Dubai trade online users compete for sixth ESEA Awards

Dubai Trade has urged the trade and logistics community in Dubai to increase adoption of its e-services in the remaining months of 2013 in order to be considered for the 6th edition of its prestigious e-Services Excellence Award (ESEA). The premier trade facilitator under Dubai World will honour top online users during 2013 in a special event to be held in February next year. Winners will be selected based on well-defined criteria that reflect their growth in e-service adoption on the Dubai Trade Portal during 2013. To be considered for the award, the overall online adoption of the company must be at least 80%. The number and volume of transactions will also be taken into consideration. Jamal Majid bin Thaniah, Chairman of Dubai Trade, said, "The e-Services Excellence Award has proved successful over the past five years. It's our way of appreciating companies and traders who use Dubai Trade online services and preparing them for the transition to smart government." Around 80,000 registered companies on Dubai Trade Portal benefit from more than 750 e-services on its one-stop-shop portal, which witnessed more than eight million transactions during the first half of 2013, a 10% increase compared with the same period in 2012. Eng. Mahmood Al Bastaki, CEO of Dubai Trade, urged registered companies and traders to step-up their adoption of the online services in the coming months to increase their chances of winning the multi-category award. "The ESEA Award is the first of its kind in the region that is given based on actual adoption rate, which has exceeded 95% of Dubai Trade's core services. Each year, ESEA gathers more interest. This has prompted us to add new and innovative categories to appreciate e-Transformation in Trade and Logistics," he said. In this award, Dubai Trade will be acknowledging nine of the highest adopters of various key e-services. The categories are: Importer of the Year, Exporter of the Year, Re-Exporter of the Year, Shipping Agent of the Year - Containerized Cargo, Shipping Agent of the Year - General Cargo, Freight Forwarder of the Year, Clearing Agent of the Year, Hauler of the Year and Free Zone Company of the Year. The ESEA Award aims to recognise best e-service adopters in trade and logistics activities. It also encourages e-Transformation and building customer loyalty by rewarding the most active companies which use Dubai Trade online services as well as spreading awareness about Dubai Trade portal as a single window for trade facilitation in Dubai.