Las Vegas, Nevada– The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a reception and dinner in honor of a senior delegation from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry at the Wynn Encore Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday, January 5th, 2011, and supported an outreach and awareness mission led by the U.A.E. Embassy Commercial Counselor Saud al Nowais.

The U.A.E. industry delegation was led by His Excellency Hisham Al Shiwari, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Chairman of the Electronics Business Group, the United Arab Emirates’ (U.A.E.) premiere consumer electronics trade association, and by His Excellency Hamad Buamim, Director General of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry.  The delegation was visiting Las Vegas this week to attend the International Consumer Electronics Show.

At the dinner, Danny Sebright, President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, welcomed those in attendance and spoke to them about the importance of the commercial relationship between the United States and the U.A.E.  Mr. Sebright underscored the vast investment that the U.A.E. has made in the U.S. and, more specifically, in Las Vegas.  Sebright also addressed American companies in attendance; advising them to learn more about the U.A.E. and the country’s strategic economic plan for the future.

Talal Kaissi, Chief of Staff of the Trade & Commercial Office and Advisor to the Commercial Counselor at the U.A.E. Embassy in Washington, D.C., followed Sebright’s remarks with a few words highlighting the breadth of the commercial relationship and the potential for future growth across many sectors.  Mr. Kaissi explained the services that the Trade & Commercial office provides to facilitate foreign direct investment, technology and information transfer, and business development between the U.S. and the U.A.E.

His Excellency Hisham Al Shiwari, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Chamber and a local consumer electronics authority in Dubai, addressed the crowd and discussed the U.A.E. consumer electronics market as well as the overall trade relationship between the U.S. and U.A.E.   His Excellency stressed the significance of the large trade volume between the U.S. and U.A.E. as well as the potential for growth in the near future.

“In the next ten years, the U.A.E. investment in the U.S. will create jobs for citizens of both countries, allow for significant technology transfer from the U.S. to the U.A.E. and create Emirati leaders who will drive progress locally and on the global scale,” said Al Shiwari. “This important relationship will prove beneficial to both countries and drive innovation.”

The event brought representatives from U.A.E. and U.S. public and private sectors together and provided them with a platform to network and exchange commercial insights and information.  Representatives from the U.A.E. Embassy in Washington, D.C., the Foreign Commercial Service from the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce were also in attendance.