Through the support of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) and Qatar Development Bank (QDB), Qatari small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have established a presence in many of the various sectors needed to host the world’s largest sporting event. Their contribution related to the development of the tournament stadiums and sports facilities around them, as well as public parks, streets in main tourist areas and urban facilities, including hotels and residential towers.
Coastal Qatar was founded in 1979 and is one of the most prominent local companies that have contributed to the delivery of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Partnering with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy since 2017, Coastal has manufactured and installed seating at six of the tournament stadiums, covering a total of 250,000 seats.
Coastal’s team handles all aspects of the manufacturing process, from planning and design to implementation and installation. The company has successfully designed seats in a way which uses sustainable practices in the manufacturing operations, as part of its commitment to reduce plastic waste and promote recycling. The collection created by Coastal includes seats of various colors, luxury options, and those for people with disabilities.
During the project, Coastal leveraged the services provided by QDB, especially its support for manufacturing companies which includes several financial and guarantee programs. In addition, it also took advantage of its consultation and support to obtain international quality certificates – a crucial step to be taken. QDB also supported via its incubation and growth acceleration programs, and provided access to local, regional, and international markets for further expansion.
Al Sulaiteen Group left a significant mark on the national preparations to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, predominantly through entities such as the Al Sulaiteen Agricultural & Industrial Complex (SAIC It supported through the production and provision of FIFA-approved turf for many of the stadiums, as well as the training sites for the participating teams. It also provided landscaping services for the stadiums’ outdoor gardens as well as logistical services and direct care for the stadium grounds throughout the tournament.
Under the supervision of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, SAIC conducted maintenance works for five of the tournament stadiums, and 25 training sites, in accordance with FIFA-approved international specifications. Using state-of-the-art equipment and materials, the team are currently providing round-the-clock maintenance supervision at these venues.
SAIC and QDB have a strong relationship based on a long history of working together. SAIC has benefited from several of the services provided by QDB, particularly regarding the specialised programs for industrial and service companies, through which QDB gives access to opportunities for signing contracts with national partners, and international markets.
Qinwan Dates was founded in early 2017 as a small commercial dates project at the Gate Mall in Doha, before becoming what it is today – an award-winning multi-branch company, with multiple branches and international quality certificates. Although its primary product is still dates, Qinwan now offers many other foods and beverages. Qinwan’s identity as a brand was founded on authentic Qatari values, such as hospitality and heritage authenticity. As a result, Qinwan products also have a symbolic value and include luxury dates, Arabic coffee, various fillings, date paste, and creams.
Qinwan signed a historic agreement with FIFA to license its products, making it the first licensed date company at a FIFA World Cup tournament. For the event, Qinwan’s products feature a Qatari visual identity as well as tournament and official FIFA logos. Under the agreement, Qinwan will oversee the production, design, and sale of licensed products, which will spotlight Qatar as the 2022 host country via a range of high-end quality dates, and therefore becoming the first Qatari company to obtain such a license in its category.
The company benefited from several QDB services throughout its development, such as the Jahiz 2 factories and its Franchise program to developing their franchise systems. The program enables entrepreneurs to license their successful brand, product, or service, and deliver it another geographical area. It also offers training, development, consulting, and other services.
Sponix’s journey began in late 2019, with an innovative idea to create an interactive experience for the fans of the world’s most popular sport. Its competitive advantage is based on creating an integrated football viewing experience without the need to install technological equipment on the pitch. Instead, it relies on visual feedback from TV channels to provide integrated views of important moments during matches. When a player scores a goal, Sponix’s qualitative technology, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning, provides a complete view of the goal from all angles retrospectively, from the viewpoint of the player, goalkeeper, or referee, by determining its location in the overall image – all generated by the cameras on the pitch.
Over the past three years, Sponix has won ten awards: most recently the Entrepreneurship World Cup national qualifiers competition in Qatar. Sponix has also won Microsoft’s distinguished Best Start-up in Asia Award and was recognised as the Best Startup of the Year in the Sports Technology Awards in London. The company has several clients, including beIN Sports –which used its technologies for the first time when covering the 2021 Arab Cup – along with Benfica Lisbon, Sky Sports, and the European Champions League, in addition to other partnerships with the Italian League and other European and American federations.
The company took part in QDB’s accelerator, Qatar SportsTech, in early 2020. Sponix was part of the second cohort of the program and received financial and service support that helped it reach its status. In addition, QDB provides such companies with an infrastructure that allows them to reach new heights in their business development.
Qatar Aluminum Extrusion Company (QALEX)’s success story includes many milestones and major challenges, which have led to it becoming a leading company in its field and capable of contributing to the State of Qatar’s preparations to host the largest football tournament in the world. QALEX used its products in the building of football stadiums across Qatar and equipped them with the best building and structural materials to do so
These successes are the result of many years of experience, and today the company produces 30,000 tons of aluminum annually, at 0% operational waste, thanks to an impressive refining process. With a long list of international certificates and accreditations in recognition of the quality of its products, QALEX has become responsible for supplying aluminum goods for football stadiums in the State of Qatar and abroad, including in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Today, QALEX has a substantial record of national achievements, outside of the World Cup stadiums, these include the construction of prominent towers and buildings in the country, the most recent being the Katara Towers in Lusail.
Throughout its journey, QALEX has significantly benefited from QDB’s range of services, namely when financing, obtaining international certificates and accreditations, and gaining access to participate in important international exhibitions through the help of QDB’s export arm, the Qatar Export Development and Promotion Agency, TASDEER.
Al- Aziziya Chemicals Factory was established at the end of 2015 and specialises in the manufacture of chemicals used in urban construction and infrastructure, such as adhesives and insulators. The factory offers a wide range of products such as liquid/solid construction chemicals, adhesives, construction materials, insulation and adhesive foundations, decorative and flooring materials, interior decoration, waterproofing, protective lining materials for refrigerators, and sewage line coating and insulation.
Although relatively young, the company was able to compete strongly in the national market and challenge similar imported products from abroad. As a result, it won many contracts with various agencies and companies, such as hotels, commercial complexes, residential towers, metro stations – specifically in West Bay and Al Wakrah - and, crucially. the stadiums that will host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 finals, namely Al Thumama and Lusail stadiums.
Al-Aziziya Chemicals Factory capitalized on QDB’s Jahiz 1 factory initiative to officially start its operations in 2018, up until its significant contribution to Qatar’s infrastructure to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
