The American University in Cairo (AUC) will host the International Media Management Academic Association Conference (IMMAA 2025), marking the first time the event will be held outside its traditional venues. The conference is scheduled for Oct. 18-19, 2025, under the theme: "Leading Innovation and Creativity for a Sustainable Media Ecosystem." After a highly competitive international bidding process, AUC's proposal was chosen for its vision of integrating innovation, creativity, and sustainability in the media industry. "The selection of Cairo as host city is not only a recognition of the university's academic excellence but also a signal of Egypt's growing prominence as a centre for regional and global media dialogue," AUC said in a statement. The conference will bring together media scholars, professionals, policymakers, and innovators to explore how media organisations can remain sustainable in an age of disruption. The opening session of the conference featured key figures, including AUC President Ahmed Dallal; Gregory Ferrell Lowe, IMMAA Association President; Ahmed El Moselmany, Head of Egypt's National Media Authority; and Rasha Allam, Chair of the Department of Journalism & Mass Communication at AUC and Head of the IMMAA 2025 Organising Committee. The first plenary session, titled "Leading Innovation for a Sustainable Media Ecosystem," featured international academics from the London School of Economics, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, the University of Sharjah in the UAE, and Örebro University in Sweden. A second session, "Arab Media on the Table: From Challenges to Opportunities," brought together leading voices in Arab media to discuss the need for transformation. Panellists included Hussein Amin, Director of the Kamal Adham Centre for Television and Digital Journalism at AUC; Alaa Elghatrifi, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper; and Sherif Amer, Lead Anchor at MBC Masr. According to Rasha Allam, IMMAA 2025 represents a turning point for media in Egypt and the region, offering an opportunity to reshape the future of Arab and Egyptian media through inclusive dialogue and forward-looking strategies. AUC's bid to host the conference attracted strong backing from the local media industry, with support from Egypt's Journalists Syndicate and Egyptian Media Syndicate, as well as a number of major news outlets, including Daily News Egypt, Al-Masry Al-Youm, Youm7, and Al Borsa News.
