DUBAI, 10 January 2007 — Exhibition industry in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region has been showing tremendous growth, a study released by UFI – the global association of exhibition industry – showed.
The study titled “The Exhibition Industry in the GCC – Facts and Figures” was disclosed yesterday during a press conference hosted by Dubai World Trade Center, a UFI member.
“The research report demonstrates the dynamism of the GCC market, which continues to expand at an impressive rate. Ongoing investment and the delivery of new, industry-specific congresses and conferences will enable us to maintain this dynamic growth,” Ahmed Humaid Al-Mazrouie, UFI Middle East/Africa Chapter chairman, said.
Addressing the press conference, UFI president Jochen Witt said: “It is clear that the GCC exhibitions market is in a period of significant expansion, demonstrated by the increasing sophistication and economic value of the regional event sector. We are delighted to see the emergence of such a healthy regional exhibitions industry, which will continue to develop international prominence.”
Today 16 exhibition centers are in operation in the GCC states, providing a total net covered exhibition space of 243,300sq.m. By 2009, four new centers will be operational, raising the GCC’s total available exhibition space to 429,800sq.m, – a 76.6 percent increase over current capacity. In 2006, 289 trade fairs were held in the GCC states, an increase of 40 percent since 2002. Sixteen new trade fairs and exhibitions will be launched in 2007. Consumer goods and education lead the exhibition themes for which exhibitions are being organized.
The report indicated that the exhibition industry in the GCC states has entered a significant “boom and adjustment” period. This clearly reflects the overall prosperity and modernization process underway in the region. The number of organized exhibitions continues to increase, while exhibition venues are being enlarged and modernized in order to match rising market needs.
“Membership of UFI has delivered a number of strong benefits for Dubai World Trade Center, including access to this essential report. The ongoing growth and development of the region’s exhibitions industry offers major opportunities to companies in this sector, which we are all working hard to capitalize upon,” said Helal Saeed Al-Marri, director general, Dubai World Trade Center.
The research for this study in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states was conducted by the UFI Middle East/Africa Office in Abu Dhabi.
