JEDDAH: A young Saudi contractor won a bid to build 40 swimming pools. This was just one success story from the Business Youth Exhibition 2008 where, according to organizers, most of the participants have managed to sign contracts and win business offers.
The event, which concluded its second round yesterday, also included the announcement of the Michael Porter Business Award that would be presented to one Saudi company.
Badr Al-Shaibani, an official at the exhibition’s organizing committee, said that Al-Watan newspaper and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) organized the award.
“Applicants started applying for the award during the exhibition and the results would be revealed soon,” he said.
Al-Watan newspaper, which is the media sponsor of the event, has also announced the sponsorship of its Top 100 Fastest Growing Saudi Companies List. The first 20 winners in the list would be taken to Harvard University to attend business related workshops, Al-Watan reported.
Al-Shibani said that Abdul Latif Jameel Co. has also announced the opening of a new business academy that aims supporting young entrepreneurs.
Mazen Al-Semran, a young graffiti artist who participated in the exhibition said, “The outcome was much more than what I expected.” Al-Semran does graffiti on T-shirts and room walls as interior design.
“I have received numerous offers to decorate rooms with my graffiti,” he said from his booth at the event where he was selling his T-shirt designs.
Lubna Jamjoom, an interior designer who designed her booth as a living room to provide a showcase of her work, said that there is a promising future for young entrepreneurs.
“I have received many inquiries and business offers during this exhibition,” she said, adding that the great demand reveals a good future for the young investors.
She said that Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, governor of Makkah province, and all the high officials who visited the exhibition came to her booth and supported her efforts. “This event made me smile more,” she said.