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Zoho, Odoo, ERPNext, Dynamics 365 and custom ERP, delivered by one accountable team.
Advertising agencies, PR firms, publishers and production companies in Dubai Media City run on jobs, retainers and third-party costs. We set up ERP that shows profit by client and by job.
Dubai Media City, UAEOn-site and remote ERP support
Agencies and media firms in Dubai Media City need ERP that collects every cost, timesheet and invoice under a job number, bills retainers, milestones and media commission, raises production and media purchase orders against jobs, and reports client profitability and work in progress. Smaller agencies often use Zoho Books with Zoho Projects or Odoo; larger media-buying groups look at Business Central.
Most enquiries we get for ERP software in Dubai Media City start the same way: the agency is profitable on paper, but nobody can say which clients or campaigns make money. Media buying, production costs and freelance crew all pass through the books, often re-billed with a markup, and a basic accounting package loses the link between a supplier bill and the job it belongs to.
Dubai Media City is part of the TECOM business parks in Al Sufouh, licensed through the Dubai Development Authority. It hosts advertising and creative agencies, PR and communications firms, digital marketing studios, broadcasters, publishers, content and video production companies, event organizers and regional offices of international media groups. Close by, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Production City host film, broadcast and printing businesses with similar finance needs.
Agency work has its own rhythm. Retainers bill monthly, projects bill on milestones, and media is often billed in advance of the publisher's invoice. Freelancers and production houses need fast payment. Clients ask for cost breakdowns and proof of delivery. An ERP built around jobs (sometimes called job numbers or work orders) keeps all of this tied together, from estimate to final reconciliation. Our ERP for advertising agencies page goes deeper into the creative side.
We are based in Dubai and visit DMC clients regularly. We implement Zoho, Odoo, ERPNext, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and custom ERP, and for agencies the deciding factor is usually how well the platform handles job costing, purchase orders against jobs and client-facing reporting.
Media companies face some specific VAT and corporate tax questions, mostly around re-billed costs and cross-border clients. Here is how the ERP is typically configured to support them. Confirm your own treatment with your tax advisor.
Some third-party costs passed to clients may be treated as disbursements outside the scope of VAT, while others are part of your taxable supply. The ERP needs separate cost types and invoice lines so each is handled consistently and the VAT return reflects it.
Commission earned from publishers and fees charged to clients may be recorded and taxed differently. Separate revenue accounts and tax codes make it easier for your advisor to review the position.
Many DMC agencies serve mainland UAE brands. For a company seeking Qualifying Free Zone Person treatment, revenue from mainland customers may count as non-qualifying beyond the de minimis limits. Tagging customers by location in the ERP helps you monitor that; confirm the rules with your tax advisor.
Payments to individual freelancers, foreign production crews and imported services can trigger reverse-charge VAT. The ERP should flag supplier type and country so the correct tax code is applied at bill entry.
Agencies issuing B2B invoices will move to PINT AE electronic invoices through an Accredited Service Provider. Invoice templates with many free-text lines may need restructuring. Check the latest Ministry of Finance and FTA guidance on dates.
General information, not tax or legal advice. Rules change; confirm current FTA, MOHRE and Ministry of Finance guidance with your advisor.
This is the flow we configure for a typical DMC agency running both creative work and paid media. Each step carries the job number, so the profit and loss for a campaign can be read at any point without waiting for month end.
One shared database: every step updates stock, finance and reports in real time.
These six areas separate a media-ready ERP setup from a generic one. We configure them on the platform that fits your size and existing tools.
Every timesheet, purchase order and supplier bill is linked to a job, giving live margin by campaign, client and account director.
Monthly retainers with included hours, overage billing and alerts when a client is close to using up their allocation.
Insertion orders and media purchase orders matched to publisher invoices, with client billing for media issued in advance or on actuals.
Supplier records for freelancers with contract dates, rates and approval routing so production crews get paid on time.
See unbilled time and costs by job so finance can accrue revenue properly and chase billing before month end.
Store talent releases, licensing terms and usage periods against the job so renewals and rights expiry are not missed.
We work with agencies and media firms across the TECOM media cluster and nearby Dubai business areas.
Explore agency-specific ERP pages and compare nearby free zones.
We configure the system for the rules UAE businesses report against, and test it before go-live.
General information, not tax or legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the FTA, MOHRE or your advisor. See all UAE compliance guides.
Nearby areas, free zones and emirates we serve from our Dubai base, alongside Dubai Media City.
Official sources and references
Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Rules change, so confirm current requirements before acting.
Still have a question? Our consultants are happy to help.
Ask an ExpertThere is no single answer. Smaller agencies often do well with Zoho Books plus Zoho Projects, or Odoo with Project, Timesheets and Accounting. Larger groups with several entities and heavy media buying tend to look at Dynamics 365 Business Central. We compare them against your job volumes and reporting needs.
Yes. We set up media orders so the client can be billed on the booked amount, then the publisher invoice is matched later and any difference is credited or re-billed. The variance stays visible on the job.
Freelancers are set up as suppliers, and their bills or purchase orders carry the job number. Their costs then appear in job profitability next to staff timesheets, so you see the full cost of delivery.
It can, particularly if you want Qualifying Free Zone Person treatment. Revenue from mainland clients may be non-qualifying above certain limits. The ERP can report revenue by client location and type, and your tax advisor can use that to assess your position.
Yes. We usually migrate open jobs, open balances and a defined period of history rather than everything. Closed jobs can be archived as reports so the new system starts clean.
Yes. We are based in Dubai and run workshops, training and go-live support at DMC offices, with remote support in between.
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Talk to us about setting up ERP for your Dubai Media City business, from estimates to reconciled media spend.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
