Information Undersecretary participates in WAVES summit in India
Mumbai, May 4 (BNA): Yousif Mohammed Al Binkhalil, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, participated in the first edition of the World Audio-Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), held from May 1-4 in India.
The summit brought together artists, innovators, investors, and policymakers from across the globe to discuss the prospects, challenges and to lay the foundations for a global talent and creativity ecosystem in the fields of media, entertainment, and the creative industries.
Al Binkhalil also participated in the Global Media Dialogue, held on the sidelines of the summit with the participation of delegations representing 77 countries and organisations.
Al Binkhalil emphasised that the Kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and with the support of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, attaches great importance to the media sector for its role in promoting closer ties between nations through messages that reflect the values of tolerance and coexistence, which are essential for achieving prosperity and human wellbeing.
He highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to taking part in regional and international events focused on media and technology developments, both to showcase the Kingdom of Bahrain’s progress in the field and to benefit from opportunities to build skills and encourage creativity and innovation among youth. These efforts support the Kingdom’s broader goals for sustainable development.
He emphasised that the summit was an important platform for strengthening media cooperation and sharing experiences that help improve the national media system, especially given the rapid technological changes in the media sector and the growing global impact of audiovisual and entertainment media, alongside the rise of artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and related challenges.
The inaugural World Audio-Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) is a central platform for convergence across the global media and entertainment sector. The summit received over 10,000 attendees, 650 companies, and 1,000 creatives. It focused on the global media and entertainment industry, which encompasses film, television, radio, print media, broadcasting, news, new media, advertising, animation, visual effects, gaming and esports, virtual and extended reality technologies (AR/VR/XR), music, and more.
The summit also featured a series of sessions, workshops, and seminars addressing key topics, including media globalisation, the future of content creation and distribution, technological disruptions (artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality, and the metaverse), and the evolution of electronic gaming. The programme included exhibitions, cultural performances, and a media marketplace.
