ITA Joins Forces with KOM for eGames

Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) and the Information Technology Authority (ITA) in conjunction with Nawras, Huawei, UMS, Infocomm, Ericsson, Coventry University and the UK’s Advantage West Midlands Regional Development Agency have come together to organize Oman’s annual Serious Games conference scheduled to be held on KOM 31 March – 1 April 2008.

“To be working alongside ITA and partnering with top class organizations like Nawras, Huawei, UMS, Infocomm, Coventry University, Ericsson and Advantage West Midlands is a real privilege and it’s partnerships like this that takes the eGames Conference to a higher level,” comments KOM’s Director General, Mohammed Al Maskari. ITA’s Tufool Al Dhahab endorses this view and says: “Public-private sector alliances like this one will certainly help all parties take ICT awareness in the sultanate to a broader audience. This is something that we at ITA are very excited about.”

Held under the patronage of Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce & Industry this year’s eGames conference will consider the applications of serious gaming to tourism, heritage, culture, education and health.

According to Al Maskari: “Leading experts from Europe and the US in a range of digital media and communications technologies will be showcasing the use of advanced and innovative technologies to enrich Oman’s culture, heritage, tourism and education experience and make it globally accessible to the widest audience. If you’re involved in any of these sectors then eGames is a must attend event and what’s more, it’s free of charge.”

Where does Al Maskari see serious games taking off? “One very important market sector is in public education and professional training. The information society is changing the nature of the way Omani society works, and I think the way that we’ve educated kids in the past is no longer particularly relevant for the future. If you look at the world that kids are coming into now with console games, smart mobile phones, blogs, P2P Internet networks and digital media, their lives are completely saturated by gaming technologies, and it is such an integral part of their daily life.”

Al Maskari adds: “We need to look at the generation of youngsters that’s coming through. We need to look at the needs of Omani society and the way we learn and look at it in terms of a lifelong learning process, rather than training for skills. This, I believe, will influence the way we use serious games technologies.”

Today, there’s a greater emphasis on learning by discovery rather than learning by being told something. Learners are exploring and discovering. Al Maskari believes that technologies like GIS, Google Earth, Secondlife.com and Microsoft Virtual Earth are going to be influential in the way that Oman-based students learn in the future. “I think what’s happening is that the balance of the way we learn is shifting away from the hierarchical model of absorbing knowledge into much more of a collaborative discovery-based type of peer‑to‑peer learning. Indeed, serious games technology has applications for training surgeons, entrepreneurs, nurses, oil rig engineers through to military personnel. There are no learning limits to serious gaming.”

From a university point of view, Al Maskari argues that those universities who are able to meet the expectations and aspirations of Generation Y will be the universities that will succeed in the future, certainly, in attracting students to be part of it and also being able to deliver on the expectations of both the students and Omani society as well.

Further information on the eGames Conference can be viewed at:

http://0187361.netsolhost.com/eGames2008.html

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

Origin Oman Launched

PEIE launched its Origin Oman campaign and portal (www.originoman.om) on Tuesday 18 March at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel.

According to Hamida Al Balushi, an Origin Oman Co-ordinator at PEIE: “Supporting the local economy is the number one reason for people buying local products and services. Freshness and lower prices are the next biggest influences.” Indeed, research indicates that a staggering 75% are prepared to pay a bit more for products which help conserve the environment and help build a stronger national economy.

The Origin Oman campaign is designed to drive the market for local products and services and demonstrate to consumers how their buying power can benefit Oman’s economy. “Our aim is very simple, we want to dramatically increase the public’s awareness and take-up of Omani products and services,” comments Al Balushi.

"The public care passionately about the future of Oman’s manufacturing sector and the goods they produce," says Ibtisam Al Faruji, Head of PEIE’s Marketing and the person leading the Origin Oman marketing campaign. "Government can do much to support local producers and service providers but consumers and institutional buyers have a vital role to play too," suggests Al Faruji.

Tuesday’s launch also showcased the new Origin Oman portal which will facilitate the online business matching of local and foreign enterprises by allowing them to create and view company profiles, trade leads and product information spanning a wide range of industry sectors. Omani enterprises will also be alerted by SMS of appropriate matches, allowing local and foreign businesses to make those first connections with each other. “The portal will also alert people via SMS whenever public tenders are released. Keeping Oman’s business community updated via SMS is both quick and convenient. Indeed, we’re delighted with the feedback we’ve received from business, government and the public to the Origin Oman campaign,” says PEIE’s Head of Marketing.

“We recognize,” says Al Faruji “that acquiring international contacts and business partners are challenges faced by Omani enterprises in their bid to expand overseas. With the launch of the Origin Oman portal, PEIE aims to address and facilitate these needs by providing a ready and user-friendly online platform for businesses to profile their products and services worldwide.”

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

Omania E-commerce Backs Digital Nation

Omania E-Commerce LLC (OEC), the sultanate's premier e-commerce company has renewed its MoU with Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) to support the Tech Park's quarterly Digital Nation seminar series (www.kom.om) which starts 11 March at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel with a seminar entitled Bridging the Digital Divide

Commenting on their involvement in the Digital Nation series and today's fast moving global economy, Sheikh Mohammed Al Harthy OEC’s Managing Director said: "Governments across the Gulf are responding to citizen demands for greater and faster electronic access to information and services. It’s events like Digital Nation that bring together a broad audience to discuss such issues and take community ICT awareness to a higher level. Indeed, OEC is delighted to be supporting this initiative and sharing our passion for communication.”

“Technology provides the opportunity for people to broaden their horizons and realise their potential. It’s essential that everyone has access to the Internet and that we avoid a digital divide. I’m delighted to see that the first Digital Nation seminar of the 2008 season is focusing on bridging the digital divide. It’s critical that we encourage businesses, government departments as well as private individuals to get involved and find out how the Internet can contribute to their everyday lives. I’m confident that the upcoming seminar will a go a long way to addressing that,” remarked Al Harthy.

OEC is expected to bring substantial value to an initiative that's already attracted support from Nawras, Ericsson, Infocomm and Oman Economic Review. "The OEC team will show Digital Nation attendees how efficiency and costs can be improved, and how both regional and international market access can be expanded through e-commerce. We're excited about their participation in this important set of quarterly seminars," said Hilal Al Ahsani, CEO, PEIE (pictured).

KOM has launched a variety of outreach ICT initiatives in recent years. “These programs are intended to market KOM and its tenants as well as help drive the long-term development of the sultanate's ICT industry and the economy. Our initiatives also help foster greater co-operation between government, business, industry and academia on the domestic and international stage," remarked Mohammed Al Maskari, KOM's Director General.

