Sharakah organised a forum under the themes ‘The Role of Media in Supporting SME Development’ recently under the patronage of HE Dr AbdulMunim bin Mansour Al-Hasani, Minister of Information. The forum which was also attended by Sharakah’s chairman Hani Al Zubair and its board members attracted over 200 representatives from small and medium enterprises (SMEs), leading private sector organisations in addition to governmental officials, academics and students.
The forum discussed four main themes. The first session discussed print media’s role in supporting SMEs. Some of the topics addressed included the frequency of using print media as a source of information versus online media, the affordability of SMEs to advertise in print media, the role print media plays in addressing SME challenges.
The second session discussed broadcasting media. Speakers shared their thoughts on best practices in the broadcast media to support SME development. They also discussed the need of having specialised programmes like “The Apprentice” to promote an SME culture.
The third theme focused on digital media and social media. Participants learned more about the advancement in the media industry and the global trend to shift from traditional media to digital media. Discussions were also being around the increased trend to use social media for promoting businesses.
In the fourth session, leading SMEs in the media sector shared their experience. AlHasan Al Subhi, Turki Al Balushi and Moosa Al Farie shared their journey of starting a business in the media industry and the challenges faced by them.
HE Dr AbdulMunim Al Hasani appreciated the business sector for valuing the importance of the media sector in developing SMEs. “Sharakah Forum has managed to bring together experts from both media and SME sectors,” he added. “Indeed, the media sector has witnessed major developments in terms of how information is being shared and the means of sharing this information. The technological development has paved ways for emerging business opportunities for SMEs. We appreciate that Sharakah has focused its attention in this year’s forum on media and we hope that this forum will encourage a positive dialogue between concerned parties of both sectors.”
Hani Al Zubair, chairman of Sharakah welcomed the audience and presented an overview of the forum. “This is the first time that we organise an event of this scale and we are amazed by the level of interest we have received from the community. This proves that SMEs, apart from discussing regular topics, are very eager to learn more about specialised topics that would help them grow their businesses. Many of the SMEs that attended the event are looking forward to next year’s event and we are excited of the high-level of interest we have received.”
Abdullah Al Jufaili, general manager of Sharakah said, “We are glad to launch the first edition of the forum as we strongly believe in the importance of media in developing the small and medium enterprises. With this initiative we are planning to add more value by introducing a different topic and attract more entrepreneurs to further develop this vital sector.”
Khalfan Al Rahbi, editor-in-chief of Alam Al Iktisaad Walamal (AIWA) was a panellists in one of the sessions. The forum is set to be an annual event to address specific topics related to the development of the SME sector.