ALKHOBAR, 24 April 2004 — The British Trade Office will be displaying and disseminating the product literature of more than 100 UK companies — most new to doing business in Saudi Arabia — at two British catalog exhibitions. The first catalog show will be held at the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EPCCI) tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The second catalog exhibition will be at the Al-Ahsa (Hofuf) Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The catalogs will cover many products and services in the sectors of oil, gas, petrochemicals, health care, agriculture, building materials, environment, water, fire, safety and security. According to Riad R. Saab, trade and investment officer, Alkhobar British Trade Office ([email protected]), these exhibitions provide opportunities for Saudi businessmen to preview a large variety of UK goods and services, many of which are not yet available locally. The British Council will also be represented at both events.
Despite the Kingdom’s security concerns, many UK companies would still like to do business in Saudi Arabia. In fact, in 2003 UK exports to Saudi Arabia showed an increase of 32 percent over the previous year.
“It’s been more than two years since the British Trade Office in Alkhobar in conjunction with the chambers of commerce have organized a catalog exhibition. Interest in the upcoming events is high, with the chambers of commerce sending out 12,000 fax communications to their members to publicize the exhibitions,” said Saab. “Catalog exhibitions are very cost effective ways for UK companies to present new goods to potential buyers and possibly find local partners as well.”
Attendees at the events can expect to see tables lined with catalogs and brochures. Each visitor is provided with a list of all the participating companies along with brief details of each firm’s activities. After browsing the catalogs, the attendees simply circle those companies of interest from the list. The British Trade Office representatives then organize the requested catalogs and the businessmen take them to peruse at leisure.
“We see both end users and possible partners or distributors at catalog exhibitions,” Saab said. “Many local businessmen find catalog exhibitions very informative because they have a chance to see the latest products and services on offer in the UK without the inconvenience of a long journey. These exhibitions have been popular in the past and we hope that the Saudi business community will find value in them once again.”
