2. POST SHOW REPORT – 2015
SPONSORS AND MEDIA PARTNERS
PLATINUM SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSOR
OFFICIAL TELECOM PARTNER
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
MEDIA PARTNERSSTRATEGIC CAREER PARTNER
ASSOCIATE PARTNEREXHIBITORSKNOWLEDGE PARTNERS
OFFICIAL AIRLINES PARTNER
3. POST SHOW REPORT – 2015
SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
SMALL AND MEDIUM enterprises undoubtedly play a vital role in the
growth of any economy. As an economy that has heavily
depended on its Oil sector, the Sultanate of Oman is now actively
pursuing a development plan focusing on diversification,
industrialization and privatization, with special attention being paid
to encourage young Omanis to enter the workforce and contribute
to its GDP. A high-income economy like Oman, whose SME sector is
still in its nascent stages, is yet to come to a stage where the SME
sector is the primary contributor to the nation’s GDP.
OSMES15 provided a platform where regulators, facilitators, SME
owners and aspiring entrepreneurs all converged together to
discuss the way forward for the Omani SME sector.
The Honorable Chairman for the event, His Highness Al Sayyid Dr.
Adham Turki Al Said opened up the Summit with his inspiring words,
followed by the British and Indian ambassadors respectively. The first
day progressed with many a thought-provoking presentation,
garnering active participation from the delegates and dignitaries
alike. The day also saw the much awaited launch of Startup Oman,
the one stop shop for all things entrepreneur related. The panel
discussions for the day also reviewed the various challenges faced
by SMEs, the funds set in place for their growth, and finally
culminating in identifying innovative methods in which small
businesses can make a mark in the economy.
The second day commenced with presentations highlighting the
need for designing the right SME program and how to attract and
retain top talent for you small business. The day also saw the highly
rated presentation on how crowd sourcing can help build your
small business and help any new entrepreneur with the “next big
idea” get their foot in the SME sector.
The panel discussion that got the most response and reviews was
the one that focused on how Omani entrepreneurs can expand
beyond their local boundaries into international markets.
Moderated by the enterprising Dr. Jalal Al Hadhrami, the discussion
that went on for over an hour invoked a lot of questions from the
delegates tackling issues related to moving beyond the current and
entering-capturing a new market. The day came to a close with the
discussion that saw the contribution of women entrepreneurs to the
growth of the Omani economy.
The SME sector will continue to be in the limelight in Oman for years
to come, and IFM Events will be at the forefront bringing new and
engaging topics within this stream as many of our delegates have
requested. With OSMES15 and future events we hope to see
substantial change as a result of the deliberation and discussion,
and continue to reinvigorate the SME sector.
Event Summary
– Raphael Parambi
SME Development Fund
We’ve had a number of
events in the country on
SMEs, but this was one of
the more active events that
we’ve had. The participation
was excellent and so was the
interest level, both from the
audience and the panel. I
think it was a very good
initiative and a great success
so far, and hope to see you
next year!”
