BTM February 2012 9 Dear Readers, The telecommunications industry, which we feature this month, has always been one that has fascinated me. Highly competitive, it has to be a great business in which to work with its constant innovation and the pervasive impact that it can have on our lives. The ability of this industry to do just that was brought home to me by a couple of ‘events’ over the past month. At a dinner party my host commented that his young son had stopped asking to see his friend’s toys when visiting his house; he was now asking to see his iPad! During the course of a recent meeting, the client’s phone rang; it was his five-year-old calling to have a chat on his mobile. She had now learnt how to dial his number. It got me thinking; 15 years ago had my elder daughter had the same access to mobile phones as we do today, how different our lives would have been. The thought of what might have been is unimaginable! In this issue we also look at small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The past year has certainly been a challenge; a key issue for these businesses has always been to migrate from a simple sales process to one that incorporates a proper marketing strategy. As we ate dinner at the aforementioned party, a mesmeric and monotonous ‘dink’, ‘dink’ sound started to emanate from upstairs. My host’s son had sneaked an iPad into his bedroom and was playing a LEGO app under his bedcovers! Of course, this ubiquitous building-brick company, years ago on the brink of extinction, is now on a winning streak from a truly inspired marketing plan. No longer do they target just children. Instead, branded versions of LEGO sets from some of the most successful films ever, such as Stars Wars, are now being devoured by adult males. Keen to ensure that they have anything and everything associated with their favourite ‘flick’, LEGO has been able to tap into a brand new market segment. Stories and examples such as these can only offer us hope for the future. Mahmoud Al Soufi, interviewed in our business section, puts it this way, “.. enterprises need to think out of the box.” As our happenings pages demonstrate, there is plenty to do around town this month, and to enjoy the great way of life the Kingdom has to offer. The team Publisher and Chairman George F. Middleton Email: [email protected] Publishing Director David M. Robertson Editorial queries: [email protected] Editorial Consultant Dr. Paul Balles Assistant Editors Alison Coldridge Elma Bartholomew Staff Writer Maryam Toorani Contributors James Claire (dining) Bystander Editor Anil Ravi Shankar Print Production Manager Sabu Sebastian Layout and Graphics Dalal Al-Sabbagh, Romeo San Miguel, Rodolfo A. Reyes Jr. Staff Photographers Shankar Kunhambu, Subeesh Kumar N S Administration and Finance Samson Vaz, Marlyn Ragasa Personnel Manager Bassem A. Al Khabbaz Sales Manager Mayukh Majumdar Media Sales Marise Prata Dos Santos Circulation Manager Fawaz Al Balooshi Distribution Team CM Abdul Rahman, Rafeeq Mohammed, Gopal Arul Kumar, Epegenio Tempra Jr. Distributor Al Hilal Corporation Photography Picture Arabia: [email protected] Printing Press Dar Akhbar Al Khaleej W.L.L., Bahrain Published monthly by Red House Marketing (Jersey) Ltd. P.O. Box 641, No. 1 Seaton Place St., Helier Jersey JE48JJ, Channel Islands, U.K. Red House Marketing P.O. Box 20461, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain Tel: (+973) 17 813-777, Fax: (+973) 17 813-700 Email: [email protected] www.bahrainthismonth.com © Copyright Reserved 2005 The concept, content, style and design of this publication remain the exclusive property of Red House Marketing (Jersey) Ltd. and must not be reproduced in any form whatsoever without prior written permission. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. However, Red House Marketing cannot accept legal responsibility for any error or omission. • Views expressed in this magazine by journalists and writers are not necessarily those of the publishers of Bahrain This Month. Licensed by the Ministry of Information Publication Code: TA001 ISBN 1 899 348 09 3 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION Bahrain: BD24 Gulf and international subscriptions available on request. Bahrain This Month is a member of BPA Worldwide YOUR GUIDE TO A GREAT WAY OF LIFE BD 2.000 (SR 20) HAPPENINGS ~ DINING ~ ARTS SCENE ~ CLUBS & SPORTS ~ KIDS’ EVENTS ~ AFTER DARK ~ SAT TV February 2012 ~ Vol. 16 ~ Issue 2 www.bahrainthismonth.com Romeo and Juliet A Lover’s Tale Annual Telecom Review Al A’ali Mall Art Fest Amwaj Marina Market Featured This Month: www.bahrainthismonth.com Shakespeare 4 Kidz February 2012 Bahrain This Month George F. Middleton Publisher and Chairman Cover Cover Picture: A lover’s tale — Romeo and Juliet. www.facebook.com/bahrainthismonth Join us on Facebook If you are wondering what this image to the left is, or the one on the front cover, it’s a QR code. To find out how to use these, read page 140.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk0MTkxMQ==