OEC was established in 2005 with a vision to become the leading e-solutions provider in Oman, as well as an active and major contributor to Oman’s drive towards a digital society. Indeed, OEC’s mission is to provide clients with quality value-added solutions that maximize client’s efficiencies, benefits and competitive edge.

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

eGames Conference Under Minister Maqbool

Knowledge Oasis Muscat’s annual eGames (www.kom.om) has officially launched today with an impressive line-up of leading international experts and developers of serious and mobile games. Held under the patronage of HE Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Minister of Comerce & Industry, eGames is scheduled to be held on the Rusayl-based technology park 31 March – 1 April and is the Gulf’s only annual serious gaming conference.

David Wortley (pictured), Director of the Serious Games Institute at Conference University and a presenter at eGames said: “The existence of KOM’s eGames event illustrates the Omani government’s interest in the serious games market and its applications to important sectors such as tourism, heritage and culture, health, defence and education.”

The serious games movement has opened up a hitherto-untapped pool of expertise to the global interactive 3D community as a whole, enabling the industry to exploit multidisciplinary skills in arts, science and technology, heritage, human factors. “Indeed, if we take on board the lessons learned from the highs and lows of the Virtual Reality experiences of the 1990s, then serious gaming is set to revolutionise the way in which Oman attracts tourists, promotes its cultural assets, teaches its medical students and trains its military personnel. The applications are astounding,” comments Wortley.

Meanwhile, Susie Houh of Ericsson endorsed serious games in corporate learning, by saying: “Serious Games represents the next evolutionary step in the field of technology-enabled learning, bringing new levels of engagement, motivation and context to the learning process. However, Serious Games isn’t just about advancing learning through technology, its also about unlocking business advantage through creating effective training programmes that can be deployed faster and enable staff to perform better. Ericsson is thrilled to be involved with eGames and given the international line-up of European and US speakers I fully expect this year’s event to be a tremendous success.”

“As the established leader in creative gaming and arts education, we are very excited to play an integral role in the conference this year,” said Professor Lizbeth Goodman, Founder and Director of the SMARTlab Digital Media Institute and the MAGIC Multimedia and Games Innovation Centre, Gamelab and PLAYroom at the University of East London. “This is an international event delivered exclusively by serious games experts who are targetting people in the tourism, heritage, culture, health, defence and education sectors. This event offers Oman’s public sector an exciting opportunity to learn about serious gaming and understand how it can help promote Oman’s rich heritage and tourism offer as well as educate children in schools.”

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

Origin Oman and Winning Public Sector Business

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” stated Abeer Al Jasim of Knowledge Horizon speaking on presentation skills at the second of Origin Oman’s free workshops on winning public sector business held at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel. “Everyone has the ability to deliver successful presentations. All it takes is a little effort and practice. And of course you have to put in the work. It’s essential that you research, plan and prepare,” Al Jasim went on to explain.

Today’s workshop was the second in a pair of free workshops aimed at demystifying how the public sector buys goods and services. “We really want to get small businesses pitching for public sector contracts. We want them more active in the tender process. Developing small local business is a key part of the Origin Oman campaign,” said Hamida Al Balushi, Origin Oman Co-ordinator. “If we can help local manufacturers and service providers find opportunities for contracts with the public sector and show them how to respond to them correctly – how really to play to their strengths, then we’re well on our way to achieving our aim,” added Ibtisam Al Faruji Head of Marketing, Public Establishment for Industrial Estates.

“Today’s workshop was very well attended and attracted a range of local manufacturers and suppliers. If anyone missed it and wants to find out about the Origin Oman campaign or about manufacturing in the sultanate then they should visit the Origin Oman portal www.originoman.com,” commented Karim Rahemtulla, MD, Infocomm, the KOM-based company responsible for hosting and designing the Origin Oman portal.

The next event in the Origin Oman calendar is the Origin Oman Reception on 18 March at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel. For further details view www.originoman.com

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

KOM Bridges the Digital Divide

The convergence of information technology, telecommunications, broadcasting and the delivery of Internet services at increasing bandwidths has the potential to revolutionize society economically, socially and culturally. Indeed, the Internet has ushered in the greatest period of wealth creation in history and has radically altered the way we deliver and receive information and the way we do business. However, it is estimated that more than 80 per cent of the world’s population has never even heard a dial tone, let alone surfed the Web and the gap between the information haves and have-nots is widening.

Announcing Knowledge Oasis Muscat’s (KOM) new season of Digital Nation seminars (http://www.kom.om/ev.htm) which are scheduled to start 7:30pm Tuesday 11 March at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel with a session on Bridging the Digital Divide, KOM’s Director General, Mohammed Al Maskari (pictured) warned of the danger of excluding people from the information revolution: "Across the globe, people lack jobs, food, health care and drinkable water. However, today, being cut off from basic telecommunications services is a hardship almost as acute as these other deprivations, and may indeed reduce the chances of finding remedies to them," he said.

The divide will grow as those with access to computers gain the skills to maximize the benefits of the Internet and those without become increasingly marginalized. This will impact on educational achievement, access to goods and services, participation in community life and employment. As Al Maskari, argues: “Increasingly, in the future, what we earn will be based on what we learn. We need to make sure that those opportunities are open to all.”

Lack of access to information technology and the Internet is seen as one of the measures of social exclusion. “Look at what’s happening in Europe and the US,” comments KOM’s Director General, “communities are finding that banks are developing online services but closing local branches. Supermarkets are moving to out of town sites and launching online delivery services. Those who don’t have transport or Internet access are reliant on more expensive local shops or no provision at all. We should be aware of these trends.”

Several solutions to the digital divide have been proposed including local training centres, cyber-cafes, telecottages and digital 'champions' to develop ICT projects in Oman’s rural areas. “The 11 March panel will discuss these issues as well as matters related to telecommunication infrastructure and competition and the urgent need to develop local web content,” says Al Maskari.

Karim Rahemtulla, MD, Infocomm and sponsor of Digital Nation remarks: “If you look at what broadband or ICT in general can bring they are better education, better health care and greater economic development. However, if we’re to reap the benefits of broadband and ICT then we need to look at how we get more people online and I believe initiatives like KOM’s Digital Nation series go a long way to helping us tackle these difficult matters.”

