For three days at the Kuwait International Exhibition Grounds
at Mushref – Hall No.5
Al-Ahmed: Kuwait Investment Company launches the events of the international maker's exhibition "Maker Faire" on February 9th
- The selection of Kuwait to organize the Exhibition for the first time through the Company is the climax of a journey of continuous progress that has been going on for several decades in the service of the Kuwaiti society.
- "Maker Fare" – Kuwait is a regional platform for makers in the Gulf and the entire region among39 countries in various parts of the world.
- The organizing committee has designated more than $ 30,000 for the three top achievers, with intensive GCC participation in the workshops.
Kuwait – January 2017
The General Manager of Kuwait Investment Co. (KIC), Fawwaz Al-Ahmed, has officially announced that the company will organize the international makers exhibition "Maker Faire – Kuwait" which will be held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and attended by His Excellency the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Khaled Nasser Al-Rodhan, during the period from 9to 11 February 2017 at the International Exhibitions Grounds at Mushref.
At a press conference held by KIC on this occasion, Al-Ahmed said that selecting the State of Kuwait for organizing the international exhibition, "Maker Faire" for the first time through Kuwait Investment Company is the climax of a journey of continuous progress that has been going on for several decades in the service of the Kuwaiti society. The exhibition, he added, is an expression of confidence in Kuwait's role and standing at the global level, emphasized by the agreement of the senior management of the parent exhibition in the USA to grant KIC the required licenses in preparation for holding the exhibition in Kuwait to serve as the regional platform for makers' projects in the GCC countries and the region, among 39 countries that organized this prestigious event. Al-Ahmed emphasized that KIC is keen to organize the exhibition every year in Kuwait and that it has been decided to increase its period from 3 to 5 days in 2018. It is noteworthy that the exhibition coincides with the country's celebration of its national holidays, and, this year, it coincides with the selection of Kuwait as the capital of Arab youth for 2017. He went on to say that the organizing committee has designated cash prizes of more than $ 30,000 to the first three winners, and that around 50 persons have volunteered to participate in organizing the exhibition.
Al-Ahmed highlighted a successful social project of KIC, namely, the "Kuwaiti Hands Exhibition, which was organized by the company during the period from 3 to 5 March 2016 and was highly welcomed at the official and popular levels. The Maker Faire exhibition management in the USA were highly impressed when they were informed of the exhibition's projects, and emphasized that such exhibitions and projects are the real beginning of a movement toward a promising industry with purely Kuwaiti hands. He explained that last year's version of the exhibition included 50 projects that reflected the creativity and talents of young Kuwaitis who represented a number of entities, foremost among which was the Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Talent and Creativity.
Al-Ahmed considered this initiative (Maker Faire Exhibition) which is organized by Kuwait Investment Co. is an important addition to its past achievements in the field of social responsibility and reflects the company's pioneering role in this field, thereby emphasizing its commitment to the various activities in the service of society and ensuring its optimal growth, as such commitment is a commitment to the country's youth, the real future of the citizens of Kuwait, this having always been our deep-rooted policy in serving the Kuwaiti society, by providing young Kuwaitis with support with a view to enabling them to fulfill their needs and requirements to achieve a better future, particularly because they need all forms of incentives to become effective partners in development.
He went on to say that, "in view of the important of the exhibition, a large number of establishments and companies from the public and private sectors have provided sponsorship and support in order to contribute to the success of this large event, thereby promoting the standing of the State of Kuwait in general, and both sponsors and participants in particular. He lauded the role of National Bank of Kuwait, the platinum sponsor, the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Kuwait International Fair Company, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science , who are gold sponsors and the silver sponsors: KAMCO Investment Company, McDonalds, Toyota Al-Sayer, Industrial Bank of Kuwait, as well as the bronze sponsors: Al-Masar Leasing and KIC Financial Brokerage, while the media sponsorship was provided by Al-Rai Media Group, while a number of other establishments and entities will participate in the activities of this exhibition."
Al-Ahmed lauded the widespread interest of the young to participate by presenting their new projects and ideas at Maker Faire Kuwait. This, he said, shows that there is a large makers sector here that needs support and assistance to complete their projects that may have far-reaching echoes at the global level in the future. He explained that registrations of project owners during the past period came in large numbers that exceeded available openings, but the Company seeks to accommodate all of them.
Within the same context, Al-Ahmed pointed out that 77 projects would participate in Maker Faire exhibition so far, after the closing of registration and the sorting of the 158 projects received in various technological, engineering, trades and handicraft fields. He also said that there are intensive participations from the GCC countries to hold workshops as part of more than five planned workshop activities of the exhibition,
Al-Ahmed explained that, by presenting the exhibition as one of the major opportunities that support small Kuwaiti and Arab projects and merging them with the tools of modern technology, KIC trusts that the Maker Faire exhibition will be an excellent opportunity to display their products, projects and ideas to the public who would evaluate them through interaction with them. "A technical committee from the parent exhibition in New York", he said, will select the best projects as a first step toward industrialization which would contribute to the strengthening of local and Arab industry".