Tamakkan Seminar On Innovative Thinking

http://www.1888pressrelease.com/tamakkan-seminar-on-innovative-thinking-pr-469621.html

 

The event, held at Mamoura, featured Julie Lewis, founder of Mountain High, thriller novelist SeumasGallacher, entrepreneur Younis al Sulaimi, and a posse of local and international poets, led by award winning slam poet Paul D’ Rogers.

Inspirational speaker Lewis spoke about her recent expedition to Antarctica with women breast cancer survivors and the impact a journey of such magnitude can shape one’s perspective on life, courage and achievement. “Climbing a mountain is much like business, you have to set your goals and open up your thinking to new experiences.” She advised entrepreneurs to be more courageous and to continually readjust their mental markers to explore new ways of thinking. She also showed a short film of the women’s expedition aimed at raising awareness about breast cancer.

Lewis, who is from England and lives in the UAE, travels across the world on vision-seeking expeditions.

Thriller novelist SeumasGallacher, from Scotland and residing in the UAE, spoke about his meteoric success in self publishing, explaining how he wrote his books, distributed them and continues to market them through local bookstores and Amazon’s online bookstore. His two books received over 60,000 downloads on Kindle and his social media following is paving the way for the imminent launch of his third novel. Gallacher runs a business consultancy but sees writing becoming a possible full-time career.

“I believe I two kinds of days, good days and better days. As an entrepreneur you should try, make mistakes, and keep on trying. Giving up is not an option. For self publishers, writing is only the first part, then there is editing, publishing, distribution and then marketing. Don’t ignore the next wave in publishing: Kindle and E-books are the secret to success, and social media plays an integral role.”

Sana Bagersh, the founder of Tamakkan stressed the need for entrepreneurs to continue learning and growing, by exploring all sources of information and inspiration. ‘At Tamakkan we see the growth of the entrepreneurial spirit as something that extends well beyond business, and extending into the realms of spiritual enrichment and creative exploration”.

Younis al Sulaimi, an Emirati entrepreneur whose 3-D printing business is supported by the UAE’s Khalifa Fund, offered an insightful view into the challenges and opportunities associated with setting up a pioneering technological venture. “It has been a rewarding experience and the entire team is very enthusiastic about the future of 3D printing.

Being a forerunner in a new business area comes with a lot of difficulties, and the main one is that you can’t start marketing the usual way, you first have to educate people, and that is something that takes a lot of time.”

Nahyan Bin Mubarak launched new book Leave the Birds Alone

H.E. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, launched last night new book /Leave the Birds Alone’/ by Emirati Businessman, Writer and Satirist, Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki , at the Jumeirah Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi.

Al Darmaki is a breakthrough talent who has a unique perspective on life and literature. His latest book breaks the mold, combining his crackling witticisms with standout artwork in every page. The result is an exciting and innovatively presented book that has already received considerable attention and whose release is highly anticipated.

“I wanted to come up with a different kind of presentation for the written word by integrating visually stimulating design. The book is ideal for people who are looking for something different; something that delivers a message, but in a funny and non-traditional way,” said Al Darmaki.
In his book, Al Darmaki takes slice of life episodes and uplifts them from mundane situations to colorful and humorous commentaries on life. He applies his satirical brush to show us the lighter, quirkier side of modern day existence, and urges us through the title of the book and his writings to free our thoughts to soar like ‘the birds’ in the book’s title.

He says much of his inspiration comes from his childhood and adolescence. “I was inspired by my parents, my travels that took me to almost all over the world, and my experiences with many interesting people from different backgrounds. I would say that I’ve also been touched by the beautiful complexity and chaotic nature of life,” he said.

He explains that much of his writings took place between his two favorite cities, Abu Dhabi and London, and also during his wanderings through Spain, Italy, Netherlands and France. “I always have a habit of sitting in a coffee shop in every city with my black coffee and notepad on my table, and watch life unfold around me as I try to capture it with my pen.”

Al Darmaki says that his book is a flight of fancy that shows ‘the good, the bad, the ugly and the rather unusual’. It took him a few months to put down his raw thoughts and ideas for “Leave the birds alone” on paper. “The selection and refinement of my quotes added another three months to the creation process, and then the final designs and edits were made by my publisher BrandMoxie.”

