Gulf Fair welcomes wider participation among exhibitors

Despite the global recession, the Gulf region remains steadfast to overcome the lashes of the turmoil with the 2009 Second Annual Gulf International Industry Fair ''s (GIIF) increased attendance among participants from 98 exhibitors in 19 nations in 2008 to 125 exhibitors from 25 countries this year, held 15-17 January 2009. This was according to Ronnie Middleton, managing director, Al Hilal Group, a pan-regional trade publisher, one of the organisers of the event, during his welcoming remarks. He gave recognition to two participating major companies in the Kingdom such as Saudi Pan Gulf and Al Ruqee Group. Other major sponsors of the fair were First Leasing Bank of Bahrain and Baytik Industrial Oasis, which were part of the Kuwait House projects. The event was staged at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, with Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa as distinguished guest. Forty - four exhibitors were returning participants to the event. Most participating countries in the exhibition were from Bahrain, Czech Republic, China, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland , U.S., UK and Turkey. Market advantage Middleton said the present market conditions in the Gulf region remain one of the few in the global sphere that could achieve positive GDP growth in 2009. Within the MENA region, there are more than 4,500 ongoing projects with a combined value of $4.4 trillion according to Proleads, a market researcher. With Bahrain''s proximity with the rest of the Gulf, this enables the Gulf Fair''s participants to open new business opportunities to their neighbouring countries and prospective clients in bringing Saudi Arabia''s industrial market to the world. Jubran Abdulrahman, managing director, Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions, said, "Saudi Arabia is the industrial powerhouse in the Middle East. With most of the Kingdom''s industries situated in the eastern province, where the GIIF 2009 is located. The show serves as a venue for industrialists, factory managers, industrial technologists and decision-makers to meet and share insights about the latest trends in the industry. Riyadh and Kuwait also have easy access to the show. " The on-going infrastructure developments in the region necessitate better communication lines in fulfilling the need to respond to the equipment supplies and technology for members in the Gulf. The fair is a good start of evaluating their existing projects, planning for the next steps and looking for means to gain cutting-edge technology to hasten delivery times and achieve higher efficiency. New promising projects In Saudi Arabia, industrial government infrastructure expenditure is seen to have a billion-dollar budget as the nation''s industrial sector seeks to build hundreds of new factories and industrial facilities. The Kingdom is considered the industrial powerhouse of the region, along with new steel plants, aluminium smelters, petrochemical and refining facilities as part of a committed spending programme that will give on - going opportunities for different firms in the industry. Among the UAE suppliers, industrial goods are viewed as opportunities in the Emirate''s nuclear power programme, which is estimated to cost $15 billion, while in Abu Dhabi the Polymer Park including industrial zones focusing on plastics and metals, could include an investment of around $7 billion. Kuwait''s Petrochemical Industries Company seeks to establish a large petrochemical complex at Al Zour pegged at $20 billion. In Qatar , the Honam - Waseeta - Mesaieed petrochemical facility for a derivatives and cracker complex are in their initial stages amounting to $ 4.2 billion. In Oman, a $2-billion aromatics plant in Sohar to produce paraxylene and benzene is being constructed. Middleton stressed, "No doubt the Gulf is not totally immune from global economic slowdown, but whilst the financial crisis has hit manyAdidas Yeezy