As ArabNet kicks off it’s fifth conference in Beirut today, we assess the agenda which offers events for a wide variety of online business geeks. Here are our top trends to watch out for this year. Online advertising: Does it work? Or do companies spend too much money on advertising online? Chahe Yervenian, CEO of real estate company Sayfco Holding, will be discussing the company’s experience in advertising on Facebook. Having the largest Facebook presence among Middle Eastern real estate companies, you’ve probably seen Sayfco’s ads sandwiched between posts. Yervenian will be discussing the resources they put into online advertising versus the sales they get from it. Catch his talk after lunch on Wednesday.

If you are still hungry for more in the online advertising department drop by the twin panels on The State of Growth of Digital Advertising, by global market research company Ipsos and online advertising monitoring company OOX. Catch them on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, respectively. [Link]