The Digital Nation series is sponsored by Ericsson, Infocomm, Nawras, Omania e-Commerce and United Media Service. Digital Nation seminars are open to all and free of charge. Further details on the quarterly program can be viewed at: http://www.kom.om/ev.htm

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

Face to Face With Origin Oman

The government’s newly-launched Origin Oman marketing campaign, a domestic initiative created to promote Oman-made products and services will organize Face-to-Face – a meet-the-buyer event scheduled to be held at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel on Tuesday 25 March. The event is open to all and free-of-charge.

The Face-to-Face initiative has been designed to help Omani businesses understand the commercial opportunities that exist in the public sector and with larger private sector organizations. “This is a unique one-day event which will give Omani businesses the chance to meet, and find out how sell to buyers from the public sector and large firms,” says Ibtisam Al Faruji, PEIE’s Head of Marketing and the person spearheading the Origin Oman marketing campaign.

“Omani businesses know only too well how time consuming, frustrating and expensive selling can be. In fact, ninety per cent of the battle is just getting though the door – and with some large companies and public sector organizations, it can be a daunting experience, but we hope Face-to-Face on 25 March will help businesses and public sector organizations connect with one another and lift barriers,” comments Hamida Al Balushi of PEIE’s Marketing Department and Origin Oman Project Co-ordinator.

The objective says Al Balushi is simple – get businesses in front of buyers who need their products or services, so that businesses can sell to them. Indeed, the event will allow companies to pitch their goods or services to purchasers who are actively looking for contractors. Face-to-Face is also intended to reach out to a talented pool of Omani suppliers who can not only add value to the sultanate’s supply chain, but also provide innovative and cost-effective business solutions. It’s an event we on the Origin Oman team are really excited about, adds Al Balushi.

"Taking part in Face-to-Face will open up new ways of working with both the public sector and large firms and give participants the confidence to build relationships and win business,” stresses Al Faruji.

If you would like to get involved and be part of Origin Oman’s Face-to-Face day, contact Hamida Al Balushi on: hamida.albalushi@peie.om

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

Origin Oman - Buy Local Campaign

“Our aim is to raise the profile of locally made goods and services” says Ibtisam Al Faruji, Head of Marketing at PEIE and the person spearheading the government’s newly-launched Origin Oman marketing campaign, a domestic initiative designed to promote Oman-made products and services and urge institutional buyers and consumers to buy local first.

While buy local campaigns have been around for generations, "the idea behind Origin Oman is to get people to think more about where their Rials are being spent and what it means to the sultanate from an economic, community and environmental angle to buy locally-made goods and services," Al Faruji says.

As part of the Origin Oman campaign, PEIE is organizing a series of events to help local manufacturers and service providers raise their domestic profile. “We start the program on Monday 25 February with a half-day workshop at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel on How to Win Public Sector Business,” says Al Faruji. The workshop is being carried out with the support of the Tender Board, Oman Fibre Optic, Oman Cables Industry, Infocomm and Knowledge Horizon and is intened to introduce local firms to the in and outs of the tendering process.

PEIE’s Head of Marketing points to a range of international studies that show the impact local businesses have on the economy. Research indicates that for every RO36 local retailers bring in through sales, businesses return RO25 to the local economy through salaries and benefits, purchase of goods and services like office supplies, marketing, PR, IT and accounting, profits to local owners and charitable contributions.

In recent years, businesses and government organizations in countries around the world have united to launch campaigns encouraging citizens to buy local, and many of these have proven to be highly successful.

Of course local manufacturers and service providers keep more money in the local economy - but less obvious is just how much difference buying locally made products and services can make. Research from San Francisco found that even the smallest shift in customer spending can have a tremendous impact on the local economy. If 10% of residential spending were redirected toward local businesses, the study found, it would give San Francisco an RO75 million economic boost and generate nearly 1,300 new jobs.

“Given the bank of evidence from buy local initiatives carried out around the world, if we can convince institutional buyers and consumers to redirect just 10% of their spending toward locally made goods and services it would have a tremendous impact on our local economy,” suggests Al Faruji.

“I think one of the most interesting aspects of the Origin Oman campaign is its capacity to bring local manufacturers, service providers and business owners together to reach their customers collectively and deliver a stronger punch. In fact, the Winning Public Sector Business Workshop that Origin Oman is hosting on Monday at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel is a clear example of this,” comments Karim Rahemutulla, MD, Infocomm and supporter of the Origin Oman initiative.

In general, business owners see buy-local campaigns as an easy sell. According to Al Faruji, “The public is highly receptive to the message, and even if many may not initially consider whether they’re buying locally-made goods and services, all it takes is a gentle reminder for them to change their spending habits.”

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

Origin Oman - Wining Public Sector Business

Small business often ignore public sector tenders because of a perceived big company bias and the reams of red tape involved. But recent efforts to open up the procurement process to more SMEs means Oman-based entrepreneurs should consider securing a slice of the millions of Rials worth of contracts up for grabs.

In an effort to help local SMEs learn more about the tendering process, Origin Oman, the buy local campaign spearheaded by the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE), will hold two free-of-charge seminars on Winning Public Sector Business 25 February and 4 March at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel.

Much of the perceptions about dealing with the public sector are true. It has on occasions been difficult to find out which tenders have been released and with small business owners already having to cope with huge amounts of form filling, the prospect of dealing with further paperwork which can be rejected because of a simple mistake can be off putting. “Representatives from the Tender Board as well as the private sector will be presenting at the two workshops, this will give small businesses a real opportunity to get an insight into how the tender process works. We’ve already received a number of companies register, particularly from the manufacturing sector,” comments Ibtisam Al Faruji, PEIE’s Head of Marketing.

But with efforts to encourage local SMEs to enjoy a share of the money spent every year by government on procuring goods and services, Oman-based entrepreneurs should not shun the idea. “Yes, the process can be time consuming and bureaucratic but if you're prepared to do your research and establish a good relationship with the public sector, your company could reap huge benefits,” says Al Faruji.

Indeed, by achieving greater involvement of local SMEs in the government market place there will be wider benefits to Oman’s economy thereby promoting competition and innovation in government procurement.

Once a firm has established ties with a public organization, the chances of securing further contracts will rise dramatically. “Like their private sector counterparts, many government organizations prefer to work with suppliers they've dealt with before so if you've proved yourself you'll likely be able to get another slice of the pie,” suggests PEIE’s Head of Marketing.
Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

KOM to Host eGames Conference

Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) will host its third eGames Conference on the Rusayl-based technology park, 31 March – 1 April. According to Mohammed Al Maskari, KOM’s Director General: “this year’s program will consider the application of virtual environments (VEs) to tourism, heritage, culture, health, education, defence and the generation of local web content.”

