STRONG REGIONAL EXHIBITOR INTEREST IN THE HOTEL SHOW

Hospitality industry supplier showcase in Dubai receives strong and diverse interest from local industries

Confirmed bookings already indicate that local suppliers to the Middle East and international hotel industry will be strongly represented at The Hotel Show between May 20-22 next year.

Joanne Evans, director of organizers, Streamline Marketing, said this interest reflected the strong growth of the Middle East hospitality sector and its suppliers. This is a direct result of tourism and its related industries being given top priority by all countries weaning themselves off the traditional economic mainstay of the area’s vast petroleum reserves and related industries. The Middle East is second only to Europe in terms of its share of the international tourism market.

“It is plain to see that the local supplier industry has taken up the challenge and is now in a position to compete against its overseas rivals, not only for the local market share, but also as a supplier to countries overseas,” she said.

Although the show is by far an international event, with over 60% of exhibitors coming from Europe and the Far East, many confirmed exhibitors to date are from the Middle East. Participation in the Show at the Airport Expo Dubai exposes them to a high quality of visitor the exhibition attracts. The quality of visitor is one of the main reasons voluntarily given by past and new exhibitors in a questionnaire about the show.

Local confirmations include suppliers of bedding, in-room appliances, bedroom décor, computer services, contemporary and classical furniture, water features, interiors and limousines, amongst others.

The Hotel Show is held under the patronage of H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE Minister of Defence, and chairman of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. The Show was purchased by dmg World Media, a subsidiary of FTSE100 company The Daily Mail & General Trust plc last year, and is already benefiting from ambitious international marketing initiatives in the wake of the buyout.

Already a third of exhibiting space has been booked, 50% of this by new international and local exhibitors. Four new national pavilions, representing Thailand, Lebanon, Taiwan and the Philippines, have been confirmed, representing a substantial number of exhibitors from those countries.

The US, Germany, South Africa, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Australia and Hong Kong have once again taken pavilions and Northern Ireland’s Madini Hotel Works will be the single biggest exhibitor.

A further feature of The Hotel Show 2002 will be The Office Show next door, thus expanding its role into a new business area which is growing fast throughout the Middle East.

This year’s exhibition attracted 115 exhibitors representing more than 200 companies from 13 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe, the GCC, North America and South Africa. The event also attracted over 3,500 quality visitors from the Middle East hotel industry.

The Hotel Show’s international exhibitor line-up will include manufacturers in air conditioning, audio visual, video conferencing and sound systems, bathroom supplies and bed linen, building materials, cutlery and crockery, carpeting and curtains. Also on show will be producers of computer hardware and software, fitness, spa and pool equipment, buses, vans and limousines, landscaping services, management and reservations systems, telecommunications systems, uniforms, and dozens of other products and services vital to a hotel’s day-to-day running.