Founding Members Line-Up
The two latest additions bring the Founding Members group to 20. Ahmed Sabir joins the Forum from Saudi Pro League as Engineering Sr. Manager, while John Curtis joins as General Manager at Whisper Middle East.
The group brings together engineering, production, digital, strategy, and commercial perspectives. The format is intended to give participants room to compare current requirements and operating models directly, without turning the discussion into a sequence of product presentations.
wTVision Joins Gulf & MENA Decision-Makers Forum 2026 as Sponsor
Founding Members
- Feizel Batcha, VP – Sports Partnerships at Genius Sports — Singapore
- Omar Alzoubi, Head of Engineering at Dubai Media Inc. — UAE
- Mustafa Tell, GM Broadcast Operations at ART — Jordan
- Galal W. El-Hakeem, Co-Founder of Transform Media Worldwide — Canada / United Kingdom
- Ali I. Nahle, Founder and Managing Partner at RawLink — Qatar
- Tariq Alhammadi, Manager – Heritage Sports Content Creation — UAE
- Diogo Açafrão, Sports TV Director / EVS Operator at Abu Dhabi Media (ADM) — UAE
- Rama AlDairi, VP of Group Digital at beIN MEDIA GROUP — Qatar
- Ibrahim Al-Jabry, Engineering Manager at Asharq — Saudi Arabia
- Elie Roukoz, Vice President, Broadcast Operations at AFG – Asia Football Group — UAE
- Omar Pleite Guerra, General Manager at Mediapro Middle East — UAE
- Ammar Hina, Business Development Director at NEP Middle East & Asia – Strategic Chair — UAE
- Yusuf Mohammed Buti, CEO, Founder & Managing Director of Harbor House for Management, Media, and Digital Services Consulting – Roundtable Moderator — Bahrain
- Mousa Awni Fakher, Business Development Manager – Video Business Unit at Eutelsat — Jordan
- Emad Awwad, Broadcast QC & Edit Manager at Saudi Pro League — Saudi Arabia
- Abdulelah Alhemaiyd, Senior Project Manager in MBC Group’s Chairman’s Office — Saudi Arabia
- Ben Kimber, Sports Strategy Consultant with the MBC Group delegation — Saudi Arabia
- Ahmad Hanafy, Strategy Analyst in MBC Group’s Chairman’s Office — Saudi Arabia
- Ahmed Sabir, Engineering Sr. Manager at Saudi Pro League — Saudi Arabia
- John Curtis, General Manager at Whisper Middle East — Saudi Arabia
Expert Council
The Forum’s Expert Council brings together senior representatives from the technology partners supporting the discussion, adding regional commercial, operational and broadcast-technology expertise to the closed-door format.
- Emad Qawasmi — Managing Director – Middle East & North Africa Region, TVU Networks Corporation
- Rafael Castillo — VP & General Manager, EMEA & Latin America, TVU Networks Corporation
- André Chagas — Middle East Regional Coordinator, wTVision
- Michele Dwayk — Head of Sales & Business Development for the MENA Region, wTVision
- Paolo Limo — Head of Sales, Balkans and LATAM, Bridge Technologies Co AS
Forum Partners and Organization
TFT1957.com organizes the Gulf & MENA Decision-Makers Forum 2026.
NEP Middle East & Asia serves as Strategic Partner and Host and is hosting the inaugural Forum at its Dubai facility.
Ammar Hina, Business Development Director at NEP Middle East & Asia, serves as Strategic Chair. Yusuf Mohammed Buti, CEO, Founder & Managing Director of Harbor House for Management, Media, and Digital Services Consulting, serves as Roundtable Moderator.
wTVision is the General Sponsor.
Bridge Technologies and TVU Networks participate as Forum Partners.
Building a Continuing Regional Platform
The Dubai meeting is part of a broader TFT1957 initiative to develop a continuing professional platform for senior media and sports decision-makers across Gulf and MENA markets.
The premise is straightforward: create a setting where the people responsible for infrastructure, production, digital development, and business strategy can compare operational experience directly. For the inaugural Forum, that discussion begins with 20 Founding Members around the table.
Ammar Hina Appointed Strategic Chair of The Gulf & MENA Decision-Makers Forum 2026
