Fund Forum Logo

Summary FundForum Middle East is delighted to announce a packed schedule for its 4th annual event.  With a main conference spanning 3 days (4 – 6 October) at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain,  FundForum Middle East 2010 will attract in excess of 350 of the leading players in the region. 

21 September 2010, London.  FundForum Middle East is delighted to announce a packed schedule for its 4th annual event.  With a main conference spanning three days (4 – 6 October) at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain,  FundForum Middle East 2010 will attract in excess of 350 of the leading players in the region.

Presentations and panel debates with industry leaders like Alan Durrant, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Farah Foustok of ING Investment Management Middle East will allow delegates to learn about the hottest developments and potential issues to consider when doing business and investing in the Middle East.

Bahrain itself has been a regional leader in fund management since the 1980s, offering the largest range of investment funds in the Gulf. The Kingdom is home to more than 2,700 funds – of which over 130 are Bahrain domiciled and nearly 60 are Islamic.  The Kingdom is the ideal location for the conference and for the fund management industry to access the ‘trillion dollar Gulf market’, according to Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of Bahrain’s Economic Development Board (EDB) which is again supporting the event.

“The GCC is now a trillion dollar economy with a high concentration of High Net Worth Individuals,” he says.  “As the most established financial centre in the Gulf and with fund management having been an important part of our own financial services sector for nearly thirty years, we’re delighted to welcome the FundForum back to Bahrain to discuss the opportunities ahead.”

“One thing is clear, in this highly specialised market, one size does not fit all”, adds Sarah Heery, Conference Director. “At FundForum Middle East, we have embraced that diversity and built a programme that allows delegates to balance their specific knowledge gathering requirements with opportunities to meet colleagues in formal and informal environments”.

Each day has been individually themed, enabling topic clarity and flow of ideas. Day 1, 4th October, positions the Middle East region in a global context asking questions like “what can the Middle East gain from the recent global economic crisis?” and “is Islamic finance a truly international phenomenon?”.  On 5th October, the focus shifts to specific MENA regional issues such as “Where are the yield enhancing properties of the MENA investment to be found?” and “how robust is the GCC debt market?”  The third day, 6th October, looks to the future, examining key diversification strategies & new investment opportunities for a post-crisis world and best-practice for meeting clients’ asset allocation requirements in this new environment.

In parallel summits on 3rd October, FundForum Middle East 2010 enables dialogue between fund selectors, asset allocators and investment managers for enhanced wealth management in the MENA region, and brings special focus to the future of the Saudi Arabian investment & wealth management business.  A master class in raising funds in a Sharia compliant environment on 7th October, closes this years conference where Dr Aly Khorshid, Islamic Scholar & CEO, Elite Horizon will guide delegates through the different principles involved in raising funds within an Islamic investment universe to successfully attract the huge pools of liquid cash available.

DOMOTEX Middle East 2010 to serve as platform for buyers from Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to source finest floor covering products

April 25, 2010

DOMOTEX Middle East 2010, the MENA region’s only dedicated trade show for carpets and floor coverings, has revealed that it is targeting the high potential markets of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan given the major focus on the real estate and industry sectors in these countries. In Lebanon for instance, real estate values are projected to rise by 10 to 15 per cent each year until 2013, helped by the marked increase in investments by Arab property investors. Likewise DOMOTEX Middle East noted that a construction boom is expected in Syria as well following the Government’s plan to spend USD 50 billion on infrastructure projects over the next five years, while in Jordan the construction sector rebounded in the fourth quarter of last year, growing 12.8 per cent from a year earlier.         

DOMOTEX Middle East also pointed to the significant growth of the tourism and hospitality sectors of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. According to a report published by the World Tourism Organization (WTO), Lebanon recorded the highest growth rate worldwide in 2009 in terms of tourist numbers, while in Syria tourist figures rose 15 per cent last year. Whereas in Jordan, the country’s travel and tourism economy’s real GDP is expected to grow 4.9 per cent per annum between 2010 and 2019, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). 
 
