As part of the City Builders Race Initiative which was launched by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, the Blue Team held its first event for young entrepreneurs last week in collaboration with Dubai Business Events (DBE) ) ­ the Official Convention Bureau. Coonsisting of a number of government entities including Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Knowledge & Human Development Authority (KHDA), Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development (SME), and Dubai Culture & Art Authority (DCAA) ­ the Blue Team focuses on engaging talented students and young entrepreneurs in different mentorship programmes with reputable experts in various domains.

For the first initiative involving mentoring young entrepreneurs, the Blue Team worked with Mr. Martin Sirk, CEO of International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), who was visiting Dubai in preparation for the prestigious ICCA Congress which will be hosted in the Emirate in 2018.

At Sheikh Mohamed Medical Academy in Dubai HealthCare City, Mr. Sirk gave a talk about career development in the international meetings industry, tailoring it especially for the target audience of young professionals from the hotel and conference centre industry.

Ahmad Khalifa AlFalasi, CEO Support Services at DTCM, said, This stage of the Blue Team initiative is providing invaluable advice and mentorship to young professionals in the travel industry in a way that hasn’t been done before. We are pleased to be one of the departments working to ensure that we are supporting young talent and providing opportunities for professionals who are starting their careers in the travel and hospitality sector to be offered guidance by some of the top experts in the field. Ultimately we hope that we’re not only encouraging young people to enjoy a career in the industry but also maintaining the highest standards throughout, which in the end will ensure that we’re offering the best service to visitors across the city.

Mr. Sirk gave an overview of his experience and career path leading up to his role as CEO of ICCA. Attendees were given a presentation on the success factors of a convention as well as the main priorities and elements to consider when working on a convention.

The event was organised by the Blue Team aiming to provide mentorship to talented young entrepreneurs and to prepare and guide them in their career journey. More students and young entrepreneurs with an interest in art, culture, science, technology and other domains will be carefully selected throughout the year to be part of similar mentorship/orientation programmes.