Presenting at the two-day program include some of the world’s leading VE experts – including Professor Lizbeth Goodman, Director, SMARTlab, Digital Media Centre at the University of East London and Professor Bob Stone from Birmingham University.

“Virtual worlds have hit the mainstream,” suggests Ibtisam Al Faruji, KOM’s Head of Marketing. Today they are being used not just for consumer applications, but also for a wide range of serious professional purposes. These purposes range from scenario planning to medical training and from collaborative role play to cross-cultural awareness sessions. “KOM’s eGames Conference will look at how private virtual worlds are being used now as the basis for serious collaborative activities in a variety of professional domains,” says Al Faruji.

For over a decade, there has been worldwide interest in the prospect of using VEs to recreate historic sites and events for such purposes as education, special project commissions and showcase features at national and World Heritage sites. According to Professor Stone (pictured): “The power of VE lies with its ability to open up places not normally accessible to people from all walks of life, to allow them to explore objects and experience events that could not normally be explored without alterations of scale or time and to support interaction with remote communities and interaction with virtual (historical) actors.”

In the context of heritage, VE goes much further, however, in that it offers a means of protecting the fragile state of historic sites and can help educate visitors not so much about their history, but in how to explore, interpret, understand and respect those sites. Despite some impressive projects executed during the Virtual Reality era of the 1990s, the limitations imposed by the very costly – and often unreliable – technologies meant that many of the Virtual Heritage demonstrations were committed to digital obscurity. Professor Stone’s eGames presentation will look at the resurrection of interest in Virtual Heritage and, using the Virtual Stonehenge and Virtual Scylla (artificial reef) projects and how lessons learned from the 1990s should be taken forward to underpin serious games developments in the early 21st Century.
“Given Oman’s rich history and outstanding cultural heritage, particularly our tangible cultural assets, I fully expect this year’s eGames Conference to be of substantial interest and value to those working in heritage, culture, leisure and tourism,” remarks Al Faruji.

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

10 Reasons to Buy Local

1. Keep money in our community: Significantly more money re-circulates locally when purchases are made at locally owned businesses. This multiplier is due in part to locally owned businesses purchasing more often from other local businesses, service providers and farms. Research indicates that for every US$100 spent at a locally owned business, US$45 goes back into the community.

2. Support community groups: Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller locally-owned business owners than they do from large businesses.

3. Keep our community unique: Where we shop, where we eat and have fun - all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of Oman’s distinctive character. Our tourism businesses also benefit. When people go on holiday they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.

4. Reduce environmental impact: Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.

5. Create more jobs: Local businesses are large employers and provide job opportunities.

6. Get better service: Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers.

7. Invest in the local community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in the community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.

8. Buy what you want, not what someone wants you to buy: A marketplace of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and competitive prices over the long-term.

9. Encourage local prosperity: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.

10. Locally grown food tastes better: Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the past day or two. It's crisp, sweet and loaded with flavor. Several studies have shown that the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles. In a week-long (or more) delay from harvest to dinner table, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and produce loses its vitality.

PEIE's Big Ideas Tent Opens 10 February

PEIE in partnership with the private sector is organizing a Big Ideas Tent seminar program and exhibition on Sohar Industrial Estate, Sunday 10 February.

The Big Ideas tent forms part of a series of PEIE-led initiatives that are intended to increase marketing, finance, education and technology awareness among manufacturers. The seminar and exhibition are free-of-charge and an excellent opportunity to meet with fellow business professionals and network. Over 35 leading manufacturers will be exhibiting at the event

“Manufacturing has certainly had some tough times, not just here but across the world,” says Ibtisam Al Faruji, PEIE’s Head of Marketing. “But the fact is that Omani industry is producing more today than ever before – our non-oil exports are on the increase and we’re creating jobs in the sector. We have world beating companies – our potential in plastics, metals and logistics, for example, is tremendous. Indeed, many of the seeds for tomorrow’s manufacturing success are being sown in Sohar. The “Origin Oman” stamp has a great future, The point is that you don’t have to look far to see manufacturing alive and kicking here in Oman. What our success stories have in common is that that they are about the appliance of science and technology with highly skilled people,” says PEIE’s Marketing Head

With increasing global competition, Oman-based manufacturers face a number of growing challenges from reducing costs, improving marketing, packaging, design and product quality, training, introducing new technology through to speeding up production processes. “The Big Ideas Tent has been designed specifically to help our tenants respond to these challenges,” comments Al Faruji.

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

Education & Manufacturing Partnership

PEIE launched its second season of Oman Manufacturing Group (OMG) seminars on Monday night at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel.

The topic under discussion was Education, Training and Manufacturing: Going Global and the panellists included: Abdullah Al Jufaili, Intilaaqah Enterprise Fund; Abeer Abdullah, Knowledge Horizon; Professor Andrew Self, Serco; Steve Bakalis, Ministry of Higher Education; Talal Al Rahbi, Information Technology Authority; and Dr. Evanglous Asendras, Sultan Qaboos University. The 90 minute panel discussion was moderated by Infocomm’s Managing Director, Karim Rahemtulla. Over 180 people from manufacturing, business, education and government attended the seminar.

Nurturing talent, creativity and building stronger dialogue between manufacturing and higher education were the key themes of the evening. “If we aren’t designing the right degree courses, if manufacturing isn’t in dialogue with colleges and universities then how are we to produce the skilled knowledge workers required to take Oman’s manufacturing sector forward?” asks OMG Co-ordinator and PEIE Marketing Officer, Mulkie Al Hashmi. The objective behind the OMG series is to bring the relevant stakeholders together and discuss issues of concern to Oman’s manufacturing sector. According to Al Hashmi: “Monday night’s session was very well received and we were delighted with the feedback.”

On developing and attracting talent to the manufacturing sector, Rahemtulla says: “The most important national and corporate resource over the next 20 years will be talent. Smart, sophisticated businesspeople who are technologically literate, globally astute and operationally agile. And even as the demand for talent goes up, the supply of it will be going down. So, if we’re to compete globally, we’ve got to get our heads round this issue and look seriously at how we train, educate, attact and retain the right human capital. The OMG seminar addressed these issues squarely. I’m confident that as a result of Monday night’s discussion we’lll see a revitalized education and manufacturing relationship emerge.”

