IO Centers, Kuwait’s leading provider of serviced office facilities, proudly announced that it is now an ISO 9001:2008 certified organization.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's largest developer and the most recognized name for International Standards. ISO 9001:2008 quality management system places customer satisfaction as the key component of the standard’s requirements.

IO Centers’ Quality Policy includes their dedication to providing quality services and facilities, their commitment towards on-going improvement, their approach to understanding clients’ requirements and their pledge to exceed clients’ expectations.

To obtain this prestigious certification, IO Centers underwent a one year process transformation that included quality management system design and development followed by rigorous implementation, training and internal quality audit which culminated in an audit by Bureau Veritas in October 2009.

The ISO 9001:2008 certification recognizes that policies, practices and procedures of IO Centers ensure consistent quality in the services they provide to their clients.

On the occasion of receiving the certification Mr. Hamad T. Alhomaizi, Managing partner of IO Centers said that, “With this certification, our clients can be confident that IO Centers is dedicated to maintaining the highest efficiency and quality in providing our services.”

IO Centers turned off all lights for one hour on March 28, 2009 at 8:30pm in recognition of Earth Hour 2009. Earth Hour is a global initiative of the WWF held on the last Saturday of March that asks households, businesses and governments to turn off their lights at 8:30pm local time for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.

Earth Hour is a message of hope and action that everyone can make a difference. Following the initiative of Sydney in 2007 and the  success of Earth Hour 2008, other environmentally-conscious cities across the world participated in the voluntary rolling blackouts in 2009 aimed at bringing attention to energy usage and its impact on climate change.

As nightfall circled the globe on Saturday night, hundreds of landmarks around the world went dark for an hour starting with the remote Chatham Island chain about 800 kilometers southeast of New Zealand, Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium and Water Cube, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Golden Gate Bridge, Niagara Falls, Sydney's Opera House, Rome's Coliseum and the Empire State Building.

During Earth Hour, both IO Centers at Arraya and Dar Al Awadi turned off all non-essential lighting to recognize environmental responsibility.  Says Managing Partner, Mr. Hamad Alhomaizi, ‘participating in Earth Hour 2009 was just one of the ways to prove that we care about our planet. Each of us is called to demonstrate our support towards action on climate change and Earth Hour 2009 offered us a chance to offset our impact on nature and the environment.’

IO Centers, Kuwait’s leading provider of serviced office facilities, is committed to investing in Arab youth and has signed a sponsorship deal with the Young Arab Leaders (YAL) organization on February 1st, 2009.
 
Mr. Hamad T. Alhomaizi, Managing Partner of IO Centers was pleased to officially sign a sponsorship agreement with Mr. Farid Al Fouzan, Chairman of YAL Kuwait, and stated his firm belief that “it is our responsibility to invest in today’s youth and guide them to a successful and prosperous future.”
 
YAL is an independent, non-profit organization, founded in 2004 at the World Economic Forum in The Dead Sea under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. YAL’s mission is to bring global opportunities and a worldview to the youth of the Arab world and take forth the region’s exceptional human capital to broaden their horizon and make them global leaders in their chosen fields.

The dedicated Kuwait office for the Young Arab Leaders organization is located at IO Centers at Arraya Center in Sharq. This deal follows an earlier sponsorship deal signed with Injaz Kuwait, another non-profit organization focused on developing Kuwaiti youth and on entrepreneurship.

On Jan 6th 2009, two of IO Centers clients - Bensirri and Arqaam Capital - kicked off the New Year with a business networking event at IO Centers Arraya in Kuwait City targeted at entrepreneurs and startup businesses. The event was organized to help these people and companies access the shared knowledge and resources of their peers and others that could help them develop more successfully especially in light of the recent economic turmoil gripping the world.

Discussions were informal for the most part and centered around issues of mutual interest such as recruiting clients and qualified staff and overcoming obstacles faced in the Kuwaiti market. The latter is of particular importance given the general dearth of information on business startup procedures and best practice for entrepreneurs.

IO Centers plans to organize similar events in cooperation with its clients in light of the success of this event and the general positive feedback received.

Bensirri is an independent public relations firm based in the Gulf and manned by a team of home-grown professionals with international experience and local insight and Arqaam Capital is establishing itself as a strong new player in the investment world bringing regional and international product offerings to the Middle East. The new J’Z bakery generously sponsored sugar-free snacks while Crepe Café sponsored tea and coffee for all the guests.

IO Centers hosted its 2008 Ramadan Ghabqa evening at the Al-Hashemi Grand Ballroom of the Radisson SAS hotel on September 20th , 2008. The double decked Al-Hashemi II is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest wooden Arabic dhow of the world.

The success of IO Centers' previous Ramadan Ghabqa events was the source of inspiration for this year’s celebration. Planning started weeks in advance to ensure that guests enjoyed a splendid evening on this majestic and gigantic dhow on the Gulf waters to celebrate this Holy month of Ramadan.

