In a display of support for the capital’s burgeoning meetings and conferences sector, Nexus Global Events has contracted more than 40,000 square foot of exhibition space at Abu Dhabi’s National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). The company has earmarked four B2B trade shows up to May 2010, eyeing participants from more than 35 countries.
Dominic McGill, CEO, Nexus Global Events confirmed that this year two industry-specific exhibitions, Middle East Broadcast Solutions (MEBS) and Middle East Television (METV), are slated to run concurrently over three days (from November 17 2009). Meanwhile, in 2010, Sports Arabia and Franchise Arabia are launched in ADNEC in the capital city of Abu Dhabi.
He said that early indications show that the November events look set to attract in excess of 120 leading names from the global broadcast sector, as well as top players from the UAE.
McGill said that MEBS and METV are conceived to support the massive potential of these industries in the MENA region.
“The Middle East is pegged as one of five fastest growing markets in broadcast, alongside China, Eastern Europe, India and Latin America,” he said.
He indicated that in a study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the Global Entertainment and Media Outlook Report 2008-2012, the Middle East media market is forecast to expand at double-digit annual rates over the next five years, far outstripping the average of 6.6 percent growth, worldwide.
These observations are backed by a recent report by the International Association of Broadcast Manufacturers that suggests the Middle East will lead the sector’s global growth from 2010.
“The Abu Dhabi government has established a strategic plan to diversify into non-oil sectors including trade shows, exhibitions, conferences, meetings and incentives. They are backing the growth with total infrastructure investment of around US$168 billion over next five years,” McGill advised.
“Our decision to focus our inaugural portfolio in Abu Dhabi feels right and stands as a testament to Advantage Abu Dhabi (AAD), recently launched by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) to help grow and sustain business tourism.”
AAD is a new initiative with its sights set on attracting significant MICE business to Abu Dhabi. It focuses 12 strategic sectors, including tourism, healthcare, media and telecommunications.
He confirmed that the Nexus portfolio of media, franchise and sports exhibitions is aligned with this vision. Neil Manwaring, Managing Director, Nexus Global Events said that the four exhibitions will attract in excess of 20,000 visitors.
“More than 8,000 international visitors are expected into the capital over the three days of the double-billing, MEBS and METV, in November alone, further supporting Abu Dhabi’s drive to develop MICE and allied tourism industries.
“We expect that our four shows will bring a cross-section of attendees and investment opportunities from global markets to Abu Dhabi. Each exhibition will also attract a wealth of specialist knowledge delivered at a conference that will run concurrent with each show,” Manwaring said.
McGill stated that the B2B exhibition sector must ready itself to play a key strategic role in the region’s economic growth.
He said that MEBS and METV will be annual events, and confirmed that 2010 will see the inaugural Sports Arabia show, scheduled at ADNEC in February 2010. This will be followed by Franchise Arabia in May.
Franchise Arabia was initially scheduled for this October but has been moved to the 2010 spring calendar to bypass any business downturn and leverage the new momentum expected by the global franchise industry.
The International Franchise Association reports that the UAE franchise sector, currently valued at about $30 billion, will grow between five and eight per cent in 2010. More than 90 percent of retail outlets in GCC are international franchise concepts.
McGill confirmed that all four exhibitions will be complemented by a cutting-edge conference with a portfolio of leading speakers and experts.
