Dubai gears up for Airport Show 2011
Dubai is gearing up to gather more than 70 Hosted Buyers from 20 different countries during the Airport Show 2011, announced REED Exhibitions Middle East, a leading organiser of trade and consumer exhibitions.
The participation records a higher percentage than last year when 56 buyers from 17 airports participated in the Hosted Buyers programme, while the 2009 edition attracted 41 buyers from 16 airports.
Organised under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group, the 11th edition of Airport Show will be held from 31 May-2 June at Airport Expo in Dubai.
Dedicated exclusively to airport construction, operations, technology and services, the highlight of the event will be the Hosted Buyers’ programme that will draw representations from airports, airport authorities and contractors nominated by exhibitors.
Airport Show 2011 will gather suppliers of equipment and services covering all areas of airport development and operations with the Hosted Buyers under one roof in Dubai. The event offers a one-stop platform catering to the needs of existing and new airports in the region in which development and expansion projects are estimated to cost US$90 billion over the next few years.
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Mohamad Bader-Eddin, Show Director, REED Exhibitions Middle East, said: “As a leading event organiser, REED’s objective is to ensure that all stakeholders benefit from the event. Through our Hosted Buyer Programme at one of Dubai’s leading industry events, we aim to provide an opportunity for exhibitors to be associated with prospective investments and open new avenues to enter business deals.”
The outlook for 2011 remains positive with expenditure budgets at 78 per cent of the world’s airports either remaining at higher levels or indicating further increase, according to the findings of the seventh Airline IT Trends Survey. Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa are projected to be the strongest growth sectors. According to the Middle East Airport Security Market Assessment Report, safety and security remain an important focus area in which spending is expected to reach AED212 million (US$57.7million) by 2015.
Bader-Eddin added: “Hosted Buyers last year were interested in IT, security and operations equipment and machines such as control tower equipment, talking systems, runway repairs, CCTV access control, airport fire training equipment and bird control equipment. We expect this year to be as resourceful for vendors and buyers, especially with the encouraging and positive sector forecasts and industry reports.”
Exhibitors at the event will have the opportunity to understand the region’s demand through their participation in project presentations delivered by the Hosted Buyers. In addition to networking and exploring future business ties with Hosted Buyers, pre-arranged schedules will help exhibitors meet with potential customers to identify project leads.
On their part, the Hosted Buyers will receive access to all exhibitors who will be showcasing solutions in security, ground support equipment, supply, airport revenue management, design and build, technology, air traffic management, as well as operations, training and recruitment.
The Airport Show is supported by leading aviation authorities and trade bodies including Dubai Airports, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), UAE Contractors Association, British Aviation Group, British Airport Services & Equipment Association (BASEA), Danish Airport Group, UBIFRANCE (the French Agency for international business development), and the Netherlands Airport Technology Group (NAT).