JEDDAH — A four-day exhibition for productive families was inaugurated on Tuesday by Princess Al-Anoud Bint Abdullah, wife of Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, at Jeddah Hilton Hotel on Tuesday. While addressing the ceremony, Muhammad Al-Amri, executive director of the Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) in the Makkah province, announced an SCTA project to display handmade gifts and souvenirs in the holy cities. He said these items could be sold to more than 9 million pilgrims who visit Makkah and Madinah each year. Al-Amri said the permanent exhibition will be established with the cooperation of a national company and will enhance the Made in Makkah initiative of Prince Khaled. He urged the private sector to cooperate with the project. The opening ceremony was restricted to women only but the exhibition welcomes families during the remaining days. The goal of the event is to support the productive and hard working families and to highlight their competitiveness and creativity that has led them to this point. It gives women the opportunity to expand and reach a larger audience and showcase their products that have been made to a greater extent in the home and are just waiting to be discovered. The exhibition has much to offer its visitors who are seeking unique memorabilia and gifts for their families, right in time just before the Eid holidays. The government and the private sector have collaborated in organizing this event to help the productive families, which is one great step toward the direction of transforming society from mainly consumers into producers. Such female dominated exhibitions and bazaars are key ways to aid them in achieving financial independence and securing a steady income for themselves. In return, the success of the productive families will also have a positive impact in boosting the Saudi economy and enriching local businesses. The exhibition is sponsored by Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and the Social Responsibility Center, which is a branch of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “Scheduling the event in the last few days of Ramadan is a brilliant idea because it is the time when Saudi families shop for gifts and family needs. Supporting productive families is not only a way to fulfill a part of our social responsibility but it is a great investment and everyone living on Saudi soil will taste the fruits of such efforts,” said Sheikh Saleh Kamel, the chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Mazen Batterjee, vice chairman of the JCCI, encourages everyone from the general public to head to the exhibition to take a look at the creative products and complete all their shopping in one convenient place. He also calls on large corporations and companies to check out the exhibition and form agreements with this hard working segment of society who may be able to furnish them with essential products. More than 600 families have participated in the exhibition this Ramadan to bring the average consumer a wide range of products from women's clothes and accessories to sweets and baked goods and household and decorative items with the traditional Saudi signature designs. All under one roof, you will be able to find something to suit each member of your family.
