DUBAI: Over 3,000 exhibitors from across the world have arrived here with hopes and aspirations of striking some lucrative deals at Big Five show here.
How far their aspirations will be realized, during the current global financial crisis, only the next few days will tell. However, looking at the response of the visitors in terms of numbers visiting the show, the picture seems far from rosy. The first two days saw an average stream of visitors prompting some of the exhibitors to say, “Maybe tomorrow more will come.” The response of the stand owners and managers too has been mixed. Eric Lee of Xiangfan Co. China has come to this part of the world for the first time and is very excited. He said: “This is a fantastic exhibition. I have never seen such a huge show although I have participated in shows across the world”.
Satish Rao of EIIC Abu Dhabi, is a first time exhibitor here, and was very pleased with the response. “Though the number of visitors is low, they are serious and we feel that we can really benefit from the show as we have just commenced production.”
Ahmed has been a regular exhibitor here but was greatly disappointed with the turnout. “In the previous years we had hardly any time to even eat. You could hardly see the walkways as visitors were in abundance walking almost shoulder to shoulder. But the first two days has seen a trickle of visitors.”
Ghouth Bawazir of Bitumat Co. from Saudi Arabia felt that though the exhibition has great stands, the halls are very confusing and appear like a maze.
“As visitors, we were confused and took a long time reaching the specific stands that we were looking for.”
Construction industry has been growing by leaps and bounds in the Middle East and this has prompted manufacturers from all over the world to descend at the Big Five. The recent financial crisis has actually added to their optimism.
