Date: March 3, 2019
Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC) in collaboration with Muscat Grand Mall (MGM) held an exhibition for small businesses at the mall’s new extension from February 28 to March 2 which received an enthusiastic response from the general public and SME community.
Al Zubair M Al Zubair, Vice Chairman, The Zubair Corporation was the chief guest of the opening ceremony, which was attended by key stakeholders from the SME support ecosystem, and executive members of various leading companies and organisations.
The exhibition aimed at driving growth of 26 small enterprises; and as part of Zubair SEC’s support to Omani SMEs, the centre contracted Al Sahel Al Sharqi to handle the organisation work of the exhibition.
Commenting on the exhibition, Zubair Al Zubair said, “We are delighted to see such exhibitions showcasing for three days some distinguished Omani products and services provided by members of Zubair SEC. The demonstrated business offerings by those small businesses are an evidence of how far they can go with high quality competitive products and services that can really appeal to the market demands. We were pleased to hold this exhibition in partnership with Muscat Grand Mall, a true Omani success story in the industry of shopping complexes, that has extended all effort and determination to support Omani SMEs.”
Zubair SEC has been putting great effort in helping its members in achieving sustainability and scalability for their small businesses; as such, exhibitions of this sort come as part of the support effort to open marketing channels and provide exposure platform for the centre’s members.
This exhibition also comes as a first fruit of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Zubair SEC signed with Tilal Development Company SAOC and MGM recently. The main objective of the agreement is to develop a cooperation between Tilal and Zubair SECtowards collective support of SMEs and entrepreneurship in the Sultanate. As part of the agreement, MGM will continue to invite members of Zubair SEC to all organised SME exhibitions and provide space for members’ exhibitions. Alongside supporting small businesses, Zubair SEC will also be providing its services to existing small enterprises working within the sales outlets in MGM.
Ali Said Abdullah Al Rashdi, member of Zubair SEC and founder of General Maintenance Services Establishment – Muaawana said, “This initiative created a favourable environment for SMEs and aspiring businesses. We felt that the exhibition recognised that SMEs contribute to the sustainable development in the country while also providing essential goods and services.”
Zaima Saif Nasser Al Salami, founder of Grandma Mixes said, “We were encouraged by the visitors and public who found time to pass by the exhibition and buy some of the goods on sale. We are thankful to Zubair SEC for their guidance and handholding. We are also thankful to MGM for the culture they nourish for supporting SMEs”
Abdullah Mohammed Saud Al Dughaishi, founder, Gourmet Taste Sweets and the commercial brand “Browny” said, “Such platforms and opportunities for SMEs and start-ups to help them grow, showcase their services and engage with the relevant stakeholders.”
Khadeejah Al Battashi, Al Sahel Al Sharqi said, “The exhibition was a testimony of the hard work and professionalism members of Zubair SEC. Exhibitions are a very effective tool for SMEs to market their products and reach out to the community. We are privileged to be contracted by Zuabir SEC to organise the event and we value their trust and support. We are also pleased to organise in MGM which is a space that attracts a lot of footfall and SMEs and their products will get great exposure from visiting public. Zubair SEC has demonstrated leadership in providing services to developing Omani small businesses and we are proud to be members of this pioneering centre.”
MGM located within the Tilal complex in Bausher is a fast growing leading lifestyle hub in the Sultanate, offering choice and convenience for shoppers and residents as part of a combined leisure experience. MGM has opened its new expansion as part of its expansion and growth endeavours.
Zubair SEC has gone beyond the traditional notion of a SME support and moved towards a holistic ecosystem of services offering business advisory, business development, partnership and affiliations, capacity building, and a grant programme. Since its inception, Zubair SEC members and budding entrepreneurs have significantly benefited from its services. It has played a crucial role in developing a culture of entrepreneurship in the country.
This exhibition is not a first effort in opening market channels for SMEs; Zubair SEC, a social responsibility initiative of The Zubair Corporation (Z-Corp) has facilitated various business development opportunities for its members in the past. It strongly believes that the support of large organisations to SMEs, mainly through business development and contract opportunities, is of the greatest importance to the development and success of the SME sector.