“Economy and Tourism” provides 30 kiosks for citizens’ home projects in cooperation with the Global Village

The Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development, one of the institutions of the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, stated that it continues to consolidate its role as a major incubator for Emirati entrepreneurs, by empowering home-based projects and emerging companies, and opening the doors for them to attend the most prominent markets and events in Dubai, noting that the “establishment” provides, in cooperation with the Global Village, large facilities that include discounts of rates ranging between 60 and 70% on kiosk rentals this season, as the “establishment”, in cooperation with the Global Village, has allocated 30 kiosks for Emirati entrepreneurs, and the initiative has supported more than 730 projects since 2005.

Entrepreneurs

In detail, the Acting Executive Director of the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Ahmed Al-Roum Al Muhairi, said, “(The Foundation) continues to consolidate its role as a major incubator for Emirati entrepreneurs, by empowering home-based projects and emerging companies, and opening the doors for them to attend the most prominent markets and events in Dubai, most notably the Global Village, and providing them with continuous support to ensure that individual ideas and initiatives are transformed into sustainable projects capable of growth.”

Al Muhairi added to Emirates Today: “(The Foundation) provides well-known and highly popular platforms and events that enable Foundation members to have direct access to wide segments of the public, allowing products to be marketed, tested, and confidence built quickly, with an opportunity to test the market, allowing project owners to measure the extent of product acceptance, study pricing, packaging, and customer experience, then adopt the appropriate strategy, as well as highlighting the Emirati identity in a way that reflects culture, heritage, and innovation, which enhances the moral and competitive value of national brands.”

He explained that the participation of Emirati entrepreneurs in the Global Village is a practical model of this trend, as the Foundation, in cooperation with the Global Village, provides great facilities that include discounts of between 60 and 70% on kiosk rentals this season. He pointed out that the Foundation aims to transform participation from a seasonal experience into a long-term growth plan by training members before participation on sales management, visitor experience, display, and effective marketing and setting clear performance goals, including sales, new customers, supply requests, and new channels, and following them up during and after the event.

Connect projects

He stated that the Foundation aims to link projects with subsequent opportunities such as cooperation with entities, events, service providers, and business communities, noting that in the Global Village in particular, the long-term partnership gives owners of small and medium enterprises greater continuity that enables them in a more sustainable manner rather than a single seasonal participation, as the Foundation, in cooperation with the Global Village, allocated 30 kiosks to Emirati entrepreneurs, and the initiative has supported more than 730 projects since 2005.

Regarding the tangible impact that these participations have on the growth of member projects in terms of sales, expanding the customer base, or building a brand identity, Al Muhairi said: “These participations have a direct impact on sales during the season, especially in favorite destinations such as Global Village. Participation contributes to reaching a new audience, and repurchase rates increase later when there are effective digital channels. The appearance of the brand, with great effectiveness, enhances its mental image, increases consumer confidence, establishes a local reputation, and may attract the attention of the media and content creators.”

He stated that through the “Little Trader” competition, the Hatta version, 4 youth projects participated for free, and obtained direct experience of the real market environment, dealing with customers, sales, and building the brand, noting that similar platforms such as the Global Village are used as channels to test the market and support the growth of small and medium enterprises.

Gulfood 2026

He explained that the Foundation supported 10 Emirati companies at the “Gulfood 2024” exhibition, and has so far provided support to more than 120 of its members in this important exhibition, and supported about 10 others in this year’s edition, “Gulfood 2026.”

Regarding the criteria adopted by the Foundation to select projects participating in the Hatta Festival and Global Village, Al Muhairi stated that they include product readiness and quality, commercial feasibility, competence and capabilities of the founder, as well as compatibility with the priorities of youth empowerment and the local economy.

He added: “Because small and medium-sized companies constitute about 95% of the total companies operating in Dubai, they are able to attract talent in new and emerging sectors, due to their high flexibility and innovative capabilities.”

He stated that the mechanisms adopted by the Foundation to ensure continuity of benefit for members include supporting the transition from the concept of direct sales to distribution channels, such as following up on promising projects and linking them to business-to-business supply opportunities and wholesale sales through potential partners, and enabling digital transformation to ensure continued demand after the end of the event, such as activating e-commerce, electronic payment, and inventory management, in addition to enhancing the project’s presence on communication platforms and linking it to clear purchasing paths, the most recent of which was the Foundation’s cooperation with Google, which is a pioneering initiative concerned with enhancing the digital competitiveness of owned small and medium-sized companies. For Emiratis.

He pointed out that members are integrated into the local economic system through opportunities to participate in other events throughout the year, linking projects with capacity-building and guidance programs, and benefiting from existing partnerships such as our partnership with “Plug and Play,” which seeks to support emerging companies owned by individuals and provide them with world-class practices to accelerate their growth.

He pointed out that the Foundation’s initiatives are in line with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which aims to make Dubai one of the top 3 economic cities in the world, by creating a dynamic, competitive, and supportive economy for projects, by supporting small and medium-sized companies practically by opening new demand channels, increasing cash flows, accelerating brand growth, expanding the customer base, and reducing the market access gap for emerging projects through ready-made platforms.

He pointed out that the initiatives aim to increase the contribution of small and medium enterprises to the gross domestic product, and this is done by enhancing their sales and continuity, and not through temporary empowerment.

Regarding the initiatives or programs provided by the Foundation to support family projects, Al Muhairi said, “The Foundation supports family projects by providing access to markets, capacity building, guidance, and strategic partnerships, which helps them achieve professionalism, expansion, and sustainable growth.”

Regarding the facilities available to overcome challenges related to licensing, production, marketing, or access to markets, Al Muhairi indicated that support includes allowing participation in temporary exhibitions and events, enhancing marketing visibility, and providing direct access to markets, enabling home projects to move into projects that can be expanded.

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An integrated package of programs and initiatives

The Acting Executive Director of the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Ahmed Al-Rum Al Muhairi, said that the (establishment) provides an integrated package of programs and initiatives that aim to facilitate the journey of establishing and growing the project, and includes, for example, simplifying licensing procedures, providing guidance and guidance programs in cooperation with experts through various initiatives and programs, and marketing support through participation in local exhibitions and events such as seasonal markets and festivals, enabling access to electronic sales platforms and cooperation with strategic partners such as the Noon and Amazon platforms, and linking home projects with opportunities. Purchasing, government and private agencies.

. “Project Development” provides well-known and highly popular platforms and events that enable the organization’s members to have direct access to wide segments of the public, allowing products to be marketed, tested, and quickly built trust in them.