JEDDAH: The final day of the Mena-Ex Mining Forum and Exhibition in Jeddah saw exhibition stands closing early and angry exhibitors and delegates in huddles in the main hall. By 1 p.m., 20 percent of the stands had packed up or were in the process of doing so. Rumor and speculation as to the cause of the closure was rife — some well informed.
“It was a fiasco,” said a mine manager from a foreign mining company at the exhibition. “We spent a very substantial sum to come here intending to network, do business and ascertain the possibilities.” Waving his arm in desperation he added, “Look! There is no one here.”
Almost every exhibitor Arab News spoke to was either actively engaged in claiming compensation from the organizers or intended to make a claim.
“It may not have been their fault — we don’t know,” said the CEO of a European mining consultancy, “But it is for sure their responsibility. We had to shut our business at home to attend this event and so we have lost out at both ends.” This year there were only 10 visitors to his stand. Last year he converted that many into clients. One stand holder, packed and ready to go, said that he had spent the morning drafting a letter to begin the process of claiming.
It was not only exhibitors who were fuming. A leading geologist for a GCC mining enterprise said he would definitely claim for compensation. “I paid SR6,000 to be here plus expenses to attend the forum, update on the development of the industry and network,” he said. “It was entirely a waste of time.” One exhibitor however was not as aggrieved as the majority. “We found that the very few that did attend spent more time on our stand. Some visited several times and it gave us a chance to get to know them, and that is important when doing business in this part of the world.”
Arab News asked CWC, the UK half of the organizing partnership for details of the events behind the closure. They respectfully declined to comment as they did not want to prejudice the outcome.
