Snapchat introduced its Snap Accelerator Program at the fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai, hosting more than 20 sessions at a dedicated Snapchat House within the venue from January 9-11, according to Emirates News Agency WAM.

The Snap Accelerator Program featured 10 dedicated sessions designed to guide emerging creators through development stages. Snap experts led the sessions, including Ali Alshehri and Aya Kalouti, Talent Partnerships Managers for MENA, and Reem Matloub, Content Partnerships Manager with 17 years in digital media.

Snap School complemented the accelerator across four sessions, teaching platform best practices. Mashael AlBelaihed, a Junior Talent Partnership Associate focused on fashion and beauty; Naif Alqumaizy, who manages sports and travel creators; and Ahmad Fares, Creator Education Senior Specialist, led these sessions.

Business-Focused Sessions

The summit included several sessions on monetization and brand partnerships. 

“Breaking Through with Content” explored how creators cut through noise, featuring Matloub and Fares. Another fireside chat, “Creators & Brands: Turning Connection Into Collaboration,” featured Samer Lahoud, Head of Creative Strategy for MENA, Heidi Felfella, Senior Creative Strategist for Creator Marketing, and Rami Saad, co-founder of Halo AI.

“Building Brands, One Snap at a Time” covered building businesses on the platform. Speakers included Angelo Di Sotto, Client Partner with 18 years in digital strategy, and Mayowa Tola-Voss, Client Partner with 12 years in digital advertising.

“The UAE has positioned itself as a global hub for the creative and digital economy, with creators playing an increasingly important role in shaping culture and storytelling,” said Antoine Challita, UAE Country Head for Snap Inc. in MENA.

The summit, organized by the UAE Government Media Office, attracted more than 30,000 attendees and hosted more than 15,000 content creators and influencers across 580 sessions.

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