Al Darmaki says that the most difficult part of the process is finding support to be a writer. “I have had difficulty in finding the support and motivation that I needed from family, friends and mentors to make this book happen. However I learned early that in the end the only one you can truly rely on will always be yourself. It was my stubbornness, my pride, and my passion that helped me overcome all difficulties,” said Al Darmaki.

“I hope people will see that this book is fresh in concept but ancient in spirit, and that they look to it as a source of laughter, enlightenment and comfort. I expect many things, but regardless of what happens next, I am already happy with what I have done.”

“Leave the Birds Alone” is available at all major bookstores throughout the UAE, and through select online book distributors.

 

Link:http://www.eyeofdubai.net/news/details/nahyan-bin-mubarak-launched-new-book-leave-the-birds-alone

Capturing the Heart and Soul of the UAE!

Abu Dhabi-Following the success of last year’s “I Love UAE” video competition, the initiative is being re-launched in 2012 with a revised name and an extended production period. The “We Love UAE 2012” competition encourages people from all over the UAE to express their love for the country they call home with a two-minute video.

Originally conceived as a standalone creative initiative, it became a significant contributor to the UAE’s 40th birthday celebrations, with the top entries broadcast on UAE TV stations. CEO of competition organizer BrandMoxie Sana Bagersh said interest and inquiry levels for a 2012 competition has been enormous, with schools and universities urging their students to participate.

“The ‘I Love UAE’ competition really struck a chord with the creative community. Many young people took up the artistic challenge, and their level of enthusiasm and passion was amazing.”

“Once last year’s competition was over we were asked by artistic groups and media departments at schools to run it again. We decided now was the time to launch the 2012 edition to give entrants the whole summer to prepare their submissions,” said Bagersh.

Dubai-based Alina Mustafina, last year’s winner in the “Me” category, said making her entry “Many Hearts – One Love” changed her life.

“I enjoyed making the video so much that I knew I had to give up my boring plans and study filmmaking.”

After completing her prize of a 12-week intensive course at New York Film Academy, Mustafina moved to Spain to study for a Masters in filmmaking, inspiring her husband to change his career direction as well.

“I would like to thank the ‘I Love UAE’ video competition team for changing my life in a positive and creative direction.”

The “Me and My School” category was won by Shabari Shankar, a student from the Abu Dhabi Indian School who produced an original composition with her bandmates.

The “We Love UAE 2012” competition will be accompanied by workshops and discussion forums. Last year’s seminar explored challenges and opportunities in the UAE film industry. The panelists, who were also the judges of the competition, were from The New York Film Academy, Image Nation, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi TV, The British School Al Khubairat and the American Community City.

The closing date for entries is 1 October 2012, with full entry details available at www.tempoplanet.com

Stepping on to creativity springboard

Sana Bagersh founded Tamakkan and also runs her own advertising agency called BrandMoxie. Ryan Carter

Neil Parmar

April 24, 2012

Entrepreneurs in the UAE, through a programme called Tamakkan, can attend free monthly seminars that share tips on developing new ventures and encourage networking. Sana Bagersh, who founded Tamakkan and also runs her own advertising agency called BrandMoxie, discusses how entrepreneurship competitions aim to help budding business owners.

Q&A

There are numerous contests here already, including one Tamakkan launched this month with Boston University in Brussels. Do you think there is a danger of having too many?

Entrepreneurship competitions are becoming more “fashionable” for companies and organisations to hold, often as part of their CSR [corporate social responsibility] commitments. But I think they serve a good purpose. There is greater recognition worldwide of the role of entrepreneurship in expanding economic and social growth, and the impact of SMEs [small to medium enterprises] in the empowerment of people. There are many contests already in place, but I see them as a way to promote entrepreneurship and expand opportunities of participation to larger numbers of people.

What purpose do these kinds of contests serve?

I believe that many contests serve, at minimum, as idea springboards. Some ideas germinate in competitions, and evolve over time as they are adapted to actual market realities. For many students their entry into the contest is like a validation that their ideas have merit. I think if a contest is able to awaken something in the individual – like a spark of motivation – then it has worked.

How, exactly, do these kinds of contests help build the necessary skills for students and other future entrepreneurs?

A good contest is one that will challenge the potential entrepreneur to think in new ways, and to structure their ideas into implementable plans and bankable ideas. The competition should challenge and provide inspiration. Usually they also prepare the student for the real deal later on after they leave university.

