Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the 5th Gulf Excellence forum was held in Qatar, 1st and 2nd of May 2006. The two-day forum held at Ritz Carlton, Doha , Qatar , showcased the participation and achievements of over 400 Gulf-based companies as part of a plan to motivate the private sector in the region to play a more active role in the economic diversification drive.

The 5th Gulf Excellence Awards were presented to the winners on the first day of the Forum. The 5th Gulf Excellence Award Winners, 2006 were as follows:

PWC Logistics , Kuwait

GARMCO, Bahrain

First Finance , Qatar

Jarir Markeitng Co., Saudi Arabia

National Cables Industry, UAE

Omantel , Oman

The award winners were selected based on pre-defined criteria and rules by the award committee. The Forum ensures that business houses across GCC are recognized and awarded based on different innovative and competitive criteria each year. The Gulf Excellence Awards are presented to organizations as recognition for their outstanding accomplishments and the success they have achieved in the competitive business world. The Gulf Excellence Awards aims to serve as an inspiration for the business community to strive for excellence in all aspects of business. Award ceremony was followed by brilliant speeches from distinguished business personalities across the Gulf region.

This year the forum's theme was “Excellence in Communication” and the speeches addressed the role of effective communication in the Middle East region. The forum was organized by Gulf Excellence consultancy Co., co-organized by Qatar Energy City & Gulf Energy and was held in association with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Sponsorship was at different categories such as Diamond, Platinum, and Gold. Diamond sponsorship was taken by Global Investment House, Kuwait ; Platinum by Markaz , Kuwait , and Gold by MAS International, Kuwait .

The Forum events included sessions held by international speakers, sessions allocated for award winners to share their success stories, and sessions for sponsors to deliver a presentation on their prestigious organization. There were interactive discussion session between speakers and attendees which provided opportunity for attendees to share their views and experience among a large business community.

On 1st May, 2006 a pre-forum workshop was held in the morning session which provided an open discussion on ‘Productivity' with a special focus to GCC.