4. POST SHOW REPORT – 2015
PRESS COVERAGE
News Links
http://www.wamda.com/2015/10/one-stop-shop-omans-entre
preneurs-launches
http://www.timesofoman.com/article/72350/Business/Econom
y/Event-was-held-at-the-Al-Bustan-Palace-Hotel-Ritz-Carlton-re
cently-and-aimed-to-'reinvigorate-the-SM
http://issuu.com/eshabiba/docs/t16-09-2015/c/spsjuew
http://omangbnews.com/news/2015/08/18/two-day-sme-sum
mit-to-be-held-in-muscat
5. POST SHOW REPORT – 2015
SPEAKERS
HONOURABLE CHAIRMAN
HH Al Sayyid
Dr. Adham Turki Al Said
Partner,
The Firm for Business and
Economic Consulting
Jonathan Paul Wilks CMG
British Ambassador to
the Sultanate of Oman
HE Mr. Indra Mani
Pandey
Indian Ambassador to
the Sultanate of
Oman
GUEST OF HONOUR
HE Dr. Ali Saud
Al-Bemani
Vice Chancellor,
Sultan Qaboos University (SQU)
Paul Gregorowitsch
Chief Executive Officer
Oman Air SAOC
Aysha Al-Mudahka
Chief Executive Officer
Qatar Business Incubation Center
SPEAKERS
Sami Omar Al Hassan
Nomou Oman Fund Manager
& Investment Executive of
GroFin Oman
James J. Macleod
General Manager,
Zeenah PR
Chris Breeze
Country Chairman
Shell Development Oman
Dr. Khalfan Mohamed
Al Barwani
Vice President Economic
Research & Statistics,
Financial Stability, and
International Relation,
Central Bank of Oman
Musallam Rashid Al Mandhari
CEO
OPAL
Duha Awayes
Services,
Protiviti
Dr. Dalia Samra-Rothe
Deputy CEO and Director
AHK Abu Dhabi
Rym Aoudia
President,
Knowledge Oman
William Crew
CEO
Inspired Solutions
Suhail Masri
VP of Sales,
Bayt.com
Nasima Yahya Zirook Al-Balushi
Director General
Export Development, Public Authority
for Investment Promotion and
Export Development (Ithraa)
Nadia Maqbool Al Lawati
Director,
23 Degrees North
Raphael V. Parambi
CEO,
SME Development Fund
Shaima Murtadha Ali Al Lawati
Founding Partner Oman & Senior
Sustainability and Social
Investment Advisor,
Sustainable Square Oman
Nasra Abdulrahman
Mohammed
Partner & Business
Development Manager,
Tawasul
Shatha Al Maskiry
Country Managing Director,
Protiviti
Pankaj Khimji
Director,
Khimji Ramdas LLC
Maryam Al Amri
Founder and CEO,
Youth Vision
Stefano Virgilli
General Manager,
Al Majarah Business
and Development
Anvwar Al Balushi
Chairman,
Anvwar Asian Investments
Raman Trehan
VP, Commercial & Logistics,
Jindal Shadeed Iron &
Steel LLC (JSIS)
Sherry Colbourne
Managing Partner,
Startup Oman
Paul Steele
Director of Training,
AMIDEAST
Rashid Al Barwani
Founder/Director of
RevGX-Fitness,
RevGX
Dr. Jalal Saleh
Al Hadhrami
Chairman/Founder,
Celebrity Global Holdings
Amararam Gujar
Commercial Representative,
Embassy of India, Muscat
Nicholas Pattison
Board Director,
Oman-British Friendship
Association/Truckoman
Group SAOG
Ali Bakhit Kashoob
Senior Manager, Product Development,
Oman Telecommunications
Company S.A.O.G
6. POST SHOW REPORT – 2015
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key Takeaways
The Numbers matter...
Job Title Breakdown
0
20
40
60
80
100 Chairmen, CXOs & MDs : 56
Founders & Owners : 14
GMs & Directors : 37
Managers - SME Heads, ICV, other : 42
of our participants also mentioned
they would recommend this event to their peers
87%
92%
92%
of our participants considered the event to
be Excellent or Good
of our participants said they would be interested in
attending the event again next year
• The introduction of an Entrepreneurship chapter which is led by
the private sector. Entrepreneurs would be encouraged to join
the chapter against a minimal membership fees and it would
elect a board members who will speak on behalf of the
entrepreneurs in Oman with government organizations and
other private corporations. Although it sounds similar to the
chambers of commerce, this chapter is much more adaptable
to the needs and age group of the entrepreneurs in the
country, as the board is manned by elected members from the
entrepreneurs themselves. Such a move would help facilitate
communicating the needs and suggestions given by the
entrepreneurs and come up with solutions and
recommendations on how to tackle the obstacles they face in
regards of the issuance of license and obtaining permits and
working visas for their manpower needs.
• The introduction of the Venture Capital model in Oman, and
the benefits that VCs can bring to the industry. Unlike standard
commercial loans or government funds/grants, VC provides
what we call "smart money". Smart money stands for a mixture
of funding, mentorship, providing know-how and opening
channels for the entrepreneurs. We also explained that VCs
invest in equity and their investment is not considered as a loan,
which helps reduce the stress on the entrepreneur and reduces
their risk.
• Helping SMEs expand beyond the borders and ways in which
the Omani government to facilitate such interested companies
to setup offices in specific markets whether regionally or
internationally.
