businessthismonth When? July 14–16 | Event? Exhibition | Venue? Bahrain City Centre
Building a Business A unique competition has given ambitious youngsters the chance to get their business plans reviewed by professionals; the top candidates get to display their ideas this month. An exhibition held this month will display the business plans of budding young entrepreneurs who excelled in a first-of-its-kind competition. The Tamkeen-developed Mashroo3i Youth Business Awards initiative has been ongoing since February, giving students a chance to present their ideas. 200 students from schools around the country and aged between 15 and 23 entered the competition. The entrants’ plans were then shortlisted by mentors leaving only the 60 most promising ideas to be further developed into business plans through interactive phases. The 60 teams will be evaluated further by three professional judges to be narrowed down to the best 30 entrepreneurs with their prototypes to be exhibited for a test-run this month. Business plans will be displayed in booths scattered thoughout the mall for members of the public to view and discuss with the candidates, giving them an idea of what’s to come. Among the participating businesses are the Bahrain Design Studio, Kids Café, Tod’s and Tads and YAS Middle East. An award ceremony will take place on the last day of the exhibition, honouring the ten winning teams of the business Also this month
plan competition. First, second and third place winners will be awarded trophies while certificates will be handed out to the winning teams from each of the seven categories; best plan, model, marketing, sales and promotion and also best product. “Mashroo3i highlights the importance of entrepreneurship to the nation’s economy. We hope that the youth will take advantage of the opportunity to acquire practical wisdom through their interaction with masters in the field of business,” says a spokesperson from Tamkeen. The past few months have seen each competing team endure a series of learning processes to understand the ins and outs of being an entrepreneur. The competition, which is planned to become an annual event, is a major learning opportunity with distinguished businessmen and professionals helping the participants through out the process. “We planned and designed Mashroo3i in a way that brings out the best in the Bahrain’s youth by surrounding them with a creative atmosphere. Also, the competition offered a unique platform to build relationships with key influencers and decision makers of society,” explains Tamkeen’s spokesperson. The experts involved in the project acted as advisors, guides and role models. Among the group of professionals are various mentors who played a key role in developing the youngsters.
Group Plus Deal The exclusive advertising concession of the Bahrain’s Information Affairs Authority (IAA) has recently been awarded to Group Plus Bahrain, a Plus Holding company. The agreement includes all of Bahrain TV and Radio stations in addition to the authority’s website. The signing reflects the IAA’s dedication to increase the authority’s financial revenue in line with the government’s media strategy. “This new concession reinforces our strong presence in Bahrain and is yet another milestone of our company’s expansion in the region,” says Plus Holding chairman Georges Chehwane.
E Visit www.mashroo3i.bh.
70 x Entrepreneur - 72 x Spotlight
BTM July 2012 69