 

Link:http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/economics/stepping-on-to-creativity-springboard

UAE’s got talent

Olivia Olarte

Filed on January 21, 2012

A new and the only talent show of its kind is in town and is already fast gaining popularity in the community.

Following in the step of X Factor, ‘The Dream Players’ is a community initiative in the capital that is aimed at supporting and developing talent and providing a platform for aspiring performers and creative artists.

However, unlike the X Factor, The Dream Players will showcase a broad range of creative talents including singing, dancing, acting, poetry, playing musical instruments and other forms of artistic expression such as design, painting, short films, photography, stand-up comedy among others.

“We wanted to nurture the arts and we wanted to do it in a community organic level. In the US, they have so many of this initiative and young people and not so young people who are talented find a way to be presented to the community and to show their skills. Here it is very difficult for people to do that.

“We thought we should create a platform that would enable those who are skilled and have potential to go into any form of arts, whether in performing art or into writing or drama, to be able to be heard at the community level,” explained Sana Bagersh, executive producer of The Dream Players, also the CEO and managing director of BrandMoxie, an advertising and marketing agency that is behind the initiative.

The idea for the event came to Bagersh in December, who immediately put the idea into action.

“The advertisement was run on Abu Dhabi Tempo on January 1. We started receiving responses immediately from just that one advertisement. About 15–20 responded and it is now starting to spread … (mostly) by word of mouth,” said Kera Thompson, Special Projects manager at BrandMoxie and event manager of The Dream Players.

The Dream Players debuted this month with its first competition held last Thursday featuring five contestants who showcased their talent in singing, dancing and playing musical instruments. They were shortlisted from 10 candidates who auditioned for the January show.

According to event mechanics, an audition will be held every month but only five contestants will be called to perform in a show designed for their type of talent.

About 20 talents have signed up for the February audition. They included poets, photographers, graphic designers and skateboarders.

Shortlisted candidates will be performing or presenting at the end of the month in front of a select group of audience from the creative arts industry and four prominent judges who will give them feedback.

“The whole idea is also to give them a feedback so that when they’re making a mistake or if they need a bit of guidance, they hear it from people in the industry,” said Bagersh.

Each candidate will be judged based on his or her originality, overall performance, technicality and stage presence. There will be one winner each month.

Each winner will receive a prize package and an opportunity to be represented by The Dream Players as the talent agency. In addition, BrandMoxie will develop a professional composite profile for the person to promote himself/herself.

“The greatest response we received from (candidates) is ‘We’re really grateful that there’s an outlet for us to perform.’

“What we’re excited about is that we’re filling a void in this area for people to all come together, of all nationalities, of all background, ages to share their creative energy. And hopefully that will steer up awareness and togetherness and a real feeling of community despite all the differences,” stated Thompson, who was one of the judges at the competition.

The Dream Players competition will be filmed and broadcasted on the show’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Thompson was hopeful that the show will garner enough interest and get picked up by a television station to be aired live in future.

“I think there’s enormous potential for it, (the show) fills the void and we’re finding that there’s plenty of talent out there,” she concluded.

 

Link: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/article/20120121/ARTICLE/301219972/1002

Tempo’s Heart n’ Soul Community Bazaar: Bringing the community together one bazaar at a time

http://www.1888pressrelease.com/tempo-s-heart-n-soul-community-bazaar-bringing-the-communi-pr-342943.html

 

Tempo magazine is hosting its first community bazaar called ‘Tempo’s Heart n’ Soul Community Bazaar’ and hopes to bring the capital’s communities together with this initiative. Taking place on Saturday, October 29 at One to One Hotel- The Village from 2-6 pm, the bazaar is aimed at families and will also showcase creative works of students and amateur artists.

Sana Bagersh, Managing Editor of Tempo, says “I’ve always believed that nurturing community brings about a sense of belonging when the people from different expatriate groups gather to celebrate and learn more about each other. It is this feeling of camaraderie that Tempo wanted to bring out through the bazaar.”

The bazaar also stresses the importance of reusing and recycling, and encouraging the passing on of products to others, rather than disposing of them. Those interested in participating can rent tables and sell anything they wish to, except for food and beverages, and entry is free to all!

The Bazaar will be set up on The Terrace of the One to One Hotel- The Village and there will be something for all ages including art, crafts, handicrafts, books, toys and henna stalls.