• Discussed the difference between entrepreneurship education
and actual training and mentoring. Although the academic
education is important, it is imperative to provide them with
practical training followed by mentoring and coaching. This
could be done through the incubation programs at various
levels.
• Using loan guarantee to finance SMEs
• More sensitivity to SMEs/ face less bureaucracy
• Building an elite class of entrepreneurs. Attracting talented
labor force from within or outside Oman, which in turn creates
businesses that create value for Oman, eventually giving
opportunities to export its goods and services.
• A body that will “match-make” the opportunities available
within huge projects to smaller businesses that they can tap into
these with their area of expertise.
• Is the Omani environment ready for other sources of financing
like Crowdfunding?
• Pushing SMEs towards the manufacturing sector
• Setting up a board/body along with Ithraa to guide the SMEs
• Empower the OCCI instead of it being a quasi-Government
body and have representative offices
7. The summit had a lot of entrepreneurs, regulators,
private sector business leaders, and this was a very
good set up, because at the end of the day it wasn’t
only talk. We actually came up with a lot of
recommendations, that I believe if are accumulated
into points and raised to the right decision makers it
really will make a difference in the Oman SME
Sector.”
– Dr. Jalal Al Hadhrami
Celebrity Global Holdings
Totally impressed with the organizations level, the
venue, the speakers and panel selections. Well done
IFM! By far the best SME event for the year 2015!”
– Sami Al Hassan
GroFin
Privileged and honored to be a part of this Summit.
A very interesting forum that every entrepreneur
should attend for networking opportunities.”
– Maria Josephine
Hadhab Bowsher Trad & Cont Co Ltd.
The Oman SME Summit 2015 has been a wonderful
platform bringing the various stakeholders of the
entrepreneurship program. This would help
facilitate the process for integrated results.”
– Dr. Jaya Sangeetha
Celebrity Global Holdings
Thank you for having such a wonderful and
successful international conference. The quality of
the speakers and entrepreneurs were excellent.
Overall, I had a great time and so when you do this
next, please do let us know”
– Humaira Mumtaz
HCT College
It was a great experience for me as a small
entrepreneur to meet a large sector of the large &
medium sized companies.”
– Islam Abbas Dasseh
Higher College of Technology
POST SHOW REPORT – 2015
OUR THANK YOU
But the Value added matters more...
How to participate in year 2016?
Submitting Paper Proposal:
Feel free to reach out to us with your paper proposal on
any topic pertaining to SMEs.
Contact: Abraham Varghese | Conference Producer
E: avarg@ifinancemag.com | T: +44 (0) 207 1936 304
Participating As A Delegate:
You can always contribute by sharing your knowledge
with your peers and colleagues.
Contact: Rahul Bihani | Marketing Head-Events
E: rbihani@ifinancemag.com | T: +44 (0) 207 1936 304
Exhibiting Or Sponsoring At The Event:
In 2016, the event will be expanding its exhibition area
and will offer an opportunity for exhibiting and
showcasing your latest technologies, services, and
products. We offer tailor made packages to sponsor the
event based on your marketing budget.
Contact: Basant Das | Head of Events
E: bdas@ifinancemag.com | T: +44 (0) 207 1936 304
We extend our gratitude to…
– Our Sponsors, Partners and Endorsers, for supporting our efforts and
helping us put together a successful event
– Our Speakers, Panelists and Advisors, for the insightful perspectives
they brought to the table and sharing their vast knowledge on the
subject
– Our Delegates, who actively participated and contributed to the
presentations and panel discussions, which truly was the intended
outcome of this event
We are elated that you chose to
participate in Oman SME Summit 2015 in
Muscat, Oman and we got a chance to
meet you! We believe that this event was
beneficial for you, both in terms of
learning and networking. We hope to
make this a lasting relationship and not
just a one-time meeting and look forward
to meeting you for the next chapter of
Oman SME Summit!
… and IFM Event’s OSMES15 Project Team
Organized By
INTERNATIONAL FINANCEPUBLICATIONS LIMITED
843 Finchley Road, London, NW11 8NA
Tel: +44 (0) 208 123 9436 | Email: info@ifinancemag.com
Abraham Varghese
Conference Producer
