The 2020 rendition of the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), one of the largest entrepreneurial happenings across the world, is starting on today, November 29, 2020. Just in case you didn’t know, GEW 2020 is taking place as an exclusively virtual event this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even the pandemic has not been able to dent the event’s charm on startups and entrepreneurs in Bahrain and the broader region, if anything, it has only made it simpler for the organizers to include a larger pool of experts from around the globe to add more value for the participants and attendees.
Startup MGZN recently had a one-on-one conversation with Esam Hammad, the Managing Director of the Bahraini chapter of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN Bahrain) and Tamkeen’s Partnerships & Customer Engagement Director, to discuss various aspects of GEW 2020. Here’s a brief excerpt from the conversation:
What should participants expect of GEW 2020, now that it’s virtual?
Esam started by iterating that a wider pool of global experts on various entrepreneurship-related topics is joining GEW Bahrain this year. According to him, this will enable the platform to focus on topics previously not explored, and quite relevant to Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030.
The virtual nature of the event has also made it easier for the experts who are in high demand to attend events organized by multiple GEW hosts globally.
How can GEW 2020 help entrepreneurs better prepare against the challenges thrown in by COVID-19?
Esam made an interesting observation on how historically a lot of successful business ventures of the modern world have their origin in one crisis or the other — be it during a recession or a socially volatile period.
“Entrepreneurship and risk cannot be separated, and during times of increased risks, the rewards can be much higher,” he noted.
Esam further stated that input from world leaders in business and entrepreneurship at an -event like GEW 2020 can provide participants with a holistic view of how to capitalize on the challenges posed by COVID-19 by creating new opportunities.
“[…] These events can [also] highlight success stories of businesses that can inspire new entrepreneurs as well as current ones by giving real examples of how the world is handling these challenges . It is also an opportunity to get a glimpse into the future in light of the current challenges and where the world is heading after all these changes.”
Some of the not to miss events of GEW 2020
Some of the confirmed events during GEW 2020 include (but not limited to):
- Investors Talk – Post Pandemic Landscape by Tenmou: The webinar will be held on November 30th, from 3:30PM – 4:30PMin the presence of eminent personalities from the VC world including Nabeel Koshak, Hassan Haider, and Nawaf AlKoheji. The event’s discussions will shed some more insight into the benchmarks investors rely on to zoom in on the most promising enterprises.
- GEW Batelco Hackathon to enable Game Changers by Brinc: To be held on December 2, 9 AM – 4 PM, the hackathon will enable like-minded participants to build on their collective skills and backgrounds to come up with innovative and impact-driven technology-based ideas. Among other things, the hackathon is a continuation of Brinc’s ongoing attempts to place Bahrain as a major technology and innovation hub.
- Astropreneurship Opportunities in the Space Industry by GEN Bahrain: To be held on December 2 (6 PM to 8 PM), the panel discussion will focus on how entry into the space industry is not as far-fetched as many make it out to be. The discussions will be led by Dr. Bidushi Bhattacharya – Founder and CEO of Astropreneurs HUB, and Manpreet Mattu – Global Lead VC & Startups Business Development at, Amazon Web Services, NSSA Representative. Participants can gain deep insights into how with the help of Bahrain National Sciences and Space Agency, they can tap in on emerging opportunities in the space industry.
- How Social Media Reporting Tools Can Help Your Business by Astrolabs: To be held on December 3 (10 AM to 12 PM), the webinar will be led by lead instructor Abed Jrab and it will zoom in on social media analytics tools to help you figure out which of your tactics and strategies are yielding results. Participants will also learn about many free social media analytics tools that actually work. Additionally, the webinar will also walk you through tactics to discover quality data that can help you create better content.
Note that these are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There are many other events you will surely find attractive enough to sign up for. Visit the official GEW Bahrain event page here for the full list of events and schedules.
A word about GEN Bahrain
We also took the opportunity to ask Hammad about GEN Bahrain and the work they do. This is what he had to say: “GEN is a global network for platforms and programs in over 150 countries that aim to make it possible for anyone anywhere in the world to start and scale a business. We’ve set up a chapter in Bahrain that capitalizes on the momentum of the local ecosystem and compliments the great work that is done here. One of the main objectives is to implement tested programs and platforms locally, with the aim of empowering local entrepreneurs, and showcasing their achievements to the rest of the world.”
If you need more GEW 2020 related information, feel free to reach out to Startup MGZN using our social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Lin
