The American Chamber of Commerce Bahrain (AmCham Bahrain) is gearing up to host this year’s AmCham Mena Regional Council’s annual forum next month, expected to be attended by more than 300 business leaders.

Themed “SMEs: Unlocking Economic Potential in the Mena Region”, the event takes place on March 15 and 16 at the Ritz Carlton Bahrain.

The forum will prioritize the delivery of tangible results for attending companies including helping them to connect directly with potential partners, investors and clients and more swiftly scale up for international investment, trade and business engagement through a series of focused strategy discussions, B2B matchmaking and workshops.

Qays Zu'bi, president of AmCham Bahrain, said that great interest has been building in the forum from high level delegations of business leaders and decision and policy makers.

This includes an expected 300 participants comprising representatives from the US and Mena governments, multilateral financing institutions supporting SME development in the region, as well as key players from the regional SME and entrepreneurship scene.

From the private sector, the event will feature representation from Mena Council member AmChams of Abu Dhabi-UAE, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia, in addition to representatives from other regional US Business Councils and a broad range of international and regional business associations.

Participants will benefit from a series of high level discussions and commentary on opportunities and effective strategies for business development that will feature at the Forum including coverage of key topics such as:

•    SME’s as key drivers of economic development in the Mena region
•    The Regional SME Ecosystem: A Fresh look at Thriving Techniques
•    SME Financing Opportunities and Export Support Programs
•    The integration of regional SMEs into the supply chain of U.S. and multinational companies in the region

In addition to discussion based engagement, the Forum will also offer companies the opportunity to take part in pre-organized B2B meetings and introductions as well as workshops offering practical solutions and support to help in the expansion of markets and achievement of business goals.

This year’s Forum also incorporates a new and exciting feature in line with its focus on SME development. In cooperation with CH9, a company helping startups and SMEs, and with technical and knowledge support provided by Microsoft, a half-day Pitch Session is being organized.

This session aims to provide AmCham member companies with the opportunity to present their business case to groups of potential partners, investors and clients in support of accelerating international business growth.

A total of 10 AmCham member SMEs from across the region will be selected to present after being shortlisted by the organizers and supporting parties. – TradeArabia News Service