Date: June 29, 2016
The multiple evening sessions organised as part of Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC)’s Ramadan ‘Tajribati’ series received positive response from members of the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector in the Sultanate.
The sessions deliberated on topics of relevance to the SMEs and reflected on challenges and future opportunities for them. Zubair SEC’s multiple evening sessions mulled over topics such as the role of the media in the success of SMEs; the importance of having a strong corporate identity and branding; and people management and retention. The Ramadan ‘Tajribati’ sessions hosted a number of qualified speakers in each of these topic as well as a group of Zubair SEC’s members who shared their insight and experience in these areas.
Ramadan 2016 marks a year since Zubair SEC) launched the ‘Tajribati’ initiative that facilitates transparent constructive discussion on topics of high importance to the SMEs sector in the country.
The first Tajribati session of Ramadan focused on the significant role that the media can play in featuring and promoting SMEs and voicing their hopes and aspirations. Speakers included prominent media professionals such as Ali Al Matani, Salem Al Habsi, Chairman of GCC Sport Journalism (chairman, GCC Union for Sports Media), Awad Baqweir, Chairman of Omani Journalists Association and also Muna Al Khusaibi, a member of Zubair SEC and Founder of Kidani.
The second session highlighted the importance of branding and corporate identity for SMEs. The session hosted experts in branding and marketing communications including Jum’aa Al Saleh, Head of Corporate Identity at Bank Muscat and Antoine Aoun, Head of Marketing Communications at Z-Corp. Both presented strategic insights on the best way to approach branding and also cost efficient ways to tackle the issue. They also stressed on the importance of having a corporate image and branding that suits the product or service being marketed. Zubair SEC’s Member Zubaida Al Harthy, Founder of Al Qabas Dental Centre, was a guest speaker at the session to share her experience as an owner of a small business. Zubaida shared the method she adopted for branding as a small enterprise. She quantified that good branding helped her secure better market positioning and achieve a solid impression in the market.
The third Tajribati session deliberated on the topic of people’s management. The session reflected on the best approaches to attract employees, develop their skills, and retain them through good policies and cost efficient motivational practices. Guest speakers included Dr Mohammed Al Buloushi, HR Director at Al Ghalbi International for Engineering and Contracting; Haitham Almamari, People Development Senior Manager at Oman Oil Marketing Company; Hani Al Khusaibi, Regional HR Manager at GlassPoint Solar and Zubair SEC member Ali Al Rashdi, Founder of Muaawana.
Talking about the Tajribati journey so far, Lina Hussein, Head of Communication and Social Impact at Zubair SEC said, “This Ramadan we celebrate a year since we launched the Tajribati initiative that aims at achieving and promoting positive constructive debate and dialogue. The sessions have echoed very well and widely and we have been very pleased with the results so far. We are in utmost gratitude to the wonderful speakers who we have hosted in these sessions throughout the past year. Whether market and industry experts, or members of Zubair SEC, their contribution and shared insight is the main reason for the success of the Tajribati sessions.”
She also added, “We have also been very encouraged with the discussions and inputs by all who attended our sessions; the questions asked and arguments put forward. The attentiveness demonstrated and the interest in others’ opinions reflected the elegant and professional SME society we have in this country.” Lina explained, “We continuously incorporate the lessons learnt at each stage to keep developing our advisory, dialogue and networking platforms at Zubair SEC. We renew our commitment to remain a solid platform and a guiding beacon for our members, entrepreneurs and SME owners in general in Oman.”
The ‘Tajribati’ series serves as a unique platform to connect business experts with start-up owners and new entrepreneurs to exchange views, discuss common challenges and share best practices. The sessions are run in a cordial environment that allows for discussing diverse points of view. It provides a platform for interaction between owners and stakeholders from different sectors and different sizes of business, which further enriches the debate.