ArabNet, the largest conference for the Arab web industry, will bring together over 1,000 Arab web business leaders and start-ups, including a strong presence from Syrian entrepreneurs following the successful ArabNet workshop recently held in Damascus.

The 4-day conference takes place in Beirut on March 22-25 under the Patronage of H.E. General Michel Sleiman, President of Lebanon, and in collaboration with the Central Bank of Lebanon.

ArabNet Founder Omar Christidis said, “Building up to the Summit, the ArabNet team has just completed the ArabNet Road Show, a road trip in the ‘ArabNet Bus’ across seven countries, fuelled by the mission of finding promising youth and encouraging them to launch their own businesses. We found an incredible groundswell of talent around the region and the strong participation of young Syrians in the Damascus workshop reflects the tremendous talent in the country.”

The Damascus workshop was held on December 5, with an attendance of more than 300 people. One of the participants, Bassel Al Jiroudy, founder of OneFinancial, a highly successful financial IT company advised entrepreneurs to “always partner with people who want to grow with you, don't look for money or people who want money.”

Abdulsalam Haykal, founder and CEO of Haykal Media, another Syrian entrepreneurial success story, advised entrepreneurs to go to market as fast as possible, and that being the first mover is the only way to safeguard their ideas.
Overall, the Road Show received great support from governmental organizations, NGOs and the private sector, eager to help realize the potential of Arab youth and to develop knowledge-based economies.

Rashid Al Ballaa, CEO of National Net Ventures, the largest web company in Saudi Arabia, said ArabNet was “the most important internet event in the Middle
East in 2010, and we expect 2011 to be the same.”

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