Industry experts gather in Doha

The 12th Industrialists' Conference and Exhibition that took place at the Doha Exhibition Centre last November 22-24, 2009 is claimed to be one of the biggest events in the industrial sector of the Middle East and was held under the patronage of The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The conference was opened by H.E. Dr. Mohammed Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of State for Energy and Industrial Affairs, and H.E. Abdulrahman Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. Industry Ministers from GCC countries also attended the opening ceremony. The event was organised by the Gulf Organisation for Industrial Consulting (GOIC) in collaboration with Secretariat General of the GCC Countries, Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Qatar Ministry of Industry and Energy, and Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry. During the three day conference and exhibition, there were more than 2,000 business to business meetings. Among the nearly 5,000 total visitors were leading manufacturers and distributors, as well as buyers and suppliers and many key investors. The Industrialists' Conference was attended by top-notch international speakers from all over the world and renowned regional experts. The topics addressed at the conference included, Future Industry in GCC Countries Vision 2020, Strategic Initiatives in Industrial Policy Formulation and Coordination, Projects Financing and Financial Services, International Cooperation in Research and Technology, Industrial Linkages and Partnerships, New Trends in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Products and Potential Market. Business to business meetings will be arranged by market specialists between suppliers, technology providers, buyers and investors. Undersecretary for Industrial Affairs of the Saudi Ministry of State Energy, Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed bin Suleiman, presented a paper during the plenary session 1 which was slated for discussing GCC Industrial Strategies. Dr. Khalid noted that Saudi economy is still dominated by oil sector despite attempts for economic diversification and expanding petrochemical industry. "Non-oil industry is our strategic option for realising economic diversity. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is planning rise contribution of industrial sector to GDP from 11 percent currently to 20 percent by 2020," he said. H a l a N a s r e d d i n e , C o r p o r a t e Communications Manager of the United Development Company, who received the award as the Silver Sponsor, on behalf of UDC, said, "We at UDC are proud both to be exhibitors at this, the 12th Industrialists' Conference, and to be Silver Sponsors of this most important regional industrial event." Nasreddine added, "United Development Company shares the same vision as the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC), and we at UDC are happy to contribute in any way possible to the continued industrial growth of this region. So we were especially delighted to welcome the many people that came by the UDC booth during this important conference." "This event is a great showcase to introduce people to our diversified fields of interest, including hydrocarbons and energy, infrastructure and utilities, maritime and environmental related businesses, urban development, property management, informational technology, hospitality and "leisure, fashion, and business and marketing services," she concluded. MOE participates The Ministry of Economy also participated in the 12th Industrial Conference, the 41st committee's meeting for trade cooperation and the 30th meeting of industrial cooperation in the GCC countries. The UAE delegation was headed by His Excellency Sultan Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy. Al MansourAir Jordan IX 9 Shoes