The second annual GWC Forum, Ready for the Game, at The Westin Doha Hotel and Spa, will be held on 1 November – 20 days to go before the start of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. The Westin Doha Hotel is also the base camp of Brazil’s national team during the tournament.

The event follows last year’s inaugural forum, Getting You in the Game, which attracted more than 800 delegates from 59 countries. The successful 2021 forum also generated extensive media coverage, with the hybrid nature of the event attracting strong online engagement amidst COVID-19 restrictions.

This year’s forum will be moderated by Al Jazeera Network Senior News Anchor Emily Angwin and will highlight how businesses will benefit from Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup™.

Leading the charge in the logistics and supply chain solutions space is GWC Logistics.

As the Official Logistics Provider for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, GWC is playing a major role in tournament preparations, helping to deliver an economic legacy by enabling Qatar’s blossoming micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME).

According to GWC Group CEO Ranjeev Menon, empowering Qatar’s MSME sector is one of their long-term goals. He said they look forward to sharing a range of insights from high-level local, regional and international participants during this year’s forum.

Menon added they believe that MSME will supercharge Qatar’s economy in the coming decades, as the country leverages hosting the biggest sporting event on the planet. He said that the FIFA World Cup™ is bringing new opportunities to Qatar and is enabling economic growth across a range of sectors.

As Qatar’s number one logistics and supply chain solutions company, we understand the significant role we are playing in capitalising on World Cup opportunities – and this is something we will illustrate during the forum.

The hybrid forum aims to champion and enable MSME in Qatar by giving them a platform to showcase their successes and grow beyond 2022, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. A special keynote message will be given by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who will address the forum on the vital role that MSME plays in building a nation’s economy and society.

Partners of this year’s GWC Forum include Hamad Bin Khalifa University and beIN SPORTS.

A host of senior-level speakers will also represent forum partners and global brands and will facilitate insightful discussions on the role of logistics at mega-events like the FIFA World Cup™. Panel sessions and workshops will also offer a deeper dive into key subjects as delegates look to glean knowledge from the biggest sporting event ever to be held in the region.

Panel sessions, discussions and workshops

The first panel session will examine the direct and indirect impact of hosting the FIFA World Cup™ on MSME in various sectors of the Qatari economy. The second session, meanwhile, will delve into the trends and challenges faced by MSME. The discussion will be led by major enablers of business transformation.

The workshops will focus on the education sector, design incubation and film entrepreneurship.

A special discussion on business setup success and prosperity will be delivered by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI). According to Menon, the lasting impact of the FIFA World Cup will be on the wider economy.

Our goal at GWC is to support a world-class MSME eco system – and this year’s forum will explain in detail how businesses, across a wide range of industries, can benefit from the opportunities that hosting a mega-event like the World Cup will deliver.

Menon went on to outline the infrastructure already in place to support the MSME sector in Qatar.

He said that GWC recently delivered phase-1 of the largest logistics park to date – a 1.5 million sqm one-stop-shop catering specifically for MSME. The site provides all their commercial needs, as well as an opportunity to network with like-minded businesses.

GWC acts as an enabler or catalyst between these MSME and the companies that will come during the World Cup. There are many success stories – some of which will be told during this year’s forum. Menon said their challenge now is to help more businesses achieve their goals as the country benefit from hosting the biggest sporting event in the world for many years to come.

SEE ALSO: GWC Forum 2022

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