Jeddah’s international trade exhibitions for 2011 kick off with MACHINEX arabia, which is being held at the Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events from Feb. 20-23. A large contingent of major Saudi companies will be showcasing machinery and equipment from Middle Eastern and Western countries at MACHINEX arabia 2011. Turkey will be the largest participant with 52 of its companies displaying a wide range of machinery. The international machinery and equipment show is aimed at pursuing the Kingdom’s policy of greatly reducing reliance on imports with the aim of achieving self-sufficiency. “The exhibition brings new machinery, equipment and advanced technology to the Kingdom, offering distributors, agents, manufacturers and the industry at large new lines of plant and manufacturing opportunities,” Zahoor Siddique, exhibitions director at Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions (ACE), the organizers of trade shows, said. International participations include major officially supported Turkish national pavilion with individual participants from Italy, Portugal and the UAE. The large Saudi contingent will display machinery and equipment from Austria, China, Finland, France, Germany, Iran, Spain the United States and the UK. The Kingdom, which is shaping to become a land of opportunity for manufacturing and industrialization, is currently investing in the biggest expansion program in its history with a budget of $400 billion to transform its infrastructure by 2020, Siddique added.
 

The international Lomar company in Jeddah recently hosted a group of students from Al Andalus school, as well as delegates from the charity for the care of orphans. Lomar last year entered the Guinness Book of Record for its largest Saudi traditional dress (thobe). It distributed thobes to the visiting students and delegates. Louay Naseem, president of the governing council of Lomar, said: “Our goal is to develop and promote community service through charity. This year, we are going to introduce an activity in Jeddah schools, which will enable their students visit us and learn about the various processes that go into the production of thobes, as well as the methods of sewing, designing and producing uniforms in the Kingdom.” Lomar was founded in 2002 by Loay Naseem and his wife Mona Al-Haddad. With a passion for fashion design, both began working from their house and extended their sense of creativity to the traditional dress. They sought to create a new level by reinventing the style of traditional standards. The first Lomar store opened at Jeddah’s Al Rawdah street in 2005. Since then it has become a leader in the traditional dress of Saudi men and won recognition and fans. It has received many accolades and awards, including recognition as the best growing companies among the top 100 companies two times. It recently entered the book Encyclopedia of Records for its formal dresses and uniforms. Lomar, based in Jeddah, has outlets in Riyadh and Alkhobar as well.
 
KAIA

King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) Director General Mohamed Abed, joined by department heads and directors, as well as maintenance contractors and their representatives, has intensified field visits to all facilities at KAIA with a view to assessing the state of the airport and its needs, especially in the wake of the recent flood in Jeddah. The aim is to ensure KAIA is well prepared to meet such exigencies in the future, said Abed who has called for the immediate fixing of the affected airport buildings that include leaking roofs. He suggested that a complete survey be conducted of all facilities at the airport to test the effectiveness of the insulation and avoid any recurrence of what happened during the recent heavy downpour. “Air traffic was not affected during the period and there was no need to divert incoming flights to other airports, however we witnessed some flight delays and that was due to the interruption in telecommunications. The procedure of issuing boarding passes by various airlines was thus delayed,” said Abed. “With roads and streets flooded and traffic slowing down, passengers took time to reach the airport, which consequently delayed flight departures,” he said and assured that the airport’s teams and personnel were now ready to handle any such situations in the future.
 


Saudi shoppers can look forward to a shopping experience at the newly opened REDTAG store at Othaim Mall in Dammam. With the opening of the new store, REDTAG, a value fashion and home store, marks its 27th store opening in the Kingdom and 46th store in the GCC. REDTAG is part of the Jazirat S’maa Fashion Company Ltd., a member of Faisal Al Suwaiket Group of Companies. Ernest J. Hosking, CEO of the REDTAG Group, said: “The new store opening marks a stronger presence in Saudi Arabia and provides us with a springboard to establish ourselves as a value fashion retailer. Our aim is to continue to build the REDTAG brand in Saudi Arabia and within the GCC states. 2011 looks very promising for us and in the next two months, apart from the new store opening at the Othaim Mall, REDTAG plans to open an additional four new stores in the region. At REDTAG, our customers can ‘Rediscover Value’ when shopping at the new store where our new summer collection 2011 can be experienced.”  He added: “Shoppers visiting the REDTAG store can expect good quality fashion wear at affordable prices as well as new collections in-store regularly and frequently.” Riaan Albertyn, REDTAG stylist, said: “The opening of our 27th store in Dammam clearly shows us that the customers are voting for the latest fashion at the best value. All our key items have been updated with the latest fashion trends. Just visit REDTAG and be different.”