It was evident from the panel discussion and the questions raised by attendees that innovation is critical to the future success of manufacturing and wealth creation in Oman. This is a hard economic fact. Government, the private sector and education, need to work together to create the best possible conditions for innovation in manufacturing, to put innovation at the centre of corporate strategies and to convey to young people the excitement and challenges of the advances taking place today in manufacturing, entrepreneurship, science and technology. “Manufacturing is an exciting sector and we’ve got to get that message out to Oman’s youth – encourage them to study, maths, science and engineering and create industry role models. In particular, we’ve got to get this message across to young women,” says Knowledge Horizon’s Abeer Abdullah.

“We need to see government, manufacturing, higher education, schools and support providers coming together on a more regular basis. Such meetings would play an important role in creating a network and co-ordinated structure that could improve the viability, growth and competitiveness of the sultanate’s manufacturing community. PEIE’s OMG seminar program plays an important role in this regard,” suggests Abeer.

The importance of partnerships was highlighted by Professor Andrew Self, former Pro-Vice Chancellor, Kingston University, London and advisor to Oman’s Minister of Higher Education, HE Dr. Rawiya Al Busaidi on the Colleges of Applied Science: “We need to encourage, for example, partnerships between manufacturers, using clusters and networks to pool their strengths and share best practice. Between manufacturers and universities and colleges to exploit research and provide the skilled people manufacturing needs. Between government and manufacturing to create the best possible conditions for innovation and provide the co-ordinated support manufacturers need to be innovative.” He added: “We also need to promote strategies that focus on innovation in products, people and processes. If this can be accomplished then we’ll raise productivity and higher level skills development within the economy.”

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

Oman Manufacturing Group: New Season Begins

Monday night (28 January) sees the first Oman Manufacturing Group seminar of the 2008 season and the topic is: Education, Training & Manufacturing: Going Global. On the panel is Abeer Abdullah (pictured), Head of Professional Qualifications, Knowledge Horizon, a Muscat-based training provider. We took five minutes from Abeer’s busy schedule and this is what she had to say on the topic.

Why should manufacturers work with education?
An industry is only as good, or as bad, as the people who work in it. More people with better skills who understand the manufacturing sector will mean a stronger industry – one that’s more competitive and able to compete in the global economy. There are more subtle reasons though. The manufacturing sector is a complicated creature, stretching out from research and development, marketing, sales, logistics, product design, packaging, finance and international trade – it’s a fiercely competitive commercial sector. Traditionally, manufacturing hasn't had a particularly strong dialogue with education. There has been, and there remains, quite a large gap between what people learn in school, college and university about manufacturing and what they then hope to go and do in the industry. Unless manufacturers help education to understand it better as a place for young people to work in, and also take time itself to understand education better, then we're not going to give young people the relevant skills to enable them to work and fulfil their professional ambitions in the sector.

You often here management say: 'What if we train our staff and they leave?' What are your thoughts on this?
For me, the simple answer is what if you don't train them and they stay? Manufacturers, indeed, most businesses, fear investing in employees in case they leave, and take the benefit of that investment with them. Surely a far larger threat comes from growing a manufacturing workforce which doesn’t learn, develop or deliver the quality required to ensure the future prosperity of Oman’s manufacturing base? How are our manufacturers expected to go global without the properly trained personnel?

Indeed, Oman's manufacturing sector is at significant turnin point. Rapidly growing economies around the world are generating considerably more qualified manufacturing specialists than we are – for example, chemical and mechanical engineers. We need to be encouraging younger people to study maths, engineering and science at university. The numbers of those studying these subjects are low and that’s something we need to remedy. I firmly believe we have an obligation to improve the training and education landscape for Omani manufacturing and address the issue before it's too late.

Do manufacturers know enough about the domestic training market – what’s available?

I doubt it. We need to address the 'hit and miss' skills landscape manufacturers have to navigate. There are some excellent examples of professional training programmes out there today — and there are manufacturers that are implementing world-class skills, and training providers are delivering outstanding content through quality assessors/trainers. But they are islands of excellence. There’s a lot of good and a lot of bad out there and separating the two can be daunting for the uninitiated.

I also feel there’s a lack of clear communication about the wider business benefits that better skills and learning can provide. The result is that manufacturers are keen to implement training but often only plan for a short-term change rather than using skills strategically to improve the long-term future of their business.Finally, and probably most importantly, we must ensure training products and services are driven by manufacturers. Too many existing training products and services have not been developed with industry's needs in mind. This makes it even more difficult for manufacturers to find courses and services that fit their needs. The problem isn’t that manufacturers don't want to improve through education, but they are simply confused by what confronts them when they look for high quality training.

In collaboration with PEIE, Intilaaqah Enterprise Fund (IEF) has agreed to sponsor PEIE’s Big Ideas Tent (9/10 February in Sohar), the Oman Manufacturing Group Seminar Program (OMG) and PEIE’s annual Smart Manufacturing Conference (12/13 May).

IEF is a revolving fund dedicated to providing business development support and finance to small and medium-sized enterprises. The US$10 million fund was established by Shell in 2007 and is managed by GroFin Oman.

Intilaaqah’s Director and IEF Marketing focal point, Abdullah Al Jufaili, will participate at all three PEIE initiatives and present at the OMG seminar: “Education, Training & Manufacturing: Going Global” scheduled for 7:45pm, 28 January at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel.

The first OMG seminar of 2008 will explore themes of education and training and their relationship to globalisation. According to Al Jufaili “If Oman’s manufacturing sector wants to compete globally then we need to upgrade employee skills and knowledge. We need to understand how Oman’s higher education and training sector can equip the manufacturing sector with the right human capital, skills and know how.”

Abeer Al Abduwani, Manager, GroFin said: “We’re delighted that IEF is supporting PEIE initiatives. Indeed, this will give leverage to the fund and provide an opportunity for our fund managers to develop stronger ties with manufacturers and meet the sector’s needs.”

Al Jufaili adds: “Our presence at this year’s OMG Seminar Program will ensure that the IEF is positioned to help drive forward training, innovation and entrepreneurship in the marketplace. In particular, the 28 January OMG panel on education and manufacturing will address a highly topical and relevant subject and I think many people in business as well as in government circles will want to hear these issues discussed. We’re very excited about our participation.”

Hilal Al Ahsani, PEIE’s CEO comments: “IEF’s sponsorship of OMG, the Big Ideas Tent and Smart Manufacturing Conference adds substantial value to these important manufacturing initiatives, and the participation of Abdullah will be a huge draw card and offers great value to attendees."

