Opportunity Arabia 10: Business Forum on Saudi Arabia
Start date: 04/10/2013
Cost: See Event information
Time: 09:00 – 17:00
Venue: Old Trafford Stadium, Sir Matt Busby Way, Manchester M16 0RA – Directions
Stability, security, continuity and modernisation underpin the economy of Saudi Arabia. It is the largest and most prosperous economy in the MENA region and the closest to the UK outside the EU. This year the Middle East Association will host ‘Opportunity Arabia 10’, the tenth in this series of highly sucessful one-day conferences on the Kingdom, at Old Trafford, Manchester on 4th October 2013 and offers you the ideal forum to learn more, discover the eye-catching opportunities on offer and to network.
The Event
The founding aims of Opportunity Arabia remain the same: to promote the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a stable and prosperous country, modernizing rapidly, regionally and internationally important; and to raise the awareness of British exporters of goods and services to the huge trading opportunities that the Saudi market has to offer across all sectors. Ten years on, these are no less relevant.
Why Saudi Arabia?
The importance of selling into Saudi Arabia and the resulting benefit to our balance of payments, cannot be overstated.
The Saudi market place is enormous and competitive, and a growing Chinese presence is a big challenge. If the price is right, there is no product nor service that cannot be sold. The population is growing at about 3% pa which is driving massive expenditure on new cities, housing, transport, power, desalination, healthcare and education. Petrochemicals and mining are leading the economy away from its historical dependence on oil and gas and currently account for about 25% of GDP.
There is a significant and visible British presence in the Kingdom, but our export market share is well below the US, Japan, Korea and our leading EU competitors. Getting into the Saudi market is no push-over for any company, regardless of size. Our panel of speakers, Saudi and British, men and women, will cover most of the sectors referred to above and talk of the pitfalls and frustrations of doing business in Saudi Arabia and the rewards that come with patience and determination to gain a foothold. Networking during the breakout periods offers great added value.
Confirmed Speakers:
- Chair: Sir Alan Munro, former Ambassador to KSA
- Prince Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki
- HMA, Sir John Jenkins – a view from Riyadh
- Omar Bahlaiwa, Secretary General – Saudi Committee for International Trade
- Dr. Sadad Husseini – Oil, Gas & Renewables
- Hoda Al Helaissi – Appointed by King Abdullah to the Shura Council
- Sir William Patey KCMG – Implications of the ‘Arab Awakening’
- Dr Amina Wakefield, Cambridge Regional College – Education & Training
- Dr Karen Wilson, Odyssey Enterprises – Healthcare
- Christopher White, Ma’aden- Mining
- David Dew, CEO, SABB – Banking, ‘Saudi Arabia: A Superpower’
- Trevor Cotterell, MD, Areen Design – Aviation Sector
- Mike Tunstall – representing British Business Groups in KSA
- Caroline O��Halloran – Engineering
The Offer
*** Tickets are £100 +VAT for MEA Members and £125 +VAT for non-members. For all the companies who have already bought tickets, we will be refunding you the difference. For everyone else, don’t delay in booking your place via the MEA website! ***
FREE parking has been secured for this event at Old Trafford.
Interested?
To book your place for this event, please click here.
