Oman’s first intelligent sustainability conference is set to feature top local and international organisations on the topics of sustainability and technology.

The conference will be held at the Hilton Salalah between August 29 and 30, 2018, under the patronage of Mohammed Salim Al Tobi, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs. It will feature presentations from officials from companies such as Microsoft, Google, Siemens and LinkedIn, while the line-up of local speakers will feature promising Omani start-ups such as Thawani and big Omani firms such as Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).

“It is a pleasure to have such an impressive line-up of speakers for the conference. Our goal is to have a mix of Omani and international speakers so that the result of the conference would act as the initial steps to Oman’s 4th Industrial Revolution strategies,” Khalid Al Haribi, managing director of Impact Integrated, the organising firm, said.

“The fact that everyone at this conference will speak about how Oman could benefit from their technologies will give attendees a great networking ground to find out how their companies can leverage future technologies to improve operations and offerings,” he added.

The iSustainability conference promises to be an exciting event for technology enthusiasts and strategists who will be able to bring these technologies to the Omani market.

“Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), 3D Printing and Internet of Things are being discussed everywhere in Oman but there has been little implementation until now. The iSustainability conference deals with how to overcome these barriers and strategies to make sure they work,” Al Haribi added.

To achieve the objective of the conference, the attendees will be briefed on the top 10 local and international projects that will implement the Fourth Industrial Revolution in a manner consistent with the objectives of sustainable development by reviewing the experiences of speakers representing national and international companies.

The conference will also be of major interest to start-ups and entrepreneurs due to its focus on disruptive technologies that can change the future of Oman’s economy.

“If you are a student or a dreamer, this conference will instill in your mind what comes next for the industry worldwide and where you can play a role in developing the Sultanate. We encourage students to interact with people at the conference and understand the role they will play in the future. It’s not going to be about looking for jobs for the Omani youth in the future, as they will shape their own future,” Al Haribi said.

The first session will focus on the manufacturing, energy and finance sectors and their relationship with AI and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The speakers include Firas Al-Abduwani, CEO of Hussam Technology, a pioneer in renewable energy; Majid Al Amri, founder of Thawani, the first Omani company in the field of financial technology applications (Fintech); and Hamad Al-Derai, head of the customer experience team at Impact Integrated, specialised in consulting and organising innovation.

Speakers at the second session will also discuss the use of AI in the fields of soilless agriculture through the experience of the innovation factory to be presented by its CEO, Firas Al Musafer, and the experience of an inspirational company in eco-tourism, analysis of tourism data and geographical data and logistics through its representative Hussein Marine.

The patron of the ceremony will also inaugurate the accompanying exhibition, which will challenge several local projects associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution techniques such as the Dhofar University project, in addition to other local and international projects. The first day will culminate with the graduation of a group of youngsters who have been trained to work on the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies at Impact Integrated and to honour volunteers, speakers and supporters.

On the second day, solutions of national and international large companies in line with SDGs will be reviewed. Azzan Al Balushi of PDO will present one of the most important international renewable energy projects, Glasspoint. International companies in the field of smart products, such as Google, will be presented, and LinkedIn will showcase its solutions to attract talent based on data analysis. Microsoft’s machine learning solutions such as the Azure platform and the AI courses will also be reviewed.

Impact Integrated is Oman’s first consultancy dedicated to improving company performance using AI. Started in June this year, the company has already begun projects to develop the Omani youth and bring technology into everyday life.

The company works on some of the most sophisticated management techniques, which pave the way for technology to be implemented in the daily aspects of operations seamlessly.