The telecommunications industry, which we feature this month, has always been one that has fascinated me. Highly competitive, it has to be a great business in which to work with its constant innovation and the pervasive impact that it can have on our lives.

The ability of this industry to do just that was brought home to me by a couple of 'events' over the past month. At a dinner party my host commented that his young son had stopped asking to see his friend's toys when visiting his house; he was now asking to see his iPad!

During the course of a recent meeting, the client's phone rang; it was his five-year-old calling to have a chat on his mobile. She had now learnt how to dial his number. It got me thinking; 15 years ago had my elder daughter had the same access to mobile phones as we do today, how different our lives would have been. The thought of what might have been is unimaginable!

In this issue we also look at small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The past year has certainly been a challenge; a key issue for these businesses has always been to migrate from a simple sales process to one that incorporates a proper marketing strategy.

As we ate dinner at the aforementioned party, a mesmeric and monotonous 'dink', 'dink' sound started to emanate from upstairs. My host's son had sneaked an iPad into his bedroom and was playing a LEGO app under his bedcovers!

Of course, this ubiquitous building-brick company, years ago on the brink of extinction, is now on a winning streak from a truly inspired marketing plan. No longer do they target just children. Instead, branded versions of LEGO sets from some of the most successful films ever, such as Stars Wars, are now being devoured by adult males. Keen to ensure that they have anything and everything associated with their favourite 'flick', LEGO has been able to tap into a brand new market segment.

Stories and examples such as these can only offer us hope for the future. Mahmoud Al Soufi, interviewed in our business section, puts it this way, "..enterprises need to think out of the box."

As our happenings pages demonstrate, there is plenty to do around town this month, and to enjoy the great way of life the Kingdom has to offer..