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

Strategic Partner
Dubai Exports
Formerly known as the Dubai Export Development Corporation (EDC), Dubai Exports has been established to provide exporters with the services required to enter or expand foreign markets including trade information, branding advice, financial, legal and foreign trade representation and access to potential buyers. The EDC also undertakes an advocacy role for exporters in their relations with government and other relevant agencies through the formation of long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships. 

As an autonomous organisation funded by the Government of Dubai, the EDC was established through Law No.10/2006, dated May 1st, 2006. The EDC's services include: 

• Research data including information about existing markets and new market opportunities. 
• Advice on how to export including an export pathway for those exporting for the first time. 
• Advocating on behalf of exporters in their relations with government and other relevant agencies. 
• Market development opportunities for non-traditional exports. 
• Development of a database outlining business capabilities for business matching purposes. 
• Market Assistance Programs. 
• Access to export credit and insurance. 
• Access to local and international exhibitions and trade fairs. 
• Latest export related information through the provision of seminars, conference, workshops and newsletters. 
• Proactively assisting to identify new export opportunities including matching buyers with exporters. 
• Recognition of excellence through administration of the Export Awards program. 
• Facilitation of the provision of legal and regulatory advice to assist exporters. 
• Facilitation of advice regarding export planning including budgets, marketing strategies and brand development. 
• Customer research to identify needs and wants. 

For more information visit www.dedc.gov.ae

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Presented by
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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Exclusive Telecom Partner
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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Supported by
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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Strategic Partner
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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Knowledge Partner
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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Media Partner
Khaleej Times

Galadari Printing and Publishing Co. L.L.C is the publishing house of one of the leading English Dailies in the UAE. Khaleej Times is the first English newspaper to be launched in the UAE in 1978.
The broadsheet comprises of the general news section, the business pages and a lively sports section. Khaleej Times reaches out to all parts of the UAE, and additionally, it covers Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia through a dedicated distribution network.

With a multinational readership of 450,000, Khaleej Times Special Reports and Supplements offer advertisers an opportunity to promote their products and services over an extended time period, in a uniquely relevant editorial context catering to their own precise target audience.

Khaleej Times Online reaches out to a targeted readership both at home and abroad, who are interested in news and information both about the UAE as well as the Middle East at large. Apart from focussing on news from the UAE and the Middle East, it also provides many value-added and interactive features which are exclusive to the online edition.

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Event Partner
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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Event Partner
AXA Middle East

AXA Gulf is a leading insurance provider in the GCC with a workforce of around  700 employees, 12 region-wide offices, more than 500, 000 customers and revenuers of over USD 445 million. AXA offers a wide range of insurance products and services for corporate and individual customers. A winner of many accolades in the past years, it’s most recent award was Best Insurer of the Year at the MENA Insurance awards and Best Motor Insurance provider at the Car Awards 2011.

AXA Gulf is part of AXA Group, a worldwide leader in Financial Protection. AXA Group’s operations are diverse geographically, with major operations in Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific area. In 2010, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 91 billion and IFRS underlying earnings to Euro 3.9 billion.

For more information visit www.axa-middleeast.com

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Event Partner
DHL
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL. The Group generated revenue of more than 51 billion Euros in 2010. Founded in San Francisco more than 40 years ago, today DHL is one of the global market leaders of the international express and logistics industry.

DHL's international network links more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. It also offers expertise in express, air and ocean freight, overland transport, contract logistics solutions as well as international mail services.

DHL offers integrated services and tailored, customer-focused solutions for managing and transporting letters, goods and information. Compromising of four divisions, these segments operate under the control of their own divisional headquarters. The Group management functions are performed by the Corporate Centre.

DHL have centralised the internal services which support the entire Group, including finance operations, IT and procurement. This consolidation enables us to increase the flexibility of our business, improve service quality and leverage economies of scale and cost benefits.

