ⓘ Image credits: mystartupworld.com
▸ Dubai hosts the global release of the new LinkedIn feature for small businesses
LinkedIn announced the global launch of ‘Open for Business’, a new feature that allows freelancers and small business leaders to add their services to their LinkedIn profiles, making them discoverable from a LinkedIn search.
The launch took place in an event in Downtown, Dubai on Nov 24, under the patronage of the Crown Prince of Dubai, HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed who is also the Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai. The event was attended by Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and Abdulla Al Basti, the Secretary-General of the Executive Council of Dubai.
Under the event, LinkedIn accentuated over its commitment to support SMBs and freelancers across the world through the new feature which is currently viral on LinkedIn – enclosing with hashtag #OpenForBusiness. LinkedIn also mentioned about the alignment of its new feature with Dubai’s efforts of supporting entrepreneurs and freelancers.
The Crown Prince HH Sheikh Hamdan took on to Twitter to express his gratitude towards LinkedIn for choosing Dubai as the host location for the launch of the ‘Open For Business’ feature..
.@LinkedIn, a network of 660 million users, has chosen Dubai for its global release of its ‘Open for Business’ feature, which aims to be a breath of fresh air for freelancers and small businesses. The selection of Dubai is testament to the formidable business status of our city.
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) November 4, 2019
“Dubai’s status as a global hub for entrepreneurship, innovation and smart solutions is a result of the visionary outlook of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which seek to create a progressive ecosystem that is conducive to the growth of small and medium businesses and economic development.” said Abdulla Al Basti
Gulf Business
“Support for small and medium enterprises is a critical pillar of Dubai’s economic policies and strategies. Open for Business aims to address the challenges these companies face in reaching potential clients. As such, it is a catalyst for growth that enhances the role small and medium businesses play in boosting the local economy and increasing its competitiveness while leaving a significant mark on the global economy and enhancing the business environment in Dubai.” Abdulla Al Basti further added
Gulf Business
Why LinkedIn chose Dubai?
Dubai has undoubtedly positioned itself as a global hub to boost entrepreneurship and MSMEs through its consistent efforts for years and has got massive attention for the same.
According to the Dubai Statistics Center, small and medium businesses account for more than 47 percent of the UAE’s annual GDP and represent 95 percent of companies in the country. Early-stage startups make close to 50 percent of the registered companies in Dubai.
As outlined by Gulf Business, in 2018, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited LinkedIn’s regional headquarters in Dubai and was briefed on its regional operations and plans to support innovative businesses. During the visit, he reiterated Dubai’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurship through economic stimuli that facilitate business activities and attract talent.
How ‘Open For Business’ will help Entrepreneurs & MSMEs?
The feature allows small businesses, entrepreneurs and freelancers to showcase their services on top of their LinkedIn profiles. This way, the LinkedIn profiles utilising the ‘Open For Business’ feature will easily be able to attract other LinkedIn members looking for services. The feature capitalises LinkedIn’s userbase of 660 million people – a market in itself where service providers and seekers can connect and engage.
As stated by Allen Blue, Co-Founder of LinkedIn…
“Small businesses and freelancers play a critical role in the growth and future of our global economy. And with 660 million members and 30 million companies on the platform across the world, LinkedIn is uniquely positioned to help them be more productive and successful, whether they are based in Dubai or Dundee. We developed this feature with a global mindset and are delighted to launch it from Dubai, a region in which there is a lot of focus on supporting a growing entrepreneurial ecosystem”.
How you can enable the ‘Open For Business’ feature?
Enabling and setting up the feature is a piece of cake. Just follow this official instructional video by LinkedIn:
For more information and guidelines visit the Open For Business overview page.