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

Attracting Talent

We hear a lot about the New Economy as if it only applies to IT or is still some way in the future; that it's something only young techies in smart offices are involved in. If that’s what you think then you couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact it's here and it's now and it affects us all.

Today’s modern economy is fast moving, dynamic, ever-changing and global. To be successful, companies, countries and cities must master the art of innovation, constantly developing and adopting the best products, techniques and practices and attracting the right kind of human capital. Indeed, successful cities will be those that can adapt to the demands of rapid change, that are flexible, creative and diverse and manage change rather than being drowned by it.

Benchmarking Cities
The World Knowledge Competitiveness Index benchmarks the world's high performing cities in terms of their performance on four crucial variables - knowledge capital, human capital, regional economic outputs and knowledge sustainability and it makes for sober reading. The recent Index is dominated by US cities. The top 21 world knowledge competitive cities are all in North America. In fact, the first European city to feature in the ranking is Stockholm at 22nd and there’s no Gulf city listed in the top 125.

The world's burgeoning cities are a critical fact of the twenty-first century - and represent one of the greatest challenges of the future. By the year 2050 cities with populations over three million will more than double from 70 today to over 150. When knowledge is perhaps the most important factor in today’s economy, there’s a growing interest in the concept of the knowledge city. But it isn’t just large cities that have cornered the market in attracting talented people. For example, in the US a number of smaller cities have some of the highest concentrations of creative people in the nation notably college towns such as Austin, Texas, East Lansing, Michigan and Madison, Wisconsin. But where does Muscat stand on attracting talent and establishing itself as a knowledge city?

We’ve a Tech Park
Clean, unpretentious and safer than most cities, Muscat is home to KOM the Rusayl-based Technology Park. Tenants on the Park are exempt from corporate taxes, have access to Class A office accommodation and superb telco infrastucture. Its tenants live in modern, comfortable and affordable housing, their kids attend great schools and healthcare here is second to none. The Park’s firms are positioned to tap into a growing, youthful Middle East market, and a young, educated, increasinly tech-savvy, multilingual indigenous workforce. All of this should bode well. Among others, Hewlett Packard; Microsoft; Qatar Airways; Oracle; Huwaie; ITA; Infocomm; and NCR are taking advantage of what KOM offers. But if we want to attract creative talent to Oman – multinationals and entrepreneurs that drive innovation and create employment – KOM won’t achieve this on its own. The point is, Oman doesn't have just one competitor - either the UAE or Saudi Arabia or Qatar. That's not how the global economy works. We’re competing against a collection of countries simultaneously, and the cumulative effect of a UAE plus a Saudi Arabia plus a Qatar plus a Thailand plus an India is something to worry about. So what should we be thinking?

The concept of attracting talent and multinationals to Oman is an important issue. Indeed, in the battle for global talent we're moving from a company-centric economy to a people-driven one. Simply put, people are turning to their community rather than to their company to define themselves and location is taking presedence over the corporation. For example, when smart individuals and firms visit KOM, they don't just consider the Class A office accommodation, the tax benefits and infrastructure on offer. Increasingly, they check out what’s available and happening in Muscat – the recreation and sports facilities, the standard and availability of accommodation, schools, healthcare facilities, flight connections, cinemas, night life, musuems, shopping centres, art galleries and restaurants. They’re looking for audial and visual cues which signal whether Muscat is a place where they and their employees can live, work and play.

It is also apparent from talking to people that location is as important as salary and career opportunity. Again, recent studies suggest that folk who make a job-based decision to re-locate but neglect lifestyle factors such as recreational and cultural amenities move again shortly thereafter.

A High Amenity City
In order to help Oman attract talent and multinationals, what we should be looking to develop is Muscat as a high-amenity place where you can get anything you need instantaneously. If you're pulling an all-nighter, you can get a Thai take away at 2am. When your dry cleaning piles up, there's a place in CityCentre that will take care of it in 30 minutes. If you need to blow off steam, there's a skatepark to ride or a wadi to bash! In brief, a place that has all these amenities is efficient. You save time when you live there. Many of these amenties are on offer in Muscat – but are we (collectively) getting this message across to international firms and entrepreneurs? Perhaps not.

Obviously, cities differ considerably in their ability to attract and retain human capital and the companies these folk manage, this is why talent hasn't spread evenly across the economic landscape and helps explain the emergence of business and technology clusters. From experience, it’s more than apparent that people look for the same things in a city that they look for in a company: energy, amenities and a sense of fun. In Oman, folk want to be able to go camping, cycling and picnicing on beaches. Now, when you question potential residents whether they camp, cycle or picnic on beaches, generally the answer is “no”. But they want such activities to be available, because they like the idea of being able to do them if they want to.

Low Entry Barriers
Economists have long spoken of the importance of industries having low entry barriers, so that new firms can easily enter and keep the industry vital. Similarly, it's important for a city to have low entry barriers for people - that is, to be a place where newcomers are accepted quickly into various social and economic arrangements. All things being equal, if Oman adopts this approach, we’re likely to attract greater numbers of talented and creative people - the type of people who power innovation, entrepreneurship and create employment. Cities that thrive in today's world tend to be plug-and-play communities where anyone can fit in quickly. On its own, building a first class Technology Park won’t attract greater talent and more international firms, we need to work harder on offering more lifestyle options and greater cultural diversity.

Talent Magnet
Talented people seek an environment open to differences. Many highly creative people, regardless of ethnic background, grew up feeling like outsiders, different in some way from most of their schoolmates. When they’re sizing up a new company, city or country, acceptance of diversity is a neon sign that reads "non-standard people welcome here." Put simply, and as mentioned earlier, crusaders of the New Economy increasingly take their professional identities from where they live, rather than from where they work. In the past you'd meet a guy on a plane, ask him what he does, and he'd tell you that he's writes code at Oracle. Today, it's, “I design educational game software and live in Madison.” The most important national and corporate resource over the next 20 years will be talent. Smart, sophisticated businesspeople who are technologically literate, globally astute and operationally agile. And even as the demand for talent goes up, the supply of it will be going down. We’ve great ideas, we’ve got money - we just don't have enough talented people to pursue those ideas. We’re talent-constrained. So, if we’re to compete, we’ve got to get our heads round this issue and look seriously at how we retain and attact the right human capital.

