THE RAK Investment Authority (Rakia), a one-stop shop for investors looking to set up a business in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, will be using The Big 5 exhibition to showcase the opportunities the emirate offers.

This year will be Rakia’s seventh participation in The Big 5 show. It first participated in the event in 2007. The authority will be promoting its free zone and non-free zone business and industrial parks in Ras Al Khaimah.

“The response we have received at The Big 5 has been uniformly excellent, even in the years of economic crisis. We have had our first contact with several companies at the event, many of which eventually resulted in those companies setting up a presence at the Rakia industrial park,” says Rakia general manager Peter Michael Schuster.

He cites a number of reasons for Rakia’s participation in The Big 5, including identification of potential investors, communicating potential clients about opportunities offered by Rakia.

“Most importantly, building construction and related activities is one of our priority sectors. We are home to industry giants like RAK Ceramics, Pioneer Cement and Zamil Steel, apart from several manufacturers in related activities such as aluminium, steel, glass, electricals and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning). With that background, it is but natural that we would like to be present at The Big 5,” he explains.

Established in 2005, Rakia offers attractive and competitive free-zone and non-free-zone facilities to investors looking for low operating costs, excellent logistics infrastructure and access to the European, Middle East, North African and South Asian markets.

The authority has created two purpose-built industrial parks with a range of facilities to give investors the benefit of smooth company set-up within a dynamic and synergistic environment allowing them to thrive in the region and beyond.

Rakia’s office is in Al Jazeera Al Hamra in Ras Al Khaimah, where it employs a total of 145 people. Since the beginning of this year, the authority has been in the process of restructuring its internal processes and workflows to better serve existing customers as well as new investors. It will be exhibiting at Concourse 715 at The Big 5.