From Personnel to HR to Talent Management.

Alpha UK (Dubai), in partnership with Dubai Institute for Human Resource Development (DIHRD) and Bayt.com, announces Conference on 'Talent Management in the 21st Century', with key speakers consisting of senior industry experts from BRITISH AIRWAYS, BRITISH TELECOM, COCA COLA, UNILEVER, NOKIA, SONY, PANASONIC, DIHRD, EMARAT, and AUJAN Industries.

"This conference will highlight the building blocks of a talent management system and outline an end-to-end process of planning, developing, managing and retaining employees throughout the organisation". Maria Aguila, Alpha UK Marketing Manager said. "Delegates can understand how talent management can help identify attract, hire, reward, motivate and retain the best employees".

"The conference covers in depth analysis of trends, best practices and industry solutions in corporate talent management. Specific areas of specialisation will cover: Performance Management, Competency Management, Leadership Development, Succession Planning, Learning and Development, Compensation and Benefits, and Talent Management Tools and Technologies".

This two day conference has been carefully designed to help achieve these goals. Bringing 14 successful case studies and interactive sessions, this is the event that will give HR professionals the guidance and experiences that they need to ensure they attract and retain the very best talent for their organisation. The conference will be held on 20-21 April 2008 at Crowne Plaza hotel in Dubai, followed by a full day participative workshop including interactive panel discussions conducted by professional HR experts.

'Talent Management in the 21st Century' is attracting senior management personnel from a large number of local, government and multinational organisations from the Middle East region. The conference web site at http://www.alphatraining.co.uk offers online registration for delegates interested in participating in this conference.Dubai Chamber, Texas to strengthen trade ties

Impressed by Dubai's remarkable growth, delegates of Texas Trade Mission to the UAE and Naples Chamber explore areas of mutual interest

HE Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair, the new Chairman of Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, received a large delegation of Texas Trade Mission comprising state officials and business leaders from the US State of Texas headed by HE Phil Wilson, Texas Secretary of State during their three-day visit to the UAE.

During the business matching meeting held at the Chamber premises, Al Ghurair welcomed the delegation and apprised them about the growth of Dubai accrediting the emirate's success to the leadership that has made 'something out of nothing'. "Thanks to the vision of the leaders, Dubai today is a central trading hub for the region as the emirate retains 25 per cent of the imports and re-exports 75 per cent to its trading partners like Iran, India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and East Africa," he said adding, "Dubai's outreach is very extensive as the dhows going out of Dubai reach to the remotest towns and villages in the far corners of the world. We appreciate your coming here and assure you of all possible help to do business with the emirates."

Al Ghurair informed the visitors of establishing direct contacts with the Chamber and the Ministry of Economy as he said that Dubai's strategic location makes it a meeting point for East and West thus offering a great business opportunity to everyone. He also said Dubai's sea and air ports are well equipped to handle large volumes of cargo and the emirate is connected with multiple flights daily to New York, Houston, Los Angeles etc and called upon the visitors to establish stronger business ties with this fast growing international business hub.

HE Phil Wilson put across his appreciation of the country's hospitality and was all praise for Dubai's growth which he found 'quite amazing'. The Texas Secretary of State informed that his state is also a major export center as its

export figures for last year stood at $168 billion. "We have a long trading history and been doing well in the areas of oil and gas, real estate and health care. Trade is very important to us and we are always looking out for meeting new friends and working on joint ventures. We look forward to establish trade ties with the over 100,000 members of Dubai Chamber as Texas and Dubai can work jointly in several areas of mutual interest."

Meanwhile, Nizar Sardast, General Advisor, and Hassan Al Hashemi, Director, External Relations, Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, received an Italian delegation from Naples Chamber headed by HE Michele Lomuto, Chamber Counselor and President of Proteus, the special agency of the chamber responsible for the SME's, and Dr Ferdinando Fiore, Italian Trade Commissioner, Trade Promotion Section, Italian Embassy in the UAE. The meeting focused on the setting up of a permanent desk in Dubai for the promotion of Naples products.

Sardast spoke in length about Dubai Chamber's services and assured the Naples Chamber delegates in extending all possible help in opening up a representative office in Dubai. He informed the visitors that there are already two Italian Trade Commission Offices in Dubai one of which is located at the Italian Embassy while there are four MoUs and Agreements of Cooperation signed between Dubai Chamber and the Italian business groups including the Italian-Arab Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Presaro-Urbino Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture, the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Venito Region and the FIEI Federitalia Export Import.

On its part, Dubai Chamber is keen to cooperate with all the Italian business groups working under the umbrella of the Chamber and is more than willing to welcome the Naples Chamber of Commerce & Industry to its fold and help the newcomers set up an office here. Sardast assured the delegates that the Chamber's doors were always open for any kind of advice and assistance needed by the Naples Chamber.

The Italian side informed the Chamber officials that the opening up of a representative office will help their members to market their products and have their presence felt in the emirate. They said that each territory has its own character and Naples has its own characteristic as far as its products

and business tactics are concerned. The delegation also apprised the hosts about the membership to Naples Chamber which they said was compulsory for the over 2,60,000 enterprises most of which are SMEs that produce consumer goods, high-tech fashion, agri-food and engineering products.

Presently, there are 155 Italian companies operating in Dubai and the emirate's non-oil trade with Italy reached AED 15 billion in 2007 while its import with the country registered AED 14.2 billion and export-re-export reached AED 795 million. Italy ranked No 12 in a list of Dubai's trade partners in 2006. A total of 680 Certificates of Origin were issued by Dubai Chamber in 2007 for goods totaling AED 599.5 million.

Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates.

[c] 2008 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)