Doha: Bedaya Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Development (Bedaya Center), a joint initiative by Qatar Development Bank and Silatech, participated at the 17th edition of Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition (Heya 2020).
The exhibition took place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) from November 27 to December 1.
Bedaya took part at “Heya 2020” in two pavilions which included six startup fashion related projects. Bedaya’s participation was in line with the center’s continuous efforts to provide new platforms and avenues for promoting and selling products of entrepreneurial projects engaged in the fashion and haute couture industry.
Prior to the exhibition, Bedaya Center had announced the opening of registration through its website for fashion entrepreneurs keen to participate at the “Heya” exhibition at promotional prices. Guidelines for participation required products to be designed or manufactured in Qatar, the participating business to fall within the startup category and should possess legal licenses. Furthermore, Bedaya created a specialised committee to evaluate and select candidates based on specific criteria depending on the quality of products and their suitability for the event.
Bedaya also organised a panel discussion on how to elevate and develop businesses operating in the fashion industry. The panelists included, Head of Strategic Initiatives and Business Collaborations at Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC), Aysha Khalifa Al Romaihi, and Acting Director of the Msheireb Cultural Forum, Maha Al Sulaiti, who talked about the opportunities available to entrepreneurs in the fashion industry, and the various entities that would help entrepreneurs enrich their careers, in addition to the programmes available for fashion related projects and how to register for the required support.
Board Member and Acting General Manager of Bedaya Center, Abdulla Faleh Al Saeed, said:” We express our sincere gratitude to the National Tourism Council and the organisers of Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition for their invitation and support to facilitate the participation of a group of local startup businesses under the umbrella of Bedaya Center. At Bedaya we continuously strive to support startups with special attention to female entrepreneurs, which reflects the ability of Qatari women to enter the working market and their ability to compete in various sectors”.
“Our participation at the 17th edition of Heya exhibition with six projects owned by female entrepreneurs provided a perfect platform to showcase their skills and abilities. The expo was an opportunity for our participants to meet the aspirations of various segments of society by displaying their products in front of a large audience that was keen to be present to get acquainted with the most important fashion trends during the days of the exhibition,” he added.
