Sixth edition of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) 2022. SUPPLIED

Sustainability was among the major topics highlighted at the sixth edition of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) 2022. Held on December 17-18 and organized by Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa) under the theme "Where We Belong," the event featured some of the most advanced innovations in the field, which attracted a large number of participants including policymakers, CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors, artists, and media influencers. During the festival, the Sustainability and Innovation Zone hosted different booths providing a broader picture of the issues related to sustainability, as well as showcasing practical solutions toward realizing a sustainable future, especially in the Middle East region, which is characterized by scarce freshwater resources, arid environments, and extreme temperatures. One of the Zone's primary attractions was the Sharjah Sustainable City booth, where participants converged to learn about this unique initiative that has led to the development of the first sustainable master-planned community in the Emirate of Sharjah. As one of the Enable Partners of the SEF 2022 and in recognition of its valuable contribution to the festival and the areas of sustainability, Sharjah Sustainable City was honored with a special award at the festival's opening ceremony. The award was presented by Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa), and Najla Al-Midfa, CEO of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), and received by Mr. Yousif Ahmed Al-Mutawa, Chief Executive Officer of Sharjah Sustainable City. Over the two days, Sharjah Sustainable City also powered two workshops at the festival's Startup Town. It included a workshop on empowering creativity through repurposing waste, showing how recyclables such as plastic waste can be transformed into aesthetic items, and another workshop focused on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in sustainability. It explored challenges that SMEs may encounter in implementing sustainability and how to overcome them. Also, participants, which included entrepreneurs, and founders of SMEs, learned how to integrate sustainability into their business operations and strategies. In line with its efforts toward supporting new ideas and boosting 'sustainopreneurship' within the country and beyond, Sharjah Sustainable City also sponsored booths of eight start-ups to help them showcase their valuable work in sustainability and related areas. Held at the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park, the biggest yet edition of SEF brought together about 140 globally renowned speakers, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and ecosystem architects and featured some 50 workshops and panel discussions. The event was a not-for-profit festival, and its proceeds will be donated to UAE-based The Big Heart Foundation. BKM/ Expat Media
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