His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, on Tuesday opened three leading trade exhibitions for the construction, interiors and property sectors being held simultaneously, and organised by the Bahrain-based Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE).

After the inauguration, the Prime Minister commended the HCE for organising the shows which were in line with the government’s efforts to make Bahrain a hub for exhibitions.

For the first time, the established gulfBID and gulfInteriors exhibition brands were joined by the inaugural Gulf Property Show, creating the biggest combined business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) showcase ever organised in Bahrain.

Floor space in all three exhibition halls of the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC) was sold out – a total of 7,600 sq m occupied by 187 companies from Bahrain, the region and further afield.

Almost 100 companies representing segments as diverse as construction, design, engineering, project management, construction plant and machinery and green buildings are demonstrating their capabilities at gulfBID in Hall 1 of the BIECC.

Meanwhile, 72 companies representing home-grown and international brands in sectors including furniture, paints, kitchens, bathrooms, lighting, ceramics, wall coverings, and art and accessories are taking part in the gulfInteriors expo in Hall 2.

Gulf Property Show, which is showcasing Bahrain’s various residential and commercial real estate assets and related services, is being staged in BIECC’s Palm Hall.

Thanking the Prime Minister for his patronage of the show and for opening it, HCE managing director Jubran Abdulrahman said: “We appreciate His Royal Highness’s continued support, which obviously reflects the importance that his wise leadership attaches to such important events in the island.”

“No doubt holding gulfBID and gulfInteriors for the seventh year and adding the property show this year is a clear indication that the business outlook is optimistic not only in Bahrain but also in the northern Gulf. We hope that the three exhibitions will allow buyers and sellers to come under one roof and strike deals during the three days,” he added.

Abdulrahman said compared to last year, the exhibitions had grown significantly. "While gulfBID has grown 30 per cent in actual size, gulfIinteriors has grown 60 per cent in actual size," he stated.

The inaugural property show took 600 sq m and has run out of space and we will have to look for an alternative arrangement next year,” he added.

Strategic supporters of gulfBID 2013 and gulfInteriors 2013 include Bahrain’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Tamkeen Labour Fund, the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bahrain Exhibition & Convention Authority (BECA), the German Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Ghorfa), British Expertise and the Bahrain Property Developers Association (BaPDA).

The strategic sponsors for the Gulf Property Show, meanwhile, are Manara Developments Company, with Bahrain Financial Harbour and Sakaan (Saar Central) supporting as Gold Sponsors. The shows continue today and tomorrow from  9 am to 9 pm.-TradeArabia News Service