Prince Mohammed bin Salman College, KAEC partner to host SME Forum 2017
Prince Mohammed bin Salman College ( MBSC) of Business & Entrepreneurship, the first educational institution in Saudi Arabia dedicated to entrepreneurial development, hosted the Kingdom’s first-of-its-kind SME Forum. The event was held at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) with MBSC as the knowledge partner and was attended by entrepreneurs and owners of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The event was held as part of a strategic partnership with the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises ( SMEs) and attracted more than 400 participants from the health, education, technology, retail, real estate, consulting, and food and beverage industries among others.
Dedicated to building connections between SMEs, the event featured rotational networking, speed networking and mentor networking as well as digital networking, in which participants developed a one- minute video pitch to promote their business.
The forum was attended by Turki bin Abdul Majeed Al-Sulaimani, deputy governor of the authority, as well as by Bandar Arab, director of SMEs Center at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( JCCI), and Walla Nahas, economic development consultant.
“The SME Forum 2017 is part of MBSC’s and KAEC’s shared commitment to supporting and embracing small and medium-sized companies in recognition of their key role in Saudi Vision 2030,” said Fahd Al-Rasheed, vice-chair of the board of trustees for MBSC, and group CEO and managing director of KAEC. “SME Forum 2017 redefines what forums are all about, making networking the primary goal and helping entrepre- neurs and owners of SMEs get together, share experiences and build solid business relationships and partnerships.”
SMEs are a significant driver of economic growth, job creation and innovation and in many countries form more than 90 percent of all business operations.
KAEC is a key enabler for the SME sector and a major contributor to the successful outcome of Vision 2030.
KAEC currently has more than SR6 billion in projects under implementation, providing many opportunities for SMEs to partici- pate in the growth of the city.
Officially inaugurated last year, MBSC is the first institution of higher education in Saudi Arabia to focus on developing entrepreneurial leadership skills for students entering government, businesses and civil society.