The 200 plus crowd mostly comprising of IO Centers clients and employees were all treated to a sumptuous Ramadan feast of grilled meats, fresh salads and delectable Arab sweets. While enjoying this, guests were entertained by a band playing live oriental and Arabic music.

IO Centers hosted it's annual Ramadan Ghabqa this past Friday the 5th of October 2007 at the new Movenpick Bidaa Hotel and Resort.

The event was enjoyed by IO Centers clients and employees alike, as they enjoyed an assortment of Ramadan dishes with a live Arabic band playing their favorite oriental songs in the atmospheric Ramadan Tent.

"This years Ramadan Ghabqa was another successful event where our clients had a chance to get together in a social Ramadan setting and enjoy themselves," said Hamad T. Alhomaizi, managing partner of IO Centers.

To mark their 3 year anniversary, IO Centers held an open day at the Hilton Kuwait Resort. IO Centers, the leading serviced office provider in Kuwait, had clients such as HP, Abyat Megastores, Leaders Enterprises and Fitch among the attendees. They enjoyed the day at the beach alongside IO Centers staff, where they participated in various beach and water activities including swimming, banana boating as well as kayaking.
 
The Open Day guests also enjoyed a lovely BBQ buffet that went beautifully with the outdoor event as well as fun activities for all, including children, who had face painting and a magic show as well as cartoon characters to entertain them.
 
“It was a festive event spent in the company of IO Centers employees and clients,” stated Mr. Hamad Tarek Alhomaizi, Managing Partner of IO Centers. “We wanted it to be a fun day out for the entire family to join us in celebration of IO Centers’ three years of success.”
 
IO Centers was established in May 2004 in Kuwait as the first serviced and furnished business space provider in the country. In February 2006 it opened the doors to its second center at Dar Al Awadi, in Sharq bringing it to a total of 133 offices as well as meeting and conference facilities. IO Centers plans to expand locally and internationally.
 

IO Centers, Kuwait’s leading provider of serviced office accommodation, has signed an important sponsorship deal with Injaz Kuwait. Under the agreement, IO Centers will provide office space for Injaz at its Arraya Centre premises in Sharq.

The sponsorship agreement was signed today by Rana Kamshad, Executive Director of Injaz Kuwait, and Hamad T. Alhomaizi, managing partner of IO Centers. 

“Injaz Kuwait,” according to Rana Kamshad, Executive Director of INJAZ, “offers Kuwaiti students the opportunity to explore - and be innovative with - business concepts and planning. This provides youth with an outlet to be creative and to own of their work. It is for these reasons, that we find it important to gain the support of businesses and organizations around Kuwait. Injaz would like to extend its thanks and gratitude to IO Centers for helping us come one step closer to our mission by offering us a space to do our operations and fulfil our vision.  We encourage all businesses to invest in the future of Kuwaiti youth – because doing so would be investing in Kuwait’s future as a whole.” 

Injaz Kuwait was launched in 2006 as an independent national member of the federation of JA Worldwide™ one of the largest organizations dedicated to education youth about business and entrepreneurship.

Managing partner of IO Centers, Mr. Hamad Alhomaizi, was pleased to officially sign-on with Injaz and provide the organization the sufficient office resources needed for Injaz to carry out their mission. “We, at IO Centers, are here to help Injaz with their pursuit of helping Kuwaiti youth reach their maximum potential in the business and professional world. I believe that it is not only our responsibility invest in today’s youth but it also should be a calling to all major organizations” said Alhomaizi.

IO Centers held a VIP open house at both its Centers at Dar Al Awadi and Arraya Centre where influential local business people were invited and given personal tours of the prestigious offices and facilities.

The attendees were favorably impressed with IO Centers’ outstanding offices at Dar Al Awadi and Arraya Centre. Both locations have the latest in telecom facilities, impressive design and a professional team which allows clients to work efficiently and at ease while maintaining a professional image. 

IO Centers maintains its market leader position by ensuring that its first-rate offices are always at landmark locations such as Arraya and Dar Al Awadi, with plans to expand locally and internationally.

IO Centers hosted a ghabqa in the Ramadan Garden at the Movenpick hotel where all IO Centers’ clients and employees attended to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan. The event was a great success to all involved as the soft Arabic tunes and a delicious array of oriental dishes added to the ambience of this Ramadan night.

The attendees were IO Centers employees and clients including companies such as Nokia, HP and Citigroup among many others, who had a chance to get together and socialize in a fun and relaxed atmosphere away from the formalities of the business world.

To add to the fun-filled atmosphere, IO Centers organized a raffle draw where three of the attendees won an HP IPAQ Pocket PC, an Apple IPOD video and an overnight weekend stay for two at the Movenpick, Kuwait.

“Our ghabqa this year was a great way to bring everyone together and express our appreciation to IO Centers clients and employees,” said Hamad T. Alhomaizi, managing partner of IO Centers. He went on to say, “We look forward to repeating it every year as it was an event that was thoroughly enjoyed by all.”