DOMOTEX Middle East 2010 will be held from May 10 to 12 at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre (DICEC), showcasing a comprehensive range of flooring solutions targeting various construction and real estate projects across the GCC and Levant countries.

Angela Schaschen, Managing Director, Deutsche Messe Dubai Branch said: “The economy of the Levant region has been growing at a steady pace in recent years, and this has translated into a significant growth of the construction and industrial sectors of countries such as Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. DOMOTEX Middle East is geared up to fully complement this growth by providing an ideal platform to source the finest carpets and floor covering products as well as world-class technology and expertise.” 

DOMOTEX Middle East 2010 will present a comprehensive selection of carpets and floor coverings including hand-made and machine-made carpets; textile and resilient floor coverings; parquet and other wood floors; laminates; ceramic tiles, natural stone floors and marble, floors for sports arenas and sports facilities; fibres, yarns and textiles; application and floor laying techniques and equipment; machinery and technology.

DOMOTEX Middle East is targeting wholesalers and retailers in the carpet and floor coverings sector as well as decision-makers from construction companies, architects, interior designers, project planners, floor layers and fitters.

Creating greater business value and enhanced networking opportunities for exhibitors and visitors, DOMOTEX Middle East will be held concurrently with R+T Middle East 2010, the Middle East spin-off of the world’s leading show for roller shutters, windows, doors, gates and sun-protection systems. R+T Middle East, which is jointly organised by Deutsche Messe Dubai Branch and Messe Stuttgart, will showcase a comprehensive range of products and services, including roller shutters and accessories; windows, window shutters and accessories; awnings; Venetian blinds and roller blinds; doors/gates and accessories; drive and control systems; electrical security equipment; business fittings and furnishings; and technical literature.

DOMOTEX Middle East is expected to build on the momentum generated by DOMOTEX HANNOVER 2010, which was held from 16th to 19th January 2010. DOMOTEX HANNOVER reported a substantial rise in attendance with some 38,000 professionals visiting the event and a total of 1,376 exhibiting companies from over 65 countries. This year’s participation represented a three per cent growth in visitor attendance while exhibitor numbers have remained steady. The positive turnout has ensured the continued success of DOMOTEX HANNOVER in spite of the tough global economic conditions and has given the industry the stimulus for sustained growth in the coming year. Meanwhile, DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR, which was held from March 23rd to 25th 2010, witnessed an overwhelming number of visitors, especially on the opening day. The footfall of the visitors at DOMOTEXasia/CHINAFloor was a testament that the flooring industry was back on track in China.
0

Tie-up to help raise awareness of industry best practices and raise regional standards in engineering and construction

Hardware and Tools Middle East 2010, the premier trade event of its kind in the region, has received the support of the UAE Society of

Engineers, as announced by show organisers Epoc Messe Frankfurt.

The UAE Society of Engineers with a membership roll of over 23,000 individ-ual members, has entered into a partnership with Hardware + Tools ME, in order to effectively spread awareness of industry best practices among pro-fessionals in the region. Hardware +Tools ME 2010 will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from May 18th to 20th.

“By joining hands with the Society of Engineers, we hope to be able to raise awareness among local industry professionals about the latest trends and developments in the field,” said Mr Ahmed Pauwels, Chief Executive Officer, Epoc Messe Frankfurt. “Hardware+Tools Middle East, which brings together the entire range of the hardware, tools, engineering and machinery industry in the region, is the ideal vehicle to propagate this message,” he added.

Founded in 1979, the UAE Society of Engineers’ mission is to

facilitate the increasing demand for top quality professionals in the local in-dustry. The Society evaluates engineering professionals and accredits them for service in the country. It also regulates

professional practices, conducts training and certification courses and over-sees standards and specifications to ensure that they meet

stringent international levels of quality.

