JEDDAH – Around 200 young exhibiters displayed their projects at the Jeddah Center for Forums and Exhibitions during the sixth annual Jeddah Young Business Expo. Prince Mishal Bin Abdullah, emir of Makkah, inaugurated the event, which will be open to the general public until Feb. 24. In his speech, Prince Mishal called on the youth of Jeddah to take advantage of various employment generated schemes launched by the government and advised them to become job providers instead of job seekers. He urged the private sector to support those young entrepreneurs and lead them in the right direction and assured them that his office was there to help them remove any obstacles they may face. He said: “Our presence here today is an expression of pride in youth as they demonstrate their creativity, initiative and commitment to excellence. “I really encourage them to aim high, think big and put their creativity to practical use. “Tonight we are also reminded that successful entrepreneurship depends on the ability of youth to innovate, to create new knowledge and new technologies.” While the men's section was dominated by commercial ideas, photography and technology projects, the female section was still restricted to women accessories, abayas, dresses and catering projects with only a few interior design initiatives. The exhibition arena, which was busy on Monday, looked calm on Tuesday morning with only a few visitors. Ali Al-Kuraisi, owner of kitchen accessories and furniture company Othmaniyat, said while this was a great opportunity for young entrepreneurs to grow and meet clients, the organization of the exhibition was “disappointing”. According to him, organizers should have given them more time to manage their booths and get to know the place. He said: “Everything happens suddenly and without previous planning; this exhibition could have provided more if only further efforts were made in its planning.” Al-Kuraisi and his wife started their business two years ago and are now selling online. They hope to expand their business and open shops to sell their imported items from Turkey. The name of their business is derived from the Ottoman empire and they sell kitchen furniture in Ottoman era styles. Alaa Al-Iraqi, a computer science graduate, shifted her interest a couple of years ago to interior design. While she and her husband had a few obstacles to overcome when running their “Gair Al-Mutad” business, she still believes she can succeed in the field due to client feedback. The Saudi market, she said, is challenging especially for women. “The clients look down on local qualifications and unfortunately locals are looking for expatriates who are dressed in a certain way, speak in a particular manner and charge high prices. “This is the main problem that faces us young Saudis who are working in this business.” However, her clients tend to trust her and recommend her to other customers, she said. Ziyad Al-Bassam, vice chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the chamber is studying ways to provide more opportunities to young people to display their projects in the exhibition. This study is important after seeing the large number of projects initiated by young people, he said. The expo has displayed 200 projects and has evolved from being an event that was only an exhibition into a whole week of activities, including seminars and workshops, being held at different venues such as universities and the Jeddah Exhibition Center.
