ALKHOBAR, 9 November 2007 — The conference, workshops and exhibition on “The Art of Leadership and Professional Public Relations,” concluded Wednesday at the Sultan ibn Abdul Aziz Science and Technology Center (Scitech). The three-day event was held under the sponsorship of the GCC Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Ministry of Education. Speakers included noted figures, both men and women, from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.
Nora Al-Shabban, president of Ebdaa Exchange Company, led the team organizing the event, which focused on empowering women and developing their leadership and communication skills. Educational workshops were held during the day, followed by a break, and then the speakers presented in the evening. This enabled the attendees to have a chance to participate in all aspects of the conference while still managing family obligations.
As the event took place at Scitech, which is equipped with the latest in multimedia technology, male speakers were able to present their views to the female audience through an audio/video connection and the audience was then able to interact with those speakers through an audio connection.
“We invited men as well as women to be speakers at this event because having both means we want to look at all points of view,” said Al-Shabban. “Women tend to think alike so it is not ideal to have only women speakers. In our society, a man will have a different experience so the information he presents will come from a different perspective. When women hear about leadership from both talented men and women, this sets forth more options for development.”
Al-Shabban stated that there are many creative, talented women in the Kingdom, but they have never learned to trust in their own abilities. What Saudi women want for themselves now, in terms of career and social opportunities, has changed enormously over the past decade, she added.
“Thanks Be to Allah, we have a good chance now, because our king has traveled with the businesswomen to China and to India. He has given us the message that opportunities are opening for us. However, we need to discover our talents and develop our skills to compete effectively in global business. And also importantly, we must learn to think outside the box — that means creative thinking,” said Al-Shabban.
At the event, the workshops and conference aimed at enabling women to explore new skills and grow their inner self. The organizers also hoped that the conference would provide a means for women professionals to network with each other on issues of importance to them.
“Unfortunately, after completion of university, many Saudi women find that they are isolated at home or in the workplace,” observed Al-Shabban. “Where can they go to meet other women who want to grow in creative, empowering ways?”
Many of the women at the conference, especially on the opening day, were women who hold positions of responsibility within Saudi society. It was emphasized at the conference though, that even if a woman is a manager or administrator of some sort, this does not make her a leader. Leaders are confident, persistent, agile, original thinkers. It was also pointed out that women must learn to represent themselves and their society in productive ways.
“Public relations is not just for companies. Individuals, too, need to understand how interacting effectively with others can lead to new opportunities,” said Al-Shabban.
The conference was a good effort and such events are to be encouraged. What also must be encouraged is that women should think of attending these conferences as educational opportunities and not as a means to make a fashion statement. It cannot be ignored that the opening of the event, which featured a speech by Princess Jawaher bint Naif, was the most well-attended portion of the conference.
Additionally, more of an effort must be made to ensure that since there are still relatively few GCC conferences offering networking opportunities for women professionals, that there is better coordination among organizers of such events.
The 3rd Arab Businesswomen’s Economic Forum opened in Manama on the same day as the Leadership event. The theme of the forum was “World Business Pioneers — Training, Financing and Development.” The forum was designed to persuade Arab companies and private firms to employ more Arab and GCC women, and examine ways of supporting women’s small and medium projects and attracting the needed capital. If these events had been held on successive weeks, attendees could have continued the dialogue of one conference at the other, and perhaps more fruitful outcomes could be realized.
