Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), an integrated free zone technology park, hosted its Sixth Happiness Forum at Grand Hyatt Dubai.

Highlighting the importance of happiness in the workplace, the event convened representatives of the public and private sectors to discuss initiatives aimed at creating comprehensive and sustainable employee happiness ecosystems.

Among the participating government entities were the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment, Dubai Economy, Dubai Chamber, Dubai Courts, Federal Electricity and Water Authority, General Directorate Of Residency And Foreigners Affairs Dubai, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), Hassantuk – the cutting-edge building safety solution, Dubai Police, and Ajman Tourism Development Department. Government-owned corporations, including General Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Statistics Center, Securities & Commodity Authority, Emirates Transport, Dubai Media Incorporated and Meraas Group, also attended the gathering. Meanwhile, Acacia Innovations Technology (AIT), Fitness4Life, and Wesat Content Providerrepresented the private sector. In addition, the event attracted several higher education institutions as well as training and personal development centers, such as University of Dubai, the American University in the Emirates, FuelBox, and Happy Minds Life.

Speaking on the Forum, Haidar Ali, Senior Vice President People Happiness & Innovation at DSOA, said: “DSOA is committed to supporting the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai , to make Dubai the happiest city in the world. In line with this priority, we are keen to help position Dubai as a melting pot of talent, hopes and aspirations that contribute to promoting people’s wellbeing and the performance of companies operating from here. ”

He added: “The Sixth Happiness Forum provides an ideal platform to exchange ideas and best practices across diverse sectors to inform the development of new strategies that shape the future of knowledge and sustainable development. We are pleased with the high participation of both private and public sectors, to exchange knowledge and discuss new happiness strategies. ”

The Sixth Happiness Forum comprised four sessions. Headlining the first session, Huda Al Hadhrami, Senior Employee Happiness Specialist at the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA), provided an overview of FEWA’s happiness journey and its approach to creating and maintaining an engaged workforce.

The second session featured a keynote speech by Berta Lende Røed, founder of FuelBox – a game-changing tool for developing people, building leadership skills and maintaining equality in organizations. In her presentation, the Norwegian entrepreneur demonstrated how FuelBox offers a blueprint for stimulating and steering constructive conversations among leaders and teams.

In the third session, Huda Al Abbar, Senior Manager – Happiness at DSOA, shared best practice insights and the most efficient methods and latest scientific tools in measuring and sustaining corporate happiness.

During the last session, Farah Al-Fard, Senior Specialist – Customer Happiness at the General Civil Aviation Authority and an accredited quilling artist and trainer, conducted an interactive quilling workshop that involved all members of the audience in creating paper art.