JEDDAH — The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) announced Wednesday that a number of partnerships between Saudi entrepreneurs and their counterparts in UAE and Oman are expected to take place during the 8th Jeddah Young Business Exhibition which will be held in Jeddah on April 19. Mohammad Al-Suwailih, head of The Young Businesspersons Committee at the JCCI noted that while the event started seven years ago with only 44 participants, yet this year, those wanting to participate exceeded 1,223. The large number made it necessary to set interviews to specify the participants. The event will be stretched for five days and will have over 300 exhibitors. It is expected that the gathering will attract over 15,000 visitors and will give an opportunity for participants to sign contracts worth SR20 million. JCCI officials are still negotiating with Turkey and Malaysia to participate in the coming event. This year the exhibition will have an application that will make it easy for visitors to reach the booths they want. Some 60 youth of both genders are involved in organizing this event. "Youth moved from being participants into taking over the organization of the entire event," said Al-Suwailih. Faiz Al-Harbi, a JCCI board member, said in a press conference announcing the forum at the JCCI, that the event will have a number of scientific sessions organized in cooperation with Om Al-Qura University. He noted that the event started small and has changed now into an event that targets entrepreneurs not only in Jeddah and Makkah, but around the Kingdom. The secretary general of the JCCI noted that their deep belief in youth drove them to support and aid youth to develop a working environment suitable for them. The event, he said, is now a platform where youth announce their initiatives and projects and it allows them to sign their partnerships either among themselves or with big companies.
