In a month dominated by conferences and events, the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) hosted 17 mega shows, marking November as one of the busiest points in the MICE calendar this year. Visitors from around the world attended a variety of trade shows covering crucial growth sectors including; construction, healthcare, food and beverage and more.
Commenting on DWTC’s ability to draw visitors from across five continents and serve as a platform for businesses to meet, network and do business, Ahmed Alkhaja, Senior Vice President – Venues, DWTC said: “The scope of events hosted this month stretch as far as China, with DWTC acting as the regional hub for business leaders to explore avenues to increase their global footprint, and truly drive business growth. Our line-up of exhibitions not only targeted growth sectors for the region, but also sought to enable organisations to generate a significant impact on their respective industries.”
Boosting the construction industry – The Big 5
With GCC economies forecasting the construction sector to reach $195.67 billion – a growth of $35 billion from last year, November saw the timely return of the largest construction trade show in the Middle East, The Big 5. Drawing in nearly 75,000 visitors from 124 countries, exhibitors converged on DWTC to debate the future of this crucial sector.
Furthering trade with China – The China Products Fair
China Products Fair saw a significant increase on its 2013 edition marking a 40% growth year-on-year. In addition, the show saw over 1,000 exhibitors with over 50,000 products on display. The business importance of this event is evident when compared to its previous iteration which saw $27.76 million generated over a three-day period, highlighting the importance of trade between the UAE, China and its neighbouring states.
Connecting the Food and Beverage industry
November was also a busy month for the food and beverage industry with DWTC hosting several events including; Sweets & Snacks Middle East (growth of 42% year-on-year), The Specialty Food Festival (growth of over 200% since 2010 debut), Seafex Middle East, and the inaugural Gulfood Manufacturing.
Driving the optical and eyecare business in MENA – Vision-X
DWTC was home to Vision-X - the only trade event for the eyewear and eyecare business in the MENA region. Drawing in more than 4,000 visitors from 60 countries the event is of high significance as the regional eyewear market in the UAE alone is worth over $420million (euromonitor).
Giving rise to the growth of the textiles - International Textile Fair
Welcoming an estimated 200 exhibitors from Europe to Korea, the International Textile Fair – Dubai (ITF) was the UAE’s first textile and fabric exhibition, designed to propel the region’s fashion industry to international standards.
Other exhibitions and conferences hosted at DWTC during November included; Light Middle East Exhibition, TPO Network World Conference, Edukex 2014, Dubai International Food Safety Conference, FTTH Council MENA, and The Mother Baby & Child Show.