According to Mr Maged Farouk Hanna, General Manager, UAE Society of Engineers: “The partnership of Society of Engineers – UAE and Epoc Messe Frankfurt in Hardware + Tools Middle East symbolizes the great harmony and cooperation of two organisations who aim to promote and support the engi-neering and construction industry of the United Arab Emirates and contribute to its outstanding success.” 

At Hardware+Tools ME 2010, the Society will be promoting the

benefits of membership to the members of the engineering fraternity, as well as informing them about the latest courses and certifications available. The UAE Society of Engineers is also an Authorised Training Centre and Test Centre for Pearson VUE, ICDL and Adobe qualifications.

The 11th edition of Hardware + Tools Middle East is the region’s only dedi-cated trade exhibition for tools, hardware, materials and machinery. Over the years it has proved a big draw for retailers, distributors and contractors and has firmly established itself as a solid platform for industry professionals in the Middle East region and beyond.

Over 52 per cent of the 6,500 visitors from 78 countries who attended the event last year wanted to source specific products or services. Meanwhile almost 47 per cent stated that they were at the show to keep up to date with new developments and trends in the industry.

• Etisalat speakers share insights on benefits of a Converged IP network & Software plus Services approach with Etisalat Hosting Offerings
• Etisalat emphasizes  usage of Microsoft Operations Framework in ICT & Service Management Projects

Dubai, March 4, 2010: At the inaugural edition of Tech.Ed Middle East which  is Microsoft’s premier technical education and networking event in Dubai which concluded yesterday, Etisalat executives presented attendees with insights into its comprehensive Managed ICT & services portfolio to showcase how customers can benefit from such services with enhanced business performance while optimizing capital investment and operational costs.

In a presentation entitled “Enhancing performance through High Speed IP networks”, Haider Khan, Business Development Manager, Etisalat and Rehan Sami, Solution Architect, Etisalat talked about the significance of MPLS IPVPNs to help attendees understand how Etisalat‘s IP network can facilitate collaborative business models by converging voice and data and hence improve performance and operational efficiencies. With IP being the de facto protocol worldwide, Haider highlighted  Etisalat efforts to set up its own IP nodes worldwide which would provide business customers with advantages like single point of contact and price guarantees in addition to a reliable quality of service(QOS).

The service can also be offered as a Managed Service by Etisalat with end to end network management through Etisalat’s Managed Router Service which has 24×7x365 proactive monitoring thereby enabling UAE based companies to lower their TCO( Total Cost of operations) and deal with a  single vendor .

Jitendra Kapoor, Specialist – eHosting from Etisalat talked about the synergies between  Microsoft’s Software Plus Services strategy and Etisalat’s  Suite of Managed & Hosted Microsoft  Application services to mitigate risks and enhance business agility. He said, “Businesses can now partner with Etisalat to capitalize on the secure, reliable and scalable computing environment of Etisalat’s state of the art fully redundant Internet data centres to conduct mission critical operations and be assured of enriched Managed Hosting Services like storage, disaster recovery, Business Continuity Planning, security, message hygiene, and Microsoft Software management.”

Etisalat can thus assists businesses of all sizes to make a prudent selection of on premise and Etisalat Hosted & Managed Applications-a winning combination designed to enhance competitive edge for customers. This translates into a very convenient deployment model which can be adjusted dynamically as business needs shift and growth requirements necessitate a relevant approach.

According to Shazad Ahmed, Specialist, Professional Services, Etisalat who spoke on the relevance of Microsoft Operations Framework, “Microsoft Operations Framework(MOF) provides a practical framework and guidance to provide efficient and effective services. The major advantage of bringing in MOF best practices to Professional Services engagements  is to reveal customer service flaws early on during the engagement. Moreover, it also helps to gather clear requirements from customers. While working on customer Service Management projects, MOF provides a low cost solution for organizations to adopt IT best practices and become ISO 20000 ready.