MEF (Mobile Entertainment Forum) Europe is expanding its remit to cover the Middle East and Africa. To reflect this expansion, the number of board seats will be increased to 11 at the board elections on 11 February, during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Since autumn 2007, MEF Europe has championed vital areas of European policy, responding to EU consultations on key topics such as child safety and content online. The chapter has also supported local industry events in the Nordics, Germany, Russia, Italy and Turkey, and produced the first ever practical guide to the Audiovisual Media Services Directive for the mobile entertainment industry.
Gerard Grech, MEF Europe Chair, says that by expanding MEFs local activities and targeted events to the Middle East and Africa, the organisation can better support its local members, as well as the regional representatives of our global member companies.
These regions alone already represent over 400 million mobile subscribers*, and the number is growing fast, says Grech. We see this expansion as an exciting step towards facilitating knowledge and business exchange between these diverse regions.
Patrick Parodi, MEF Global Chair, adds:
In many Middle Eastern and African markets, mobile has leapfrogged the fixed line world and is the most important source of news and entertainment. With typically young subscriber bases, increasing competition and the introduction of 3G services, there is significant potential for growth, and the introduction of an EMEA chapter offers the ideal platform to champion this development.
Anyone wishing to run for the board and be actively involved in the agenda-setting of MEF EMEAs activities must be a full MEF member. Anyone wishing to present themselves as a candidate for one of the six board vacancies, should email a photo and brief profile (maximum 200 words) to [email protected] by 1 February 2008. All candidates will be given the opportunity to make a brief introduction at the AGM outlining their planned contribution and output. The AGM will be held at Carpe Diem Lounge Club, Barcelona, from 17:00 20:00 on Monday 11 February. 
