Sep 04 2011 |
more articles from
|
Dubai links with world’s oldest event manager
Sunday, Sep 04, 2011
Gulf News
Dubai With the end of Ramadan, exhibition season in Dubai is ready to kick off. The Dubai World Trade Centre hosts nine exhibitions every year, organised by Epoc Messe Frankfurt, the international trade show and event organiser.
Messe Frankfurt, which traces its roots back to the thirteenth century, is the oldest and second largest trade fair organiser in the world. After buying Epoc in Dubai in 2002, the company is looking to expand its operations in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region as well as the UAE. It is now the fourth biggest organiser in Dubai. “Dubai is a trade hub…[and] has a unique place in the Middle East,” said Ahmad Pauwels, the company’s CEO, in an interview with Gulf News.
Manufacturers who want to expand their businesses into the region are confident that visitors from the Middle East and all over the world will come to Dubai, he said.
That confidence is crucial to a successful exhibition, and communication is an integral part of attracting both visitors and exhibitors to a show in Dubai, with marketing campaigns aimed at exhibitors taking off a year in advance, said Pauwels. Three months before the event, advertising aimed at potential visitors begins.
This could be especially relevant when it comes to new exhibitions that are unfamiliar to an industry. This year, the group launched Paperworld, an exhibition for office supplies, for the first time. It was successful, but not all new shows are. “Some may not hit,” Pauwels said.
Because they are an international exhibition group, confidence among exhibitors in the company is high. “They know there is a 95 per cent chance of success,” said Pauwels. However, exhibitors and visitors alike look for something more than just a successful show; as in everything, location is key.
People look for a modern venue that is close to hotels and restaurants, in a city that is easily reached from many different locations, Pauwels pointed out. Some are also looking to combine the exhibition with a vacation, and Dubai’s many tourist attractions make it an ideal location for international shows.
Messe Frankfurt has a presence in 144 countries worldwide, and Epoc is its second biggest international subsidiary. The company is looking to expand beyond Dubai into the Mena region.
Feasibility studies on Saudi Arabia have been completed, and Pauwels predicts that it will be ready to hold its first exhibition next year. Qatar will also be ready within the next couple of years, and the company is looking at Kenya as a base into Africa.
This year looks to be a successful one for trade shows and exhibits after a few dismal years in the wake of the recession. But the way the market has rallied is something Pauwels says is “very remarkable”. Confidence in Dubai surged after the Burj Khalifa opening. “The next day the telephone didn’t stop ringing…[the market] hasn’t stopped growing since.”
By Nadia Eldemerdash, Staff Reporter
© Gulf News 2011. All rights reserved.
Zawya Comment Policy
-
Zawya encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You agree that when you add content to this discussion your comments will not:
1.1 Contain any material which is libelous or defamatory of any person, is obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory or causes damage to the reputation of any person or organisation.
1.2 Promote sexually explicit material, violence, discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age or any illegal activity.
1.3 Be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence.
1.4 Be threatening, abuse or invade another's privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
1.5 Be used to impersonate any person, to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person, or be likely to deceive any person.
1.6 Give the impression that they represent Zawya.
1.7 Advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse. - The content posted on www.zawya.com is created by members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of Zawya. Zawya reserves the right to review all comments prior to posting and edit or delete any contribution, but Zawya is not responsible for and can not be held liable for any content posted by members of the public on www.zawya.com.
- Zawya is not responsible for the availability or content of any third party sites that are accessible through www.zawya.com. Any links to third party websites from www.zawya.com do not amount to any endorsement of that site by Zawya and any use of that site by you is at your own risk.
- By submitting your comment, you hereby give Zawya the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comments worldwide, in perpetuity.
Copyright © 2012 Zawya Ltd. All rights reserved. |
provided by www.zawya.com |
Post Your Comment