Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment launches 'International Entrepreneurship Forum & Exhibition'

The event is being organised in cooperation with the Institute for International Research (IIR) Middle East and Young Arab Leaders (YAL).

The move, a significant joint venture between the public and private sectors, has been designed to promote entrepreneurship and business initiative in the country and further afield. The conference and exhibition will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, the Chairman of Board, Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders, which is a subsidiary of Dubai Development and Investment Authority (DDIA).

The event has been designed to concentrate on business achievement, rather than theory, according to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan.
He said: 'Innovation and drive in business is key to seeing a country's economy thrive. This event, which will bring global success stories to the region, will offer delegates the chance to hear how people have made an initiative work, rather than how theory says it should be done.

'IEFE has been structured to provide an invaluable guide to starting up in business; alongside the conference, we will be holding an exhibition where small to medium enterprises from all over the world can showcase their offering at a subsidised cost. This will continue to foster young innovators in line with our objectives.'

Jessica Sutherland, general manager of IIR Middle East, explained that entrepreneurship has long been recognised as the driver of economic success, and sustainable business futures.

She said: 'The same issues concern entrepreneurs around the world. Experts put the deciding factors into two categories: a lack of information on start-up, funding and operations; and a lack of know-how to exploit market opportunities.

'We are looking to address both of these categories during the event in May by giving case studies of some of the biggest companies in the world, as well as providing access to a support business network and infrastructure to turn these visions into reality.'

The organising team has confirmed the following speakers for the event: Donald Trump by videocastl; Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Founder Easy Jet; Dame Anita Roddick, Founder of The Body Shop; Gary Hoover, Founder, Hoovers.com; Debbi Fields, Mrs Fields Cookies; Kenneth P. Morse, Managing Director, MIT Entrepreneurship Center; Sir Thomas Farmer, Founder and Former Chairman, Kwik-Fit Holdings plc; Denis O'Brien, Founder, Esat Telecom Group (ESAT) and Chairman Digicel Group Ltd; Eckart Wintzen, Founder, BSO/Origin; Max Mckeown, Founder & Chairman, Maverick & Strong; Robbi Brozin, Founder, Nando's; H.E. Sh. Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehayan, Founder and Chairman, Bin Zayed Group of Companies. Other speakers include Fadi Ghandour, Liz Jackson, Ola Ahlvarsson, Reuben Singh and Sir Chris Evans.

Government support
Government backing is critical to see entrepreneurship programmes succeed, say experts. At present, China, New Zealand and Spain invest the highest percentage of their GDP in financing entrepreneurship.

Meanwhile, Singapore has introduced changes to the legal system that favour and encourage entrepreneurship, for example by allowing start-up companies to retain patents even if the initiatives were government-funded.

Dubai is also at the forefront of entrepreneurial development amongst the local population. Since its inception in June 2002, the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment has been charged with facilitating and developing local business and entrepreneurial activity in Dubai. To this end, the Establishment has set up a Dhs700 million Islamic Fund to provide capital for new entrepreneurs.

Programme structure
For the event in May 2005, up to 1,500 delegates are expected to listen to case studies from famous international and regional entrepreneurs. These speaking sessions will be combined with open forums and special briefing sessions, as well as a full exhibition featuring more than 150 global companies.

Issues tabled for discussion include: problems facing young entrepreneurs in the region; the entrepreneur in the global arena; international entrepreneurial finance; the world's youngest entrepreneurs; and challenges for Arab national women entrepreneurs.

Regional and international small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will receive a special invitation to showcase their business ventures and will be able to exhibit at a subsidised rate. Alongside these SMEs will be exhibitors targeting entrepreneurs, including banks and finance companies, accounting firms, lawyers, and trade support organisations.