“Like all good things that come in small packages, this community bazaar organized by Tempo is surely a season starter. We will continue bringing these small but lovely events to enchant our One to One community & guests.” said Jessica Asher, Marketing and Communications Manager at One to One Hotel- The Village.

“I LOVE UAE” COMPETITION AWARDS WINNERS Ceremony discusses ‘nurturing filmmaking in the UAE’

http://www.1888pressrelease.com/-i-love-uae-competition-awards-winners-ceremony-discusses-pr-336840.html

 

Abu Dhabi, UAE – The “I love UAE” video competition celebrating the UAE’s 40th anniversary concludes with the announcement of the winners and a debate by film experts and educationists on how best to nurture film making in the UAE.

The competition was launched to enable members of the community to express their love and appreciation for the UAE by creating short videos that celebrate the spirit and character of the UAE. The winner of the “Me” category was Alina Mustafina, and the winner of the “Me and My School Category” was Shabari Shankar from Abu Dhabi Indian school.

The competition, launched by the New York Film Academy Abu Dhabi, and Tempo, attracted considerable interest especially among young people who have taken up the artistic challenge. A ceremony was held at the Mamoura Auditorium last September 21 along with a debate on “How to nurture talent in film making in the UAE,” with panelists from New York Film Academy Abu Dhabi, Imagenation, Abu Dhabi Media Company, Zayed University, British School Al Khubairat and the American Community School.

“We are encouraged by the response and how groups formed together to produce to work together, and the way that some of the groups used software and technology,” said Simon Hunter, the President of the New York Film Academy Abu Dhabi, who will award the first prize, a 12 week evening film making course at NYFA Abu Dhabi, to the winner of the competition. The school competition category, entitled “Me and My School,” grants the winner a video camera from Tempo, and his or her class a full day film making workshop by NYFA.

Sana Bagersh, Managing Editor of Tempo said, “It was important for us to run this competition at this time because it is the UAE’s 40th anniversary and we wanted to give an opportunity to the community to express their voices.”

“The partnership with New York Film Academy Abu Dhabi helps raise the caliber of the competition and provides the winners with a great opportunity to learn the craft from a leading film school,” she added.

The event was organized by BrandMoxie, a leading advertising agency in Abu Dhabi that specializes in branding, public relations, and events management.

A GUIDE FOR ENTREPRENEURS FROM BRANDMOXIE CHIEF

Neil Parmar

Topics: Entrepreneurs

Sana Bagersh is trying to take advantage of her position as the chief executive of the marketing firm BrandMoxie to help fellow entrepreneurs in the Emirates. But as she explains, her efforts to expand Tamakkan, a series of monthly seminars she launched on entrepreneurship in 2009, have led to some unique challenges.

  1. Q) What does “Tamakkan” mean?
  2. A) In Arabic, it means empower yourself. Arabic tends to be more polite. I just really wanted a jarring effect that you don’t have to wait for someone to spoon-feed you. You can do it.
  3. Q) Why did you launch this series?
  4. A) When I started BrandMoxie in 2004 a lot of people would call me and say, “How do you put together a marketing plan? How do you write a press release?” I thought it would be nice if BrandMoxie somehow acted as an enabler for more people like me to share knowledge … [with] people starting their own ventures. We focus on certain topics – branding, social media – but they’re quite broad in nature. If anybody has specific questions, they can ask during the seminar and get input from peers and experts.
  5. Q) How have you tried to expand what Tamakkan offers?
  6. A) A month ago we introduced short, one-day courses on subjects like the fundamentals of accounting for small businesses, how to get funding, how to hire the right people. We’re trying to keep them cheap. I’m talking to organisations to see if they want to pitch in.
  7. Q) How is that going?
  8. A) A lot of these big entities are so bureaucratic and take so long to decide. With entrepreneurship, things need to be faster. Entrepreneurs need help now.
  9. Q) How do you plan to help them in the future?
  10. A) [Providing referrals] is the only thing we’re able to do because we’re not a funded organisation and we don’t have a proper office. I’m hoping Tamakkan can evolve to offer an online knowledge base, in Arabic and English, on how to start this, how to do that, and a proper affair aimed at fueling more SME [small and medium-sized enterprises] creation. Hopefully if we get revenue coming in for courses we can support it a little more permanently.
  11. Q) On May 29, you’ll be taking the seminar to Dubai for the first time at the University of Wollongong. Why have you stayed in Abu Dhabi until now?
  12. A) I felt Dubai had so many things happening and with the Khalifa Fund we were getting a lot of people in Abu Dhabi who were funded but just didn’t know how to really make a go of it. There is a certain category of entrepreneurs in Abu Dhabi where money is really not the big problem – it’s knowledge. You get very young serial entrepreneurs who are well into their third or fourth venture, and it’s my belief that if they got some really good grounding when they started their first or second the survival rate would have been higher.

