Muscat - MENA Herald: As part of the Conde Nast International Luxury Conference which concludes today in Muscat, Omran, the master developer of Oman’s iconic projects, hosted a series of leadership workshops, dedicated to knowledge sharing for youth interested in the luxury retail sector. The workshop sessions were led by a number of key conference speakers and were attended by local entrepreneurs and students.
To support Omran’s aims of supporting local SMEs and entrepreneurs, the workshops were designed to provide insights from pioneers in the luxury and fashion sectors, and to enable them to benefit from their international success stories.
Attended by more than 105 Omani entrepreneurs and students, the workshops focused on topics, including jewelry design and development, travel, film-making, media and publication, technology, marketing and design. Omran also briefed guests on responsible tourism, as well as the importance of building relationships and exploring future business opportunities.
Badriya Al Siyabi, CSR Manager of Omran, stated, “Omran is committed to upskilling Omani youth, and we held this major event based on our belief in the development of society as a main pillar of Oman’s sustainability. By training and guiding Omani entrepreneurs, we are providing an opportunity for them to gain knowledge and insights from international fashion and luxury leaders – enhancing their skills and business acumen to an international level.”
Zahra Al Hasani, a participant from Point Company, one of SAS SME incubator, said, “We produce e-learning videos and we have recently launched the Edlal platform – the first Omani open learning platform which includes photography and design technology, among other subjects. By participating in this workshop, I wanted to develop my skills in media and publication, and learn how can we develop our content to reach wider sections of our audiences.”
Zeena Al Harthy, CEO of Green Room Communications, spoke about her participation in the event, “Our goal with the sessions was to expose Omani entrepreneurs in the tourism and hospitality sectors to international expertise, and to upscale their level to international standards.”
Rhea Saran, Editor of Conde Nast Middle East, stated, “From our participation in the workshops, we aim to convey the advantages of visiting the Middle East to international travellers. We are also keen to meet with tourism officials in Oman to discuss ways of developing this very important sector in Oman.”
International experts presented at the workshops, including Nicholas Coleridge, Managing Director, Conde Nast UK, who presented a workshop on media and publication. Simon Mitchell, Director and Founder of Sybarite, delivered a lecture on architectural and interior design. In addition, Sophie Hackford, Fashion Future Thinker, discussed the impact of technology on the fashion sector, while Caterina Occhio, Founder and CEO, SeeMe, spoke about the responsible making of jewelry.
Omran joined hands with a number of SME incubators in the Sultanate to nominate attendees for these workshops, including The Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises, Fund for Development of Youth Projects (Sharakah), Zubair Small Enterprises Center, and Information Technology Authority SME incubators (SAS). In addition, Omran cooperated with higher education institutions including Sultan Qaboos University, Higher College of Technology, Scientific College for Design, German University of Technology, and Oman Tourism College.