RIYADH: The third annual Misk Global Forum opened Wednesday in Riyadh, with opening remarks by the forum’s executive manager, Shaima Hamidaddin.
The two-day event brings young leaders, creators and thinkers together to discuss the future, the challenges it holds and change.
“What does the future look like, in a world where everything is changing?” So began the opening video montage at the third annual Misk Global Forum on Wednesday, with the theme “Skills for Our Tomorrow.”
“We want you to be inspired, not just by our speakers, but by your fellow guests,” said Shaima Hamidaddin, the forum’s executive manager, in her opening remarks, inviting delegates to a series of skills garages and majlises. She was introduced by Waem Al-Dakheel, the first woman to anchor the main evening news on Saudi TV at the Saudi Broadcast Authority.
IN PICTURES: View the Third annual Misk Global Forum in Riyadh photo gallery
Hamidaddin asked for a show of hands from different parts of the world, showing that there were delegates from every continent except Antarctica (and she said the forum would work on that for next year). She then asked for a show of hands for those under the age of 35, pointing out that this is the youngest Misk Global Forum yet, with youth and women on every panel.
Hamidaddin pointed out that through technology, we are already more globally connected than ever before, but urged people to collaborate and interact with the speakers and guests from different cultures at the forum. “We must seize the opportunity for uniquely human collaboration,” she said.