Slated to be held between January 10-12, the Doha event will facilitate 
engagement between private sector and industry leaders and is expected 
to bring together leading Qatari organisations. By Anand Holla
In the New Year, Qatar’s journey at emerging as the region’s premier destination for hosting top events seems to be getting only better. Opening the floodgates of an exciting calendar is a promising networking event for any organisation that’s interested in doing business in Qatar – the first International Exhibition for Support Services and Business Solutions (QBX-Expo). 
From January 10 to 12 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, QBX-Expo, hosted by event organiser Sedeer Media, will be on from 10am to 9pm. By presenting an opportunity to connect ambitious companies with operators who can aid their development, the event seeks to play a key role “in establishing direct communication channels between supply and demand companies, and provide a unique meeting place – at a specific time, in a specific place – for these companies.”
Supported by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, the event will facilitate engagement between private sector and industry leaders and is expected to bring together more than 10,000 leading Qatari businesses and associations. 
Recently, Khalifa al-Attiyah, Managing Director, Sedeer Media, told Gulf Times, “QBX-Expo is the meeting place where Qatari companies can research, learn about, and invest in the latest business technologies. With prominent speakers, blue chip exhibitors and a host of networking opportunities, QBX-Expo’s primary aim is to enable local companies to maintain their upward trajectory by linking them up with businesses that offer support services and business solutions, from advanced administrative methods to the latest technologies.”
Attendees and exhibitors at QBX-Expo will be drawn from sectors such as government, marketing, human resources, technology, finance solutions, real estate, telecommunications and tourism. Here’s a quick look through the conferences and seminars programme, just so you know what you can’t afford to miss.
Shashi Parab, Director Media NX Pty Ltd, will talk about the importance of mobile advertising and engaging your customers, taking you through everything from advertising now and then, and how advertising has changed with the arrival of smart phones and tabs, to mobile application development and promoting your app. 
On the same day, Ivan Horniak, Expert Solutions, ICT Business Development, Ooredoo Qatar, will hold an interactive seminar Smart Life needs Smart Business Solutions to discuss and answer some of the crucial questions about efficient ways to utilise the latest technology to drive and build business. 
Khalifa Saleh al-Haroon, founder, ILoveQatar, will share his experience on setting up and running a company in Qatar within the digital and information industry, while highlighting some of the most challenging aspects that he has faced and how he was able to overcome them.
Alexandru Christian, Assistant Director, Business Segmentation, Ooredoo Qatar, will disprove the myths of business infrastructure in this conference, while highlighting some of the main benefits of the readily available ICT (Information and Communications Technology) solutions on the market.
In Game On – New Business Models for Reinventing your Enterprise, Michal Suchocki, VP Sales of Connectivity Solutions Cybercom, will help people understand why they should connect their products/services – from a business perspective. Cybercom provides Advisory Services and IoT Ecosystem for Business Modeling and Business Delivery in the Connected World.
Taking you through Business Model Innovation is Yasmeen Hasan, Entrepreneurship Manager Bedaya Center, who will discuss different examples of winning business models and disruptive models in this workshop that promises to help you identify how innovative you are and how to increase your creativity to help your business.
Nabeel Ashraf, Senior Regional Managing Partner of Prestige Wealth Solutions, will talk on How to Make Money in a Falling Market, while Ruya Tatli, HR Director, Talent Acquisition Specialist, CHRO, will helm a seminar on Social Recruiting; which is basically how to use social media to hire and attract talent. Ibrahim Badreddeen, Country Manger, bayt.com, will give a lowdown on how to prepare a CV to shine in 2016.
While the above conferences and seminars would be held on January 11, January 12 boasts of an equally interesting schedule. In his workshop for entrepreneurs, Khader Ibrahim Sulyman, CEO – Founder, The Changers, will equip them with practical concepts for using business solutions in establishing pilot business projects.
Arch. Hamoda Youssff, Head of Communications, Qatar Green Building Council, will helm a conference on an overview on the world trending movement toward a more sustainability-responsible business model, with a highlight on the main guidelines and recommendations for such market transformation in Qatar.
While Nader Henein, Regional Director, Advanced Security Solutions – Advisory Division, BlackBerry, will hold a session on The State of Communications Security in the Gulf, Shanmuga Sundaram, BDM (Retail), Care N Cure, will speak on why is now the time to start using everything you know about each customer in order to deliver the perfect customer experience. For registration details and more information, check out www.qbx-expo.com.