The 19th edition of the world’s largest annual airport exhibition in Dubai later this month will see a record participation of 211 Hosted Buyers, reconfirming its strong position as an ultimate B2B event and reflecting the immense business opportunities in the Middle East region.

Held from April 29 to May 1 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) under the patronage of 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, Airport Show will have a record 375 exhibitors from 60 countries.

The total number of international companies will be 143, of which 42 are new international exhibitors. 7,500 attendees are anticipated to attend an exhibition space of 15,000-sq-m across three Zabeel halls of DICEC. The Show will have two co-located events: Air Traffic Control (ATC) Forum and Airport Security Middle East. Hosted buyers for Airport Security are 46 from 17 countries and those for Air Traffic Control are 32 from 16 countries.

Sheikh Ahmed commented: “Airport Show has become an ideal B2B platform for the industry decision-makers to initiate steps to procure the latest technology products to meet their needs. The aviation industry’s growth is reflected in the Airport Show."

Besides Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and the host UAE, the countries from where the Hosted Buyers will be coming are Algeria, Armenia, Angola, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Maldives, Mauritius, Moldova, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Turkey and Uganda.

Mai Ismail, head of the Business Connect Programme and Government Relations at Reed Exhibitions Middle East - the organisers of Airport Show - said: “The Hosted Buyers programme has evolved over the years and each year we are increasingly focusing our efforts to bring more benefits to the exhibitors. We push and promote Hosted Buyers programme further each year for everyone’s benefit.”

The Hosted Buyer Programme has been a highly-acclaimed feature of the iconic event since 2009, providing exhibitors an unparalleled opportunity to meet key officials and decision-makers from regional airports.

Buyers, for the first year, are attending with more than 65 international projects worth an estimated Dh110 million ($29.9 million). - TradeArabia News Service