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2nd ‘Made at Home’ expo supports more Qatari products
More local products are on display at the second edition of Qatar Development Bank’s (QDB) ‘Made at Home’ exhibition, which kicked-off yesterday at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC).
The opening ceremony of the seven-day event was led by HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi.
The event is being held under the patronage of Qatar Museums chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, in collaboration with Qatar Chamber, Nama Centre, and Madlsa.
QDB said the exhibition offers homebased businesses a unique opportunity to display and sell their products, create new marketing and distribution channels, exchange experiences with other homebased business owners who are involved in a range of specialised fields, and showcase their projects on a wide scale.
After touring the exhibition hall, alNuaimi said the event “marks a remarkable development in all sectors and products.” He also praised the “development of the work culture and the creativity of the Qatari youth who are working to explore new fields for production and creativity.”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, QDB executive director of Business Finance Khalid Abdulla al-Mana said 50% of the exhibiting companies are new participants of this year’s ‘Made at Home’ edition.
“In 2017, there were 144 participants, while in this year’s edition we are showcasing 185 home businesses, which is an indica- tion of very good growth. There are around 90 new companies exhibiting local products.
“This means that home businesses are starting to produce at a level that is appealing to the customers, and they have the ambition to come here and take part of this exhibition,” he added.
This year’s ‘Made at Home’ exhibition features local micro businesses from the crafts, fashion, food, and perfumes sectors. Service providers, such as printing, design, and logistics, were also included in this year’s edition. Last year’s edition generated sales worth QR2.5mn, QDB noted.
During the event, QDB also launched ‘Derwazaa’, a new marketing service for home-based projects. The service was of- fered to 10 home-based businesses that participated in the inaugural ‘Made at Home’ expo to help develop their product’s visual identity and packaging, and to showcase them in the domestic market.
QDB said the 10 businesses have been selected due to the added value they offer to the local market, with the aim to diversify the national products.
QDB executive director of Intelligence and Localisation Saleh Majid al-Khulaifi said, “The second edition of ‘Made at Home’ was met with huge success and good visitor turnout on its first day. Home-based businesses are recently finding greater impetus and it is our endeavour to help them grow by offering a platform where they can showcase their capabilities to the prospective buyers.
“This exhibition aims to empower individuals by providing them with economic and social stability. We expect the event to witness a lot of business deals and immense opportunities for the participants.”
He added: “Due to the pivotal role home-based business play and the significant impact they have in contributing to the development of the national economy, QDB will continue to support and empower these businesses, enhance entrepreneurs’ skills, improve levels of production, and provide them with market access opportunities to transform these businesses into larger enterprises in the near future.”