• CCM Consultancy hosts full day workshop with Ro'Ya applicants
• DBWC and MasterCard announces judging panel and criteria
• Ro'Ya applicants to resubmit their final business plans by 16 October

Dubai, UAE, 02 October 2014 – Ro'Ya, a joint collaboration between the Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC) and MasterCard today hosted the final workshop at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry focused on "Pitching your Idea". The full-day workshop emphasized on performance improvement which will aid the applicants in their final presentations at the Gala Dinner should they be selected as a finalist. The workshop was presented by CCM Consultancy's Leadership Coaches.

"The Ro'Ya workshops have added tremendous insight to the applicants over the last six months and today's session rounded it up as the experts taught them how to pitch their idea as a winning idea," said Mrs. Raja Al Gurg, President of DBWC. "The way you sell your business and make others believe in it too is the hardest task as you have one chance to sell it right. The applicants will face a very daunting task to present their businesses in front of a live audience at the Gala Dinner in November and we are pleased to provide them with this last bit of mentorship before we leave their fate into to the judges' hands."

Communicating to convey information to influence an audience has never been more dependent on outstanding presentations. The session offered an interactive and engaging environment with key emphasis on performance improvement as the CCM Consultancy's Leadership Coaches trained the participants on how to maximize the use of PowerPoint and other visual material to create a high level of impact within a presentation.

Edward Matti, Managing Partner and Masam Ali Malik, Consultant, both from CCM Consultancy, focus on points such as: how to clarify the appropriate objectives for a presentation, structure the presentation in an effective manner, which is easy to understand and has maximum impact, how to hold the attention of an audience, how to project yourself with total confidence and lastly, how to understand "body language? effectively.

Attendees of the final Ro'Ya workshop were also surprised by a visit from Mrs. Ann Cairns, President – International Markets, MasterCard, who addressed the participants with a motivational talk and later spent some time with the applicants to get a better understanding of their participation in the initiative. Mrs. Ann also met with the DBWC Board Members to discuss next year's Ro'Ya program.

As part of the final workshop, DBWC and MasterCard also announced this year's judging panel which will welcome Mrs. Khawla Lootah, a board member at DBWC and the owner of various successful and diverse businesses: Lapis Designing, Suba Spa, Renee Jewellery, Al Durrar Exhibitions and Conferences and Kushner Kids Middle East; Eyad Al-Kourdi, Country Business Head – UAE, MasterCard; Bassam Fallah, Founder and Managing Director, INNOVEST ME; Mrs. Maria Rousan, Founder and Managing Director, Black Iris
The criteria for the judging process has also been finalized and all entries will be scored against the following: market opportunity and profitability (UAE and abroad), supporting a fast growing sector in the UAE, differentiation and innovation, marketability, strong target market/audience with purchasing power, sustainable competitive edge, management vision, skills and experience, relatable product/ service, start-up strategy and realistic financial projections.
All Ro'Ya applicants who already submitted their business plans in March this year will have another opportunity to resubmit their reworked plans by 16 October 2014. The finalists will be announced on 18th November at the Gala Dinner, where the eight finalists will be given the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to the judges and the audience for a chance of becoming the first Ro'Ya winner and price winner of USD 50,000. The runner up will receive USD 30,000 and third place USD 20,000 respectively to be used towards start-up costs. In addition, five candidates will also receive USD 5,000 each as notable mentions for their dedication and hard work.