Summit
“Business Made Easy” summit on the morning of the awards, 28th Nov
At SME Advisor, our strength lies in our ability to reach out to the business community and encourage dialogue between various stakeholders. The SME Advisor "Business Made Easy" Summit, held on the morning of our awards, is an event that helps forge relationships, exchange knowledge, and open doors for business.
The summit will be a daytime event covering key business issues and advice.
| Summit & Awards Agenda: (please note the agenda is subject to slight variations) | ||
| 09:00 to 10:00 | Registrations, breakfast and networking | |
| 10:00 to 10:20 | Welcome note | CPI welcome ADCB welcome: |
| 10:20 to 10:40 10:40 to 10:50 |
Internationally-renowned keynote speaker Q&A |
Speaker: Roger Harrop, Business expert, Author, International speaker
Topic: Staying in the Helicopter – and the power of 4 (basics of business) Overview: This is the opportunity to “get in the helicopter” and see business made simple. The organisations that are winning in these times are those focusing unmercifully on the four basics of business. |
| 10:50 to 11:10 11:10 to 11:20 |
Well-known, UAE-based business guru Q&A |
Speaker: John Lincoln, Vice President, Enterprise Marketing, du
Topic: How to fight a price war Overview: Typically, small businesses are the losers in a price war as they often cannot compete and must shut shop. In the long term your customers are the losers too. But all war is based on deception. In this pricing survival guide, you understand your enemy, pricing strategies and how to jump into battle. |
| 11:20 to 11:40 11:40 to 11:50 |
Internationally-renowned business advisor Q&A |
Speaker: Hedi Larbi, Director, Middle East and North Africa Department, The World Bank
Topic: How do you protect your business from a possible second slowdown? Overview: What are the general economic trends and what should your business be prepared for? What are the lessons to be learnt and applied from the previous recession? How can you be better prepared this time? How do you go global but be less vulnerable to international fluctuations? |
| 11:50 to 12:10 | Coffee break | |
| 12:10 to 12:30 12:30 to 12:40 |
Inspiring regional business case study Q&A |
Speaker: Dan Stuart, Founder and CEO, GoNabit.com (now rebranded Living Social).
Topic: My story – from start to success Overview: Group-buying website GoNabit.com was our 2011 Stars of Business Award winner in the category “The one to watch (best new business)”. When LivingSocial acquired GoNabit.com in June 2011, it was hailed as a huge success story involving a locally-based business. Dan will talk about GoNabit’s eventful journey. |
| 12:40 to 13:30 13:30 to 13:45 |
Panel discussion Q&A |
Topic: Opportunities, challenges and tips on doing business in the Middle East Panellists: Hedi Larbi, Director, Middle East and North Africa Department, The World Bank Roger Harrop, Business Expert, Author, International Speaker Amir Sohrabi, Regional Alliance Manager, Middle East & Africa Region (Middle East, Africa, Turkey, Pakistan), SAS Jonathon Davidson, Chairman and CEO, BBG, Dubai and the Northern Emirates PK Gulati, CEO, Optimistix Ventures Shimi Shah, Chairperson at Carousel Solutions, seasoned early stage investor Monica Malhotra, Owner and Managing Director, Kidville
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| 13:45 to 14:30 | Lunch | |
| 14:30 to 16:00 | Parallel breakout sessions/workshops with audience Q&A (audience members can select one breakout session out of three) * | 1) Marketing magic: Making it work on a budget 2) The different stages of funding 3) Turning a business around: How to master disaster (see table below for details) |
| 16:00 to 16:15 | Coffee break | |
| 16:15 to 17:30 | One-on-one consultations with subject matter experts | |
| 18:00 to 20:00 | Doors open for awards registrations / Pre-dinner networking and cocktails | |
| 20:00 to 20:20 | Welcome note | CPI welcome ADCB welcome: Colin Fraser, Executive Vice President, Head of Wholesale Banking Group, ADCB |
| 20:20 to 20:35 | Keynote address | Speaker: Alexander Blass, President and CEO, Alexander Blass International.
Alexander Blass is an internationally acclaimed innovator and entrepreneur, and grand prize winner of the Daily Record's Top Innovator of the Year Award. He currently serves as CEO of Alexander Blass International, an executive training and consulting firm based near Washington, DC. Mr. Blass keynotes some of the world's most prestigious conferences on innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership, such as the 2011 Abu Dhabi Innovation Forum, the 2011 European Conference on Creativityand Innovation, IBM INNOVATE in India, and EPIC in New York. He was honoured as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Wharton School of Business, and was awarded the Arab and American Business Fellowship from the Young Arab Leaders in Dubai and Palestine. He holds a masters degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied concurrently at Wharton, and received an MBA from Oxford University. For more information, please visit www.alexanderblass.com. |
| 20:35 onwards | Entertainment followed by the awards ceremony | |
*Simultaneously-held breakout sessions/workshops at the summit (14:30 to 16:00): |
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