So, if Muscat wants to attract and retain creative talent what are the questions we should be asking? Here’s a starting point:

o What will attract young bright creative minds to Muscat?
o How do we inspire the Omani community (nationals and expatriates) as a whole to take ownership in making Muscat a more creative city?
o What other cities should we model our efforts on and why?
o What are some of the key success factors to making Muscat a creative city?
o Conversely, what are some of the barriers?
o Identify positive creative initiatives currently underway that we can build on.
o Is the creative community in Muscat a cohesive one or does it function in silos?
o Where are the opportunities for increased collaboration/cohesion?
o What’s the role of economic development in building a creative city?
o What are some current opportunities to do this?
o What steps can Muscat take to become an internationally recognized medium-sized creative city?
o What can the private sector do to improve the quality of life indicators of Muscat?

Research clearly indicates that talent is attracted to three types of New Economy hot spots. First, there's the traditional, high-tech industrial complex such as California’s Silicon Valley. Then there's the "latte town" - high-energy places with easily accessible outdoor amenities, such as Boulder, Colorado. Finally, there are new urban technology centres cropping up, such as Pioneer Square in Seattle, Washington. Indeed, Muscat’s fate cannot depend, quite obviously, on the performance of one Technology Park or one Free Zone or one Port. Its prosperity will depend on the productivity of all its economic sectors and in its ability to collectively create a diverse environment - and one that doesn’t compromise local culture - that is attractive to both talented entrepreneurs and multinationals.

Manufacturers Need Educating

Recent figures indicate that Oman’s manufacturing sector is on the rise and for many companies export order books are full. “The figures are highly encouraging. Clearly, we’re witnessing a fundamental shift in our economy and it’s being driven by globalisation, knowledge, technology and innovation and it’s quickly changing the nature of manufacturing and the type of workforce and skills we need in the sector,” says Hilal Al Ahsani, CEO, PEIE. “Today’s manufacturing sector is knowledge, skills, innovation and enterprise driven and if we’re to keep export order books full we need to ensure that manufacturers stay focused on these key issues.”

Al Ahsani suggests that one way of fostering innovation and enterprise in manufacturing is to strengthen the sector’s ties with higher education. In early 2007, PEIE introduced the Oman Manufacturing Group (OMG), a quarterly networking seminar program that brought together a core of enthusiastic and energetic individuals from manufacturing and academia, committed to developing and sustaining a strong future for Omani manufacturing.

One issue which gives Al Ahsani cause for concern is that manufacturing has historically demonstrated a serious weakness in what he describes as networking capacity. “Bluntly,” says Al Ahsani “not enough people within the sector are talking, interacting and trading with each other. This is why we see OMG as such an important initiative and that’s why we’ve designed a further four OMG seminars for 2008,” says the PEIE CEO.

As well as building networking capacity, Al Ahsani believes there’s a real need to address issues such as productivity, entrepreneurship, innovation and the development and exploitation of new technologies. In fact, central to achieving this, is the continued development and enhancement of long-term collaboration between manufacturing and education and Al Ahsani fully expects the OMG program to a go a long way in helping develop this relationship.

“Manufacturing is a significant economic, social and cultural phenomenon in Oman,” argues Al Ahsani. “We’ve a rich mix of export-facing tenants manufacturing fibre optic cables, batteries, confectionary through to textiles, a relatively mature stock of enterprises in terms of business age, and a high level of business confidence.” Whilst many manufacturers may not see the need for supplementary business support from academia, those that have sought it have generally been highly satisfied with what they have received and how it has helped them take their operations forward.

The first OMG seminar of the year will be held Monday 28 January at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel and is entitled Education, Training & Manufacturing: Going Global. Leading the panel of speakers will be Professor Andrew Self OBE, (pictured) former Pro-Vice Chancellor, Kingston University. OMG seminars are free of charge and open to all. Further information on the 2008 program can be viewed at: http://www.peie.om/

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

PEIE's Calendar of Events

It’s going to be a busy year! Here’s the 2008 calendar of events for PEIE and KOM. Please mark these dates in your diary.

Oman Manufacturing Group (OMG) Seminar Series
1. Education, Training & Manufacturing: Going Global: 28 January
2. Green Manufacturing: 9 June
3. The Art of Manufacturing: 29 September
4. Manufacturing Strategies for Tomorrow: 1 December

Digital Nation Seminar Series
1. Oman’s Digital Challenge: Closing the Gap: 11 March
2. Second Life: Get One: 26 May
3: Locally Generated Content: Anything Out There? 15 September
4. Blogging Around Town: 10 November

OMG & Digital Nation Booking
All OMG and Digital Nation seminars are free of charge and held at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel. Seminars start at 7:45pm. However, we need you to confirm your attendance so we know to expect you. Places are strictly limited to 150 so please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. To book your place please contact Mulkie Al Hashmi on (+968) 24 15 51 35 or e-mail info@peie.om stating your name(s) and organization.

Conferences
1. eGames Conference: 31 March/1 April (held at Knowledge Oasis Muscat)
2. Smart Manufacturing Conference: 12/13 May (held at Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel)

PEIE’s Carbon Footprint
In an attempt to lessen our carbon footprint PEIE has endeavoured to channel all forms of communication via the internet. As such you will find all necessary information on the aforementioned PEIE and KOM initiatives on http://www.peie.om/ and http://www.kom.om/

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

PEIE Pitches Big Ideas Tent in Sohar

The Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE) has announced that in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce & Industry it is to organize a ‘Big Ideas Tent’ exhibition and seminar program 9th and 10th February 2008 on Sohar Industrial Estate. The two-day program is being held to celebrate Oman’s Industry Day.

The Big Ideas Tent seminar and exhibition will be held under the patronage of HE Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Chairman, PEIE. According to Nasser Al Rahbi, PEIE’s Media & Communications Co-ordinator (pictured): “The purpose of the Big Ideas Tent is to stimulate new thinking in areas of importance to manufacturing and to help PEIE identify areas in which it should be seeking to develop new services or support.” The seminars will be moderated by eminent figures in the field and bring together a panel of expert thinkers and practitioners for a full and frank discussion. The seminars and exhibition are free of charge and open to all though participants are required to register in advance.

“There's always plenty to talk about in manufacturing,” says Al Rahbi “so to focus seminar discussion we’re inviting delegates to submit questions in advance via e-mail (info@peie.om) these can be short or long, plain or nuanced, serious, heartfelt, flippant or funny. The seminar chair will also open up each question to the audience, so that everyone is free to join the debate and to challenge or develop points made by the various panels. The event is intended to be lively and highly interactive.”

