SME Success Series

WHAT IS THE SME SUCCESS SERIES:
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have it tough, balancing between limited resources and making investments to grow their business. Add to that the recent economic crisis, which certainly didn’t help!

In some ways the negative sentiment does nothing to help business recover. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy, based on fear and doubt. Which is why in 2010 we decided to launch a series of road shows and intimate events over the coming year that will focus on what CAN be done, and the best way forward.

What is this?
These road shows and networking events will be held across the emirates over the next 11 months, and will feature several educational workshops and discussions addressing SME issues in the region. Not only will the events be educational and informative, but will also provide platforms to voice concern, make new contacts through networking and share experiences and advice.

Who will be there?
These focused events will be attended by a select audience of business owners and senior executives, by invitation only. Our aim is to keep the interaction intimate enough to provide real value and forge long-term business associates amongst audience members. At the end of the day, we want everyone to know everyone, and to collectively walk away with inspiration, solutions and new connections.

Speakers and mentors will include prominent regional representatives from the business community and government, as well as successful SMEs.

Sponsors

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB)
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) is a full-service commercial bank, owned 64.8% by the Abu Dhabi Government through Abu Dhabi Investment Council. Its shares are traded on the Abu Dhabi Securities Market in Abu Dhabi. It has won the Silver class category of The Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA) for the finance sector and was recently named “Best Retail Bank in the UAE & GCC 2009” by The Asian Banker magazine. 
 
The SME Banking division offers a wide-array of financial products under the brand of “BusinessEdge”. The products cover the entire spectrum of solutions across transaction accounts, trade finance and financing products. It also offers a range of lending products. All the SME products are also available under ADCB Meethaq – a Shari'ah compliant banking solution.
 
ADCB recently won the Banker Middle East Product Awards 2010 for its BusinessEdge suite of products. 

More information can be found at www.adcb.com/businessbanking/smebanking/overview.asp

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du

du offer fixed and mobile telephone, broadband connectivity and IPTV services to individuals, homes and businesses, and carrier services for businesses. As a rapidly-growing enterprise, they have close to 2,000 staff, hailing from over 60 countries, working to enhance and expand their bouquet of service offerings, while being able to serve their customers in a variety of languages. Over 50% of their senior management team and customer-facing staff are also UAE nationals.

du contribute to the transformation of the UAE by providing customers with choice and making a difference in quality, innovation, and pricing. The 2.9 million people who signed up as active users of their services by mid 2009 prove that they have established themselves as one of the main operators of choice for the new subscribers in the UAE market.

More information can be found at www.du.ae

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Dubai Internet City (DIC)
Dubai Internet City (DIC), is a member of TECOM Investments is the Middle East and North Africa's largest Information and Communications Technology (ICT) cluster.
As a knowledge-oriented business model, DIC was the pioneer behind the creation of the cluster concept in the region.The ICT cluster hosts a dynamic international community of IT companies as a number of growing enterprises, entrepreneurships and ventures: Microsoft, Dell, Intel, IBM, Canon, General Electric and Cisco just to name a few.

Built inside a free trade zone, DIC is a strategic base for companies targeting emerging markets in the neighboring regions. DIC's market extends from the Middle East to the Indian Subcontinent and from Africa to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), covering nearly three billion people with a GDP of over US$10 trillion.

The ICT cluster in DIC is comprised of companies from the following sectors: software, Internet & multimedia, telecommunication & networks and IT services.
DIC offers companies 100% tax-free ownership, 100% repatriation of capital and profits, no currency restrictions, easy registration and licensing, and solid intellectual property protection.

DIC also provides an environment that attracts all elements of the value chain. DIC's rich networking opportunities and core location allows companies to tap into resources, partnerships and ideas; a business environment that helps ICT businesses develop, innovate and grow.

For read more about Dubai Internet City please visit www.dubaiinternetcity.com

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TECOM Investments

TECOM Investments, a member of Dubai Holding, operates in sectors such as Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Media, Education, Sciences, Leisure and Entertainment, as well as Manufacturing and Logistics. TECOM Investments currently oversees various entities including Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Knowledge Village, Dubai International Academic City, eHosting DataFort, International Media Production Zone, Dubai Outsource Zone, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Biotechnology and Research Park, Energy and Environment Park, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai Industrial City and Global Village.

TECOM Investments offers attractive incentives for small, medium, large organisations to serve their operations nationally, regionally and internationally within its business parks. TECOM business parks offer operational synergies and top of class infrastructure for companies operating in its trade zones. Businesses additionally have a wide array of options, from long-term leases of land to set up major facilities to shorter-duration leases suitable for start-up operations.

