Incubation Conference 2017 to spur SME growth

Preparations are in full swing for the Incubation Conference 2017, organised by the National Business Centre (NBC), and due to be held on December 5-6, 2017 at Hormuz Grand Hotel, Muscat. The event will be inaugurated by Yahya bin Said al Jabri (pictured), Chairman of the Special Economic Zone Authority in Duqm (SEZAD).

The conference aims at highlighting best practices regionally and internationally; get a better understanding of the role of incubation in a growing ecosystem and the future of the incubation industry; explore the role of academic institutions (colleges and universities) in supplying and supporting incubators with a steady pipeline of entrepreneurs; explore the role of chambers of commerce and other entities in supplying and supporting incubators and the growth of SMEs, amongst other objectives.

The Incubation Conference 2017 is sponsored by BP Oman, Occidental Oman, Fund for Development of Youth Projects (Sharakah), Al Raffd Fund, Shumookh Investment and Services, Oman LNG, Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Riyada), SME Development Fund, Al Wisal Radio, and Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising.

The conference will feature a line-up of local and international speakers and will shed light on several themes through the various sessions and specialised workshops. On the subject of SME in the MENA Region, the speakers will comprise Tom Strodtbeck, CEO of Strodtbeck and Company Limited, and Omar Christidis, CEO and founder of Arab Net. Furthermore, Mostafa Karimian Eghbal, Adviser to the President of Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT), Aysha al Mudahka, CEO of Qatar Business Incubation Centre (QBIC), and Giordano Dichter, Head of EU BIC services EBN innovation network, will highlight incubation models.

Moreover, Aman Merchant, serial entrepreneur and founder of Impact Hub — Dubai, Louis Lebbos, Founder and Partner at AstroLab — Dubai, and Abdullah al Jufaili, General Manager at Sharakah, will speak on the topic of entrepreneurship enablers. In addition, Akef Akrabawi, CEO of Injaz Arabia, Tarek Ahmed Fouad, Growth Program Manager at Sharajah Entrepreneurship Centre, and Dr Rahma al Mahrooqi, Vice Chancellor for Post Graduate Studies and Research at SQU, will underscore the topic of Entrepreneurship and Education.