Some of the issues that Al Rahbi expects to be covered at the Big Ideas Tent seminar include: Who’s financing manufacturing and on what terms? What areas within manufacturing are crucial to Oman’s competitiveness and why? How does manufacturing serve to power the Oman's knowledge economy? Is it the best engine for this and how does it compare with alternative means of progress and innovation? What is needed to maximize the potential of manufacturing in relation to the knowledge economy? How do we ensure that it is sustainable and principled with regard to globalization? Is it important to have a visually literate manufacturing sector?

Panelists for the five seminar panels include representatives from: Reem Batteries; Ministry of Commerce & Industry; Jotun; Amouage; GroFin Oman; Hussam Technology; Teclution; Knowledge Horizon; Total Alignment; Infocomm; Microsoft; Ericsson; Oracle; Cisco; Oman Cables; and Sohar Aluminium.

The breadth of experience and range of products and services that will be demonstrated at the Big Ideas Tent exhibition will offer solutions to many of the issues facing today’s manufacturers. The event has been designed specifically to provide both exhibitors and visitors with extensive opportunities to network with others in the industry, while also keeping abreast of the latest developments in the field. “We hope manufacturers and those that serve the sector will be able to attend, network, socialize and share ideas,” said Al Rahbi.

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE

KOM's eGames Conference 2008

Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) will host its annual eGames Conference 31 March - 1 April 2008 in Muscat Hall on KOM. The current agenda - and there will be further additions over the next few days -currently looks like this:

Day 1

9:00am – 9:45am Opening Speech
The Future of the Digital Environment
Professor Lizbeth Goodman, SMARTlab, Digital Media Centre, University of East London

Session 1: 9:45am – 10:45am
Gaming & Entrepreneurs: A Case Study
Kevin Corti, PIXELearning

PIXELearning’s Business Game was developed specifically as a teaching aid for UK schools that, from 2005, were required to deliver 5 days of enterprise education to 15 and 16 year olds every year. The majority of teachers who had to deliver this part of the school curriculum had no business experience and were struggling to meet the demands placed upon them.

The Enterprise Game is aimed primarily at the business support/start-up/enterprise agency community and designed to foster the development of general business awareness amongst owner managers and staff. Many small companies are established by people with specific industry skills but who often lack broad business acumen.

The Enterprise Game is based on the same underlying simulation code as The Business Game but has been tweaked to be more challenging for adult learners and includes more detail in, for example, finance and marketing. How can Oman’s schools and colleges benefit from serious gaming technology. How do we take serious games to prepare young Omanis for the business world. Indeed, can serious games help foster a new generation of Omani entrepreneurs?

Networking Break: 10:45am – 11:00am

Session 2: 11:00am – 12:30pm
Gaming for Culture
Mike Gogan, Blitz Games
Professor Lizbeth Goodman, SMARTlab, Digital Media Centre, University of East London

Mike Gogan is one of the world’s leading creators of virtual reality and 3D multimedia content in the Cultural Heritage sector. He has delivered inspiring virtual reality and multimedia interactive products to some of the most iconic heritage sites in the UK and beyond. Indeed, he and his team at Blitz Games are leading the way in exploring the application of serious games technology in the heritage and culture space.

Professor Lizbeth Goodman will focus on the cultural and heritage research projects that are currently being carried out at SMARTlab and their applications to promoting heritage and culture, tourism and creating locally generated web content. What added value can serious games offer Oman’s dynamic set of tangible and intangible cultural assets?

Session 3: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Promoting Leisure & Tourism through Second Life
David Wortley, Serious Games Institute, Coventry University

Tourism Ireland has launched a marketing campaign in Second Life; the first time a real world tourist board has used the Internet-based virtual world to market a real holiday destination. Since its establishment in 2003, Second Life has grown significantly and now has nearly 11 million registered users or "residents", 1.6 million of whom use it regularly.

Dublin in Second Life is a well established destination for live music and DJs – in fact, it occasionally makes the top 10 list of the most popular places to visit in the virtual world. Tourism Ireland's decision was influenced by the fact that 60% of Second Life's users are from Ireland's four biggest tourist markets - Great Britain, the US, Germany and France, and half those are more than 30 - a key demographic for tourism to Ireland.

Experts predict that the web will be three-dimensional in a decade's time and virtual worlds such as Second Life give us some idea of what the web may look like in the future. Second Life is one of the biggest virtual worlds in existence and many major brands, including Coca-Cola, Vodafone, IBM, Toyota, Sony and Adidas already have a presence there. Within the tourism industry, Starwood Hotels have used Second Life to pilot the design of a new series of hotels and Thomas Cook offers customers virtual package tours. What can Second Life offer Oman and its rapidly expanding tourism sector? Should we be spending a larger slice of the country’s marketing budget online?

Lunch: 1:30pm – 2:30pm

Session 4: 2:30pm - 4:00pm
Serious Gaming, Mobiles & the Consumer
Moderator: David Wortley, Serious Games Institute, Coventry University
Panel: TBA, Gartner; TBA, Nawras; Dr. Andreas Liffgarden, Ericsson & Karim Rahemtulla, Infocomm

Consumers are increasingly using technology to customize the shopping process to their specific needs. In this regard, retailers must understand how consumers are interacting with their brands as this will have a substantial impact on how retail operations will evolve in the future. It is estimated that by 2010, 20 per cent of global Tier 1 retailers will have a marketing presence in online games and virtual worlds.

Virtual worlds are expanding rapidly. To date, Second Life has nearly 11 million registered ‘residents’ who spend in excess of US$1million every 24 hours buying property, items or experiences in-world. Similarly, research suggests that the popularity of online gaming will continue to expand. Indeed, virtual worlds are emerging as places where consumers can shop and retailers need to be ready to respond to this growing demand.

On the mobile front, it is estimated that by 2012, the number of consumers using mobile phones to shop will increase at an average of more than 25 per cent per year. Mobile commerce has been viewed as an emerging new sales channel for retailers for some time now but retail revenue through mobile phones is currently very low, much less than 1 per cent of total sales. However, as mobile phones evolve in form and function, the impact of the mobile phone on retail sales is set to increase.

Through 2010, consumers will use the phone as part of their shopping activities to search, browse, find locations and check stock. Eventually, consumers will use mobile phones to purchase merchandise. So what role will serious games and mobiles play in the marketing and retailing space?

eGames Dinner : 8:00pm - Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel

Day 2

10:00am – 2:30pm: Secondlife.com Workshop

Led by David Wortley, Serious Games Institute, Coventry University (Further details on the Workshop to be posted in the next few days)

Blog contents copyright © 2006 PEIE