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MANY of Formula One's top team bosses have thrown their support behind the inaugural Motor Sport Business Forum Middle East and will take major roles in the event on April 1-2.
Ron Dennis, Frank Williams, Nick Fry, Christian Horner and Colin Kolles have all confirmed their participation in the high-profile conference programme.
This forum is a first of its kind as no other conference has ever had so many leading F1 Team principals/chief executive officers up for a 'question and answer' session before.
The organisers of the event believe it "speaks volumes" of the forum's prestige.
Ron Dennis, team principal of Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes and chairman and CEO of McLaren Group, will be giving a keynote address.
He said: "Everyone connected with Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes, and all who work in and with the McLaren Group, in which the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company is an active and enthusiastic shareholder, is immensely excited about the many opportunities that the region offers. I'm therefore delighted to have been invited to deliver a keynote address to the inaugural Motor Sport Business Forum Middle East."
The second day of the Forum will open with a question and answer session involving AT&T Williams F1 managing director Sir Frank Williams, Honda Racing CEO Nick Fry, Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner and Force India F1 managing director Colin Kolles.
The Middle East Forum, which will be held at the Bahrain International Circuit, the home of motor sport in the Middle East, in the run-up to this year's fifth running of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, has raised enormous interest throughout the region with a prominent line-up of guests and speakers.
It represents the first time the event has taken place outside its traditional home in Monaco and marks the increasing prominence of the Middle East in the global motor sport industry.
Delegate and exhibitor spaces have started to fill up and the impressive speaker attendance has stirred up a huge amount of interest in the event. Regional companies across the Gulf nations have already shown strong support including Union Properties Dubai, Mubadala, Abu Dhabi circuit, Qatar Investment Authority and Arcapita and in Bahrain, institutions include the Economic Development Board, Mumtalakat, Gulf Finance House and Gulf Air.
Talal Al Zain, chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit, said: "This forum is the first of its kind in the Middle East and we are delighted that so many companies from around the region are taking part in this opportunity. Like the Monaco version of the forum, we have gathered a super line-up of speakers and I think that has provided enormous pulling power to generate interest from these companies as well as from those further afield.
"The Middle East has a large and vested interest in the motor sport industry. It is a major marketing platform and is a catalyst for creating greater awareness and profile the world over. Our agreement with IM2 to host the forum gives us a significant networking opportunity where business interests can be developed amongst an elite motor sport and business delegation."