Various departments under TECOM Investments also support businesses with one-stop-shop services such as licensing, registration, immigration and fit-out permits. In addition, companies based within TECOM Business Parks get free zone benefits including complete ownership, absence of corporate and personal income taxes as well as lack of restrictions on repatriation of capital and dividends in any currency.

Apart from spurring cluster development by creating purpose-built facilities and working with the Dubai and Federal Governments to develop business-friendly policies, TECOM Investments also focuses on ‘pure play’ businesses. Emirates International Telecommunications Ltd, a subsidiary of TECOM, invests internationally across the communications sector. TECOM Investments owns share capital in Empower, a district cooling service provider, Nexgen Advisory Group, a MENA-based specialized advisory and consulting services organisation, and Energy Management Services (EMS), a leading energy savings company in the Middle East.

SmartCity, an international venture that aims to develop knowledge industry townships worldwide, has already laid the foundation for a global network of knowledge-driven business parks. Currently, it is developing SmartCity Malta in partnership with the Malta Government and SmartCity Kochi in association with the Government of Kerala, India.

For more information visit www.tecom.ae

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Dubai Knowledge Village

Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV) is the world's only Free Zone area dedicated to Human Resource Management and learning excellence. Established in 2003 as part of TECOM Investments, DKV aims to develop the region's talent pool and establish the UAE as a knowledge-based economy.

DKV is a unique hub that offers the best selection of human resource management, consultancy, training and personal development programmes on a picturesque 1km long campus in the heart of Dubai, and has over 450 business partners. It offers a state-of-the-art campus with fully-equipped conference halls and meeting rooms. A variety of facilities including a food court, coffee shops, restaurants, supermarkets and other retail services are also available on site.  

DKV is host to a variety of business partners covering many specialised business segments including:

• Human Resource Development
• Executive Search
• Linguistics
• Assessment & Testing
• Research & Development
• Human Resource Consultancy
• Content Development
• Academic Service Providers
• Freelancers
• Non-Profit Organisations
• Retailers

DKV business partners enjoy special privileges such as 100% foreign ownership, 100% tax-free operations, 100% repatriation of profits and effortless visa and licensing issuance procedures. DKV partners also benefit from partnerships with Government and regulatory authorities.

For more information visit www.kv.ae

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Al Tamimi & Company
Established in 1989, Al Tamimi & Company are largest law firm in the Middle East region today. They employ over 360 staff, and have offices throughout the UAE in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah as well as internationally in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
 
With specialisation in the areas of banking & finance, construction & engineering, corporate commercial, dispute resolution, family business & private client practice, information technology, intellectual property, maritime, aviation & insurance, media, property, and telecommunications.
 
For more information visit www.tamimi.com or contact their head office on +971 4 364 164.

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Lenovo
Lenovo is dedicated to building personal computers. Lenovo’s business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centres in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China and Raleigh, North Carolina. 

For more information visit www.lenovo.com

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Intel
Intel is the world`s largest semiconductor chip maker, supplying advanced technology solutions for the computing and communications industry. Their products include chips, boards and other semiconductor components that are the building blocks integral to computers, servers, and networking and communication products.

Their major customers include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs) who make computer systems, mobile handsets and handheld computing devices and telecommunications and networking equipment.

They also cater for PC and network communications products users (including individuals, large and small businesses, and service providers) who buy PC components and board level products, as well as Intel´s networking and communications products, through distributors, reseller, retail and OEM channels throughout the world.

For more information on the products and services which Intel provides please visit www.intel.com

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Real HR

RealHR was established in 2007 in the UAE to provide expert HR services for the changing market and evolving employment law. Market changes and client demand have led to significant developments within the UAE, most noticeably the importance of good people management practices. RealHR understand the importance of structuring, retaining and sourcing high calibre staff, which has been proven globally, especially in times of recession, to be the key to business success and growth.

RealHR can add value to your organisation through its understanding of the different requirements each business might have, whether it is help with the basics and correct HR structure to be established, or providing a seasoned outsource service, enabling businesses to concentrate on the core elements, without any distractions, whilst at the same time potentially reducing expenses. RealHR have developed a number of products tailored to meet these needs but also a service that is practical and can be implemented with ease into your working environment.

For more information please visit www.realhrconsult.com

Venue

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View the SME Business Networking Evening coverage in pdf - click here