* Neil Parmar

Link: http://www.thenational.ae/business/media/a-guide-for-entrepreneurs-from-brandmoxie-chief

 

 

ABU DHABI MAGAZINE FIRST TO BE MOBILE TAGGED IN REGION

Posted on 01/06/2010
A UAE magazine, Abu Dhabi Tempo, will on June 1 become the first in the region to adopt mobile tagging technology that enhances the reader’s experience through instantaneous mobile phone engagement with external content.

The magazine has been ‘tagged’ with Microsoft Tag ‘barcodes’ that link directly to dynamic web pages that can be accessed through the mobile phone. According to Microsoft, this technology has to date been used in a handful of magazines, including Conde Nast titles Golf Digest and Lucky. Microsoft Tag had been under testing for 18 months, and came out of beta on 27 May 2010.

We’ve looked at the various mobile tag options and believe that Microsoft Tag delivers a simple yet robust platform,” said Sana Bagersh, CEO of BrandMoxie, the marketing agency that is publisher of the magazine and promoter of mobile tagging technology. “We’re excited to be part of this compelling mobile phone technology as it redefines the reader’s experience and greatly enhances the print medium.” “Abu Dhabi Tempo’s readers tend to be young, educated, more technologically aware and early adopters of mobile phone innovations, so we believe tags are the perfect medium to add to the magazine,” said Bagersh.

She explained that mobile phone tags will engage customers dynamically, directing them through an instantaneous experience via the mobile phone to a brand’s special promotions, product and service showcases, videos, instructional information, contests, coupons etc.

The Microsoft Tag can be placed anywhere and once snapped on a smart phone can direct the user directly to the product or service’s brand experience. The agency is exploring ways this technology can be integrated in retail, e-government, entertainment, education and healthcare scenarios.– Emirates News Agency, WAM

Link:http://www.uaeinteract.com/docs/Abu_Dhabi_Magazine_first_to_be_mobile_tagged_in_region/41235.htm

 

Tamakkan to nurture entrepreneurship

Tamakkan, an initiative aimed at supporting young Emirati entrepreneurs who need industry insight to achieve their business dreams, has been launched by BrandMoxie, a marketing company in the UAE.

Abu Dhabi: Tamakkan, an initiative aimed at supporting young Emirati entrepreneurs who need industry insight to achieve their business dreams, has been launched by BrandMoxie, a marketing company in the UAE.

BrandMoxie has set up Tamakkan to nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship and provide an informal environment for the development of knowledge sharing and the spirit of mentorship.

Sana Bagersh, CEO of BrandMoxie said: “The idea is that through Tamakkan industry professionals would be able to give back to the country, and the community, by helping to nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“We hope to create a vibrant monthly platform of discussion, in the form of a free two-hour seminar, open to those young entrepreneurs who want to attend an informative session presented by a professional, or expert, on a key topic in business.”

In June BrandMoxie received the Tamayyuz Partnership Award in recognition of its support to activities at Higher Colleges of Technology’s Abu Dhabi Women’s College.

Bagersh explained that Tamakkan will aim to provide high-calibre seminars given by practicing professionals. The focus would be on the transfer of practical skills and information.

“These would include short seminars on marketing such as branding, positioning, merchandising, franchising etc, and business topics such as the fundamentals of how to set up a business.”

Tamakkan is intended to facilitate contributions by the business sector, and welcomes the participation of companies and individuals who can lend their support by giving their time or assistance in kind.

Bagersh said: “We are already a team of industry professionals. We call upon other professionals to come forward and join the volunteer team of presenters and welcome the support of companies who may want to participate.”

On what encouraged BrandMoxie to launch the initiative, Bagersh said: “What has encouraged us to do more is our surprise at the high calibre of work performed by university interns. These students have built up the skills and are passionate, but they lack the ‘street smartness’ and the understanding of the broad work context.

Link: http://gulfnews.com/business/sectors/general/tamakkan-to-nurture-entrepreneurship-1.502668