Dubai Is Planning on a Future in Show Business

Even though the exhibition industry in the Middle East is relatively young compared with that in Europe or the United States, it has grown rapidly, particularly in the last five years, and suppliers have had to keep pace or risk being left behind.

Al Fajer Information & Services, a 22-year-old company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has 230 employees working in five different divisions including show management, exhibit design, display and shop-fitting. The company has been around for a while, but that doesn't mean it's not still challenged to keep stride with the meteoric growth of both the local exhibition industry and Dubai itself.

“The industry is growing at a rapid pace,” said Manoj Filbert, head of production and operations. “The majority of this region does not have a manufacturing base, but is very strong in the buying and trading sector. Therefore, the biggest challenge is in supplying world-class infrastructure to the players participating in an exhibition, who would expect us to meet their needs.

Exhibitions in Dubai seem to be coming out of the woodwork in recent years. The Dubai World Trade Centre hosts 70 events a year, and has launched 12 international exhibitions itself, including Watch & Jewellry Dubai, Dubai Intl. Horse Fair and Gitex Dubai.

International players have also entered the Dubai market. Reed Exhibitions currently hosts a number of shows in the city, among them TDIM '08 (Tourism Development Projects & Investment Market). With all the new shows, suppliers have been in demand.

“Dubai is the undisputed leader with regard to the exhibition industry in the Middle East, and you find several leading service providers based in Dubai,” said Ara Fernizian, TDIM's exhibition manager. The show, scheduled Jan. 20-22 at the Dubai Intl. Exhibition and Convention Centre, spans 15,000 to 20,000 square meters (161,459 to 212,278 square feet) of space.

Obviously, with such a substantial event, there's a need for quality services and, according to Fernizian, they're up to par: “The service standards have grown with the establishment in the region of top exhibition organizers such as Reed,” he said.

In order to ensure the quality is high across the board, Fernizian said market education is the key. “Local suppliers need exposure to international best practices via seminars, workshops and networking events.”

Dubai isn't the only place going through a growth spurt. Bahrain, an island kingdom off the coast of Saudi Arabia, also has a rapidly maturing exhibition industry.

“Business has grown six-fold over a period of 10 years,” said Desmond Leong, general manager of Cityneon (Middle East).

Cityneon was officially established in Bahrain in 1994 but, Leong added, it has provided exhibition services in the country on a job-by-job basis since 1979. The company, with 300 employees and a 20,000 sq. m. (212,278 sq. ft.) production house, offers a number of services, including general contracting, exhibit design and construction, event and exhibition management and audio visual services.

Even with the success, it hasn't been without headaches.

“Challenges over the years include the limited availability of an experienced management team, skilled tradesmen, building materials range, high rental costs, restriction on expatriates employment and bureaucracy red tape,” Leong said.

Cityneon has tackled all those issues, he added.

“With more international players entering the market across all industries, quality standards have been increasing over the years,” Leong said.