For more information visit www.dhl.com

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Event Partner
ECIE
The Export Credit Insurance Co. of the Emirates (ECIE) was born out of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision to help UAE-based companies make use of opportunities to grow their exports, and in turn grow the GDP of the nation. In line with the Vice President’s vision, on May 1st, 2006 the Dubai Executive Council issued a decree to form the Dubai Export Development Corporation (DEDC) – an organisation which is wholly owned by the Government of Dubai and is the first of its kind in the country.
The DEDC’s role is to develop and implement long-term strategies for exports out of the UAE, apart from undertaking an advocacy role for exporters in their relations with government and other relevant agencies through the formation of long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships.

In 2007, the Board of Directors of the DEDC passed a resolution instructing the formation of ECIE whose mission is primarily to help companies increase their export business by providing them with need based trade credit protection through the suite of products and services that ECIE has to offer, and to help them in turn contribute to the UAE’s GDP growth.
Moreover, their Trade Credit Insurance Policy plays a key role in helping companies avoid bad debts, manage receivables better and, seize business growth opportunities.

For more information visit www.ecie.ae

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Event Partner
Virtuzone
Established in 2009, Virtuzone is the very latest UAE free zone, with one key benefit – you don't have to rent an office or desk to get the trade license.

They are tailor made for entrepreneurs and start-ups. So if you need a legal UAE company structure to legitimise your business, but don't need a full time office, then Virtuzone is perfect for you.

Starting from 17,500 AED Virtuzone will provide a UAE company license. This company will be entitled to have up to five UAE employment/residence visas and have the use of Virtuzone's business centre facilities in Dubai and Fujairah, UAE.

The Virtuzone Company Package allows you to start up your own business easily and cost-effectively.
The package includes:

• A company license as an FZ LLC company
• Registered in a company name of your choosing
• A bank account in that company name
• Facility to have multiple shareholders
• Up to five residency visas
• Free- in house PRO (public relations officer) facilities

What you don't have to pay for or worry about:

• No office rental or fit out
• No security deposit
• No business plan
• No paid up capital

For more information visit www.vz.ae

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Event Partner
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

Coverage

“Success Through Exports” seminar by Dubai Exports, ADCB and SME Advisor to enable small and medium enterprise growth

Dubai Exports, an agency of the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED), SME Advisor Middle East, a magazine aimed at small and medium enterprises in the region, and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) organised a hugely successful seminar entitled "Success Through Exports". The event took place on 20th April at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai. It was part of the SME Success Series events jointly organised by SME Advisor and ADCB. Dubai Exports was the strategic partner for "Success Through Exports" and brought invaluable subject matter expertise and support to the initiative, further reiterating the DED's commitment to small and medium enterprises in Dubai.

"Dubai Exports continually seeks to identify new and innovative ways by which to increase the level of exports from the country. This seminar is just one further example of how we are seeking to increase the knowledge base of our companies so that they are competitive in global markets," said Engineer Saed Al Awadi, CEO, Dubai Exports. He further commented that exporting allows SMEs to grow their business yet benefit from geographical diversification.

Click here for the full coverage.

Saed Al Awadi
CEO, Dubai Exports

Murali Subramanian
Head Transaction Banking ADCB

Her Highness Sheikha Hind bint Abdul Aziz Al Qassimi
Chairperson of the UAE Businesswomen’s Council

Jean-Marc Paufique
General Manager, Zawya

Imtiaz Ali
Director - Global Sales, Tijari

Vikram Venkataraman
Co-founder and Director, Salvus Strategic Advisors

Pedro Mairos
Regional Marine Underwriter Manager Gulf, Axa Insurance

John Lincoln
Vice President – Enterprise Marketing, du

Gautam Sen Gupta
Market Vision

Faisal Daudpota
Head of Data Privacy & Information Security, Al Tamimi & Company

Damien Sheehan
Commercial Manager, DHL Express, UAE

Sowmya Narayan
Supply Chain Manager, Gulf Extrusions Co. LLC

Aamer Fayyaz
Managing Director, Dofreeze

Schuyler D'Souza
Chief Commercial Officer, Export Credit Insurance Company of the Emirates (ECIE)