du and Dubai Internet City invite SMEs to submit entries to Grow Your Business - Regional Competition and Awards at GES-EVA

Mobilk - du and Dubai Internet City have announced the call of entries for the inaugural Grow Your Business - Regional SME Competition and Awards for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in collaboration with the Dubai World Trade Centre . The competition is part of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit - Entrepreneurial Ventures of Arabia (GES-EVA), held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai for the first time in Dubai.

The Grow Your Business - Regional SME Competition and Awards, sponsored by du and Dubai Internet City , will be held on December 12, 2012, at GES-EVA. It will offer the opportunity for regional SMEs to showcase their competencies, gain international spotlight, and win cash prizes that will support their business growth. GES-EVA further enhances the UAEs reputation as the hub for business in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre , said: "The Grow Your Business - Regional SME Competition and Awards is a creative demonstration of the entrepreneurial ecosystem within the UAE promoting small and medium enterprises, which have a significant socio-economic development role to play.

"With the Grow Your Business - Regional SME Competition and Awards, GES-EVA is offering a platform for small and medium-sized businesses to showcase their skills, network with their regional peers, interact with international experts and potentially grow their business. It will also encourage identification and implementation of global best practices in the SME sector across the region, thus enhancing operational efficiency and promoting innovation."

Malek Al Malek, Managing Director of Dubai Internet City ( DIC ) and Dubai Outsource Zone, said: "We are delighted to be participating at this years Global Entrepreneurship Summit and look forward to sharing the vision of DIC and His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Innovation Centre with entrepreneurs, SMEs, private investors and other stakeholders. Entrepreneurship and technology innovation are two of the pillars that propel the growth of Dubai. DIC , alongside the UAE government, firmly believes that economic growth can be stimulated by supporting SME growth, and that is exactly what the in5 incubator seeks to achieve. According to our latest report, The Role of Entrepreneurs and SMEs in the Development of the ICT Industry launched this year by DIC, IT expenditure is predicted to reach US$1.8 billion by 2013, and the importance of SMEs in this mix is undeniable."

Hala Badri, Executive Vice President, Brand and Communications of du, said: "We are delighted to support the Grow Your Business - Regional Competition and Awards, which underlines the commitment of the UAE government to promote small and medium enterprises, by providing a platform for them to network with high-level decision makers in addition to supporting their growth. The SME sector has a key role to play in shaping economies, and especially in meeting the aspirations of the regions youth. The competition will bring the creativity, innovation and vision of our regional entrepreneurs to the forefront, and through our support we are reiterating our focus on promoting the regions overall social and economic growth."

To take part in the Grow Your Business - Regional Competition and Awards, small and medium-sized businesses only have to present their business plan and other relevant details on-line at www.ges-eva.com/page.cfm/Link=58/nocache=11112012. The competition is open to SMEs in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, digital media and innovation sectors from across the Pan Arab world. The companies should be licensed and operational in the Middle East and North Africa region at least since 2010. The maximum number of employees in these companies must not be over 50, and the entities must not be branches of international firms.

A panel of experts will evaluate the business plan and the commercial prospects of the business to short-list eight companies. The companies short-listed will be announced on December 7, and they will have to showcase their products and services during GES-EVA. They will also present their products/services at the Grow Your Business - Regional Competition and Awards event on December 12, at 2pm where the three winners will be announced. The winners will be awarded cash prizes, with AED 100,000 for the grand winner and AED 50,000 each to two runners-up.