JEDDAH, 19 March 2008 — A Saudi wedding fair is being held here from March 23-25. Eighty national and international companies dealing in wedding products and accessories are taking part in the exhibition.
“The fair assumes great importance due to a great number of weddings taking place across the Kingdom and billions of riyals spent on them year after year,” Adel A. Shakoor, president of XS Conferences & Exhibitions, told reporters at the Jeddah Hilton, the venue for the fair, on Monday night. According to him, 170,000 weddings take place annually and an estimated SR2 billion is spent on them. Additionally, about SR7 billion is spent on cosmetics and perfumes by Saudi consumers annually. “The Saudi market for cosmetics and perfumes is growing at 20 percent per year,” he said, adding that many international companies have been evincing interest in this sector.
Exhibitors at the show, described as the most comprehensive international wedding fair, will showcase products ranging from carpets, furniture and household goods to luxury cars and jewelry items.
Fifty companies took part with 6,500 people visiting the fair held last year.