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Bahrain Roundup

Formula 1 is back in Bahrain with the announcement on Sunday of programme of events for the upcoming 2012 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix due to take place between April 20 and 22. The 60-day countdown to the Grand Prix weekend began on February 20.

The long-awaited race weekend, which is loved by hundreds of thousands of racing fans from across the region, will be the eighth running of the event. ‘Unified — One Nation in Celebration’ is this year’s slogan for the race.

The theme was selected as the sport brings people together, especially the truest and most dedicated of fans. Be it in football, tennis, golf or motor racing, there is something special about the sport that makes it a great unifier.

Global Intrapreneurship Forum to be held in May

The Firm (TF), an international private members club and marketplace for business development and intrapreneurship, has announced that the Global Intrapreneurship Forum (GIFORUM) 2012 will take place in the Kingdom of Bahrain in May. GIFORUM 2012 will be the first global conference of its kind dedicated to supporting the growth and development of intrapreneurship within corporations and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), and for corporate entrepreneurs from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region and their counterparts around the world.

The Global Intrapreneurship Forum 2012 will focus on building further awareness of the concept of intrapreneurship. In essence, intrapreneurs are those individuals within large corporations or SMEs who have a deep knowledge and insight of business gaps and opportunities in their market and industries but who lack the business skills, acumen and network to effectively transform new ideas into viable commercial ventures for their companies or themselves. GIFORUM 2012 also aims to draw attention to the importance of intrapreneurship and the role it plays in driving economic growth and diversification both within companies and economies overall.

Building Materials Terminal

The General Organisation of Sea Ports (GOSP) is committed to redeveloping the Kingdom’s former main container and general cargo terminal, Mina Salman Port (MSP), and turning it into a dedicated import and export Building Materials Terminal (BMT) by the beginning of 2012.

The BMT in MSP saw its first shipment of building materials — 9,836 metric tonnes of coke fuel exported to Mina Saqer in the United Arab Emirates’ on January 11. This accomplishment highlights the strategic value of the BMT, and its importance with regards to meeting the Bahrain Government’s directives and national vision, as well as GOP’s mission to develop and support the Kingdom’s maritime and logistics industries.

The dedicated BMT in MSP will be utilised to manage the export, import and distribution of construction materials from/to the global market. Further plans to redevelop Mina Salman Port will provide it with the facilities necessary to handle and store building materials.

Seventh Spring of Culture Festival

The Seventh Spring of Culture Festival celebrates a rich and diverse programme this year with more than 35 events, over one third of which are geared for family entertainment. Through its slogan this year “Embrace the Experience”, it aims to cater to various tastes by organising cultural seminars, poetry evenings, and regional, international and local art shows including song, music, theatre, dance, and visual arts.

What distinguishes the Festival this year is that it coincides with the glowing brilliance of Manama as the Capital of Arab Culture, a regional and international achievement which reflects the recognition of the enlightening cultural role the Kingdom played throughout history; a role it effectively maintains to the present day.

shamada@khaleejtimes.com

Suad Hamada