Under the Patronage of H.E. Saad Hariri, President of the Council of Minister of Lebanon, Beirut will host the largest and most significant gathering of web industry leaders ever to take place in the Arab world.  40 top-notch speakers, 11 supporting partners, 18 media partners, 35 startups, 50 ideas, 25 ambassadors, and over 300 decision makers, investors, and entrepreneurs from across the MENA, Europe, and Silicon Valley, will gather on March 25 & 26 at the Habtoor Grand Hotel to network and discuss emerging opportunities in Arab web business.

ArabNet’s unique conference format integrates the audience in candid talks between global giants (including Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Nokia, Intel, Cisco) and regional powerhouses (including Aramex, Jabbar Group, Bayt, anf Al Jazeera).  With 8 comprehensive panels, each featuring 6 experts from the Arab World, Europe, and Silicon Valley, participants will discover cutting-edge trends in Social Media, Content, Online Advertising, Mobile, Gaming, E-commerce, Startup Financing, and the Ecosystem as a whole.  Speakers include Samih Toukan, founder of Maktoob.com, acquired by Yahoo for over $150M; Russell Buckley, VP of Global Alliances at AdMob and Global Chairman of the Mobile Marketing Association; Ghassan Haddad, Director of Internationalization at Facebook; Wael Ghonim, Marketing and Product Manager, MENA, Google; and Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chair of UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development.

ArabNet is dedicated to nurturing the Arab Internet ecosystem.  Day one, March 25^th 2010, will feature two exclusive competitions highlighting web entrepreneurship in the Arab World: 1) the Startup Demo, sponsored by Aramex, showcasing 10 of the region’s most promising Internet startups and 2) the Ideathon, sponsored by Google, starring 10 of the region’s most innovative web business ideas.  Over 50 ideas & 35 startups have been submitted for consideration from across the region.  ArabNet will connect these entrepreneurs with investors, mentors, and media, matching talent with opportunity!

ArabNet builds a community of enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, experts, businessmen and angel investors that spans all of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.  In collaboration with its supporting partners and media partners, ArabNet organized groundbreaking pre-conference workshops in 7 MENA countries to foster a sense of ‘ArabNet identity’, and instill continuity and longevity in the ‘ArabNet experience’.  Such was the success of these workshops that they have been featured in the news across the globe.  This community was further extended and strengthened by ArabNet’s pioneering use of social media to engage the world, from the very start, in dialogue about the conference vision, program, and speakers.  Over 1,000 Twitter and Facebook users take part in this dialogue daily!

ArabNet 2010 is taking place in collaboration with the Central Bank of Lebanon, the Telecom Regulatory Association of Lebanon, and the Union of Arab ICT Associations. ArabNet is proud to have Aramex, Bank Audi, Google, National Net Ventures, Yahoo, Cisco, Middle East Venture Partners, and LINKdotNET as key sponsors.

Register Now to take part in this unparalleled and exceptional event!

Visit http://www.ArabNet.me for the Full Program & List of Speakers

Highly anticipated and finally here is the first international conference for the Arab internet industry: IBAG, International Business Alliance Group, presents ArabNet 2010: Trends and Opportunities in Arab Web Business. The conference will be held in Beirut on March 25-26, 2010 with the support of Endeavor Jordan, the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship, the Syrian Young Entrepreneurs Association and YallaStartup!.

ArabNet

ArabNet is bringing together the internet community to network and help launch the hottest startups from across the region – that means you! Top investors, internet executives and leaders from Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, AdMob and Intel will adress subjects that are critical to the Arab Web Industry including: e-commerce, gaming, mobile, content, online advertising, social networking, new media, and start-up fundraising.

Key to the conference are pitch sessions: Ideathon & Startup Demo.  This is the place to match talent with opportunity.

The Ideathon is looking for 10 select entrepreneurs to introduce their fresh startup ideas to eager investors in a rapid-fire pitch session. Similarly, the Demo will select startups with innovative products to pitch and exhibit their companies for the duration of the conference.

We are currently accepting applications from entrepreneurs and startups from all over the region with strong ideas and products.

Visit ArabNet.me to learn more and apply.