Monday 13 / May / 2024
Muscat: With its informed and insightful panels, Tejarah Talks has enjoyed considerable success over the past two years attracting capacity audiences with online participants joining from around the world. Maymuna Al Adawi, Director, PPP, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP) and Tejarah Talks organiser, shares details about the initiative.
Q: What is Tejarah Talks?
A:Tejarah Talks is organised by Oman Business Forum in association with the MoCIIP and supported by Jindal Shadeed, Nortal, Apex Trans Gulf Manufacturing, MHD, Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC), JW Marriott and Oman FM. It’s a series of six informal, interactive evening discussions that brings together some of Oman’s most inspirational and innovative thinkers and doers to share their stories with an informed and enthusiastic crowd. It’s a platform for positive interaction.
Q: What is Tejarah Talks looking to achieve?
A: The goal of Tejarah Talks is to showcase Oman’s ambitious investment landscape and dynamic economic environment. We’re keen to get the community involved, get their input and hear their views.
Q: For the uninitiated what does a typical Tejarah Talks evening look like?
A:It’s an in-depth conversation with three panellists and a moderator that lasts about 100 minutes. Thankfully, there are no presentations, it’s all discussion led. And at the end of every session there’s an opportunity to network and socialise over some great food kindly provided by the lovely people at the WJ Marriott.
Q: What will the 2024 season cover?
A:We’ll run six sessions this year covering topics ranging from travel and tourism, food security and the blue economy to economic gardening, AI, drones and space. So, that’s six sessions with 18 expert panellists pulling in nearly a thousand curious attendees. We tackle issues that are at the heart of Oman Vision 2040 and of critical importance to our business community. What we do however is approach them in a considered and thoughtful manner.
Q: When is the first Tejarah Talks of 2024 and who is on the panel?
A: The 2024 season kicks-off 7:30pm, Tuesday 27 February at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, Junior Ballroom. The first session is: “Explore. Dream. Discover.” And the panellists are Azzan Al Busaidi, Undersecretary, Tourism, Ministry of Heritage & Tourism; Sheikh Shabib Al Maamari, MD, Visit Oman; and Said Al Shanfari, CEO, OCEC. The evening’s discussions will be moderated by Jamal Al Asmi, Executive Producer, Reality CG. It’s a line-up with experience and expertise.
Q: Who is your audience?
A: There are so many different types of people who come along. They’re from all walks of life, we get everyone from CEOs to undergraduates and everyone in between. It’s an incredibly eclectic and informed group. Everyone is welcome and it’s always free-of-charge.
Q: Who are the panellists?
A: They’re a carefully curated group of gifted policymakers, creatives, entrepreneurs, real doers who ask bold ‘out there’ questions that help broaden horizons to imagine better alternatives. Let’s just say they’re challengers of thought and provokers of debate.
Q: You publish Tejarah Talks reports?
A:That’s right. We publish a report after every session, we believe this extends the reach of the ideas discussed at the live event. They’re meant to summarize the key points and insights from the session, making them accessible to people who couldn’t attend. They also serve as a resource on the latest trends shaping Oman’s investment landscape and economic environment.
Q: You have also branched out into podcasts?
A:With support from Nortal, we started the Tejarah Talks podcast series about two years ago and have recorded 12 episodes so far. They’re another medium through which we can reach our audience here at home and internationally. They’re casual conversations with business leaders and influencers, where they share their experiences and insights. The podcasts are designed to be both informative and inspirational, exploring a range of topics relevant to Oman’s business community. And they’re proving to be very popular.
Q: How do you see Tejarah Talks going forward?
A: If we do interesting things that are important to us, then maybe they’ll be interesting and important to others. By being smart with the themes we tackle, Tejarah Talks can only grow in popularity and influence.
Q: How would you sum up Tejarah Talks in three words?
A: Engaging, informative and diverse. Three words that hopefully capture the essence of what Tejarah Talks is all about - engaging discussions, informative content and a diverse range of topics and participants.
