The Raffles Dubai served as the venue for the most important Austrian regional conference in the Gulf States on 22^nd of November. With the growing economic ties between Austria and the Gulf region, the Commercial Sections of Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Tehran, Amman, Doha and Muscat registered a record attendance of invitees this year.

In keeping with its theme “Rethink Gulf – From Integration to Education”, the conference, powered by go-international, the internationalization initiative of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy, focused this year especially on the need for diversification away from the oil and gas sector and the diverse ways in which Austrian technologies and services must be adopted to the changing conditions. In addition, on the occasion of the establishment of the MODUL University Dubai, the Austria Connect Gulf approached educational issues and discussed the implementation of possible strategies with a view towards knowledge-based economies of the GCC countries.

In the afternoon the participants were given the opportunity to gain insight into business opportunities through 1 on 1 meetings with the Commercial Counsellors of each country. Numerous high-profile speakers imparted knowledge on the latest economic developments in presentations and panel discussions, not only in the GCC, but also in the ever-growing markets of Iran, Iraq and Kurdistan.

The evening dhow cruise on Dubai Creek was an excellent opportunity for networking after a fruitful and enriching conference.

The conference program can be found HERE [pdf, 217.6kb].

To download the participation booklet, please contact us.

Please find attached the links of our keynote speaker's presentations:

• Mr. Hisham Al Gurg
  - Doing Business in the Arab World [pdf, 918.3kb]
• Mrs. Maryam Al Obaid
  - Dubai Plan 2021 [pdf, 4,302.9kb]
• Mr. Anas Al Rawi
  - Iraq [pdf, 326.2kb]
• Mr. Alp Eke
  - Decline in Commodity Prices GCC Outlook [pdf, 3,337.2kb]
• Mr. Hatef Haeri
  - Iran's Economy Outlook [pdf, 2,239.8kb]
• Prof. Dr. Bernd Höfer
  - From Implementation to Education [pdf, 322.4kb]
• Mr. Zaid Maleh
  - Key to a successful integration of an Austrian management   company [pdf, 2,737.4kb]
• Mr. Pierre Prunis
  - Strong Industries, Strong Partners [pdf, 2,912.4kb]
• Mrs. Isabel Schmiedbauer
  - Iraq [pdf, 223.5kb]
• Mr. Georg Weingartner
  - Iran Opportunities and Risks for Austrian